No, it’s not a new device. This time it’s my son, Delaney, who has been reading on my old iPhone regularly.
He started when he got through a series of science fiction that I had purchased in paperback and wanted to read the last book. Unfortunately I only had it in e-reader form, and told him he could buy it, or read it on the Kindle app. I had upgrade my iPhone this year, and kept the other one as a spare. He grumbled a few days and then decided that saving some money was worth it, and he read the book electronically.
Then he accessed my library, and read 6 more science fiction books I had in there over the next few weeks. Recently I asked him what he thought of e-reading. He had been down on it at first, and wasn’t thrilled with it. A month in, he answered in the same way as my wife (and me).
“It’s really convenient.”
He told me that worrying about battery was a little hassle, but not a big one since we have iPod chargers all around the house. He said that the screen was a little small, and he’d like to be able to flip less, but ultimately he said that being able to just go to the next book, and having 5 or 6 or 100 books in your pocket was cool.
He’d started carrying the iPhone around, especially on errands. He’ll read in bed, in the car, before karate, just about any place, and being able to immediately get the next book, or switch books, is huge for him.
I think that’s the best part of e-reading. I do miss the covers, and would like color for a few things. I’d like better imaging for photos of illustrations, but for the most part, convenience far outweighs all of that. I can hold my iPhone and read for a much longer time than I could with a Kindle device. But ultimately, being able to buy books from Amazon, BN, or anywhere else is the key win for me.
Voice of the DBA 