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Americans still opt for print books over digital or audio versions

pewresearch.org

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Re: Americans still opt for print books over digital or audio versions

#11

Post by dyauspitr »

jrmg wrote: post #6

I’m surprised to see digital books are still growing in popularity. I notice way few Kindles in airports and on planes in recent years compared to ten or fifteen years ago. I guess people are reading books on their phones and tablets?

I always buy the paper copies of the books (though I wait for a used version that’s between five and eight dollars) and I will use the paper version if I’m reading on a nice day outside but 75% of my reading happens on my phone and I find I can read much faster on the phone because one, I don’t have to deal with the intricacies of holding the book and the pages open and the second biggest factor is the iPhone screen is much smaller so you don’t really have to move your eyes all that much to get through the content and this leads to much faster reading speeds for me. I can easily get up to 600 words per minute on my iPhone.

Re: Americans still opt for print books over digital or audio versions

#12

Post by loloquwowndueo »

analogpixel wrote: post #2

Watching TV/Movies through any device is a bother, I have to sift through all the advertisements/brand placements for that device to find anything, and most of the time it's the same 20 movies repeated over and over in every section. Reading on a E-device is a bother, I have to sift through all the "sponsored" books and whatever other crap the ebook reader company decides to add, and be at the whims of whatever they…

> Reading on a E-device is a bother, I have to sift through all the "sponsored" books and whatever other crap the ebook reader company decides to add

Sounds like you just chose the wrong device. My Boox does none of this. I just put the epub file in the device and read it.

Re: Americans still opt for print books over digital or audio versions

#15

Post by bentley »

Telaneo wrote: post #7
analogpixel wrote: post #2

Watching TV/Movies through any device is a bother, I have to sift through all the advertisements/brand placements for that device to find anything, and most of the time it's the same 20 movies repeated over and over in every section. Reading on a E-device is a bother, I have to sift through all the "sponsored" books and whatever other crap the ebook reader company decides to add, and be at the whims of whatever they…

Reading plain EPUBs on whatever device has been a fairly good experience in my opinion, given that that is more or less just going to be the physical book in digital form. Then again, the only way I think people actually find those are through free online downloads and not any actual store front. Given the choice between 'tainted digital experience' and 'plain analogue experience', I can't blame consumers for choosin…

> the only way I think people actually find those are through free online downloads and not any actual store front.

The other day I commented about my DRM‐free ebook sources: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47684550

In my opinion, it’s important to support those publishers and stores that do choose to sell unencumbered media, so that they have some justification to keep doing it.

Re: Americans still opt for print books over digital or audio versions

#16

Post by WarOnPrivacy »

analogpixel wrote: post #2

Watching TV/Movies through any device is a bother, I have to sift through all the advertisements/brand placements for that device to find anything, and most of the time it's the same 20 movies repeated over and over in every section. Reading on a E-device is a bother, I have to sift through all the "sponsored" books and whatever other crap the ebook reader company decides to add, and be at the whims of whatever they…

> I would love to see someone come out with services for music, movies, books that are just APIs you subscribe to and can use any client you want.

It won't happen because the one thing more important than money is control.

In the 1990s, the recording industry choose to leave money on the table rather than allow digital music to risk their gatekeeping power. It took years for Apple to bully the MPAA into allowing digital distribution.

Re: Americans still opt for print books over digital or audio versions

#17

Post by walterbell »

analogpixel wrote: post #2

Watching TV/Movies through any device is a bother, I have to sift through all the advertisements/brand placements for that device to find anything, and most of the time it's the same 20 movies repeated over and over in every section. Reading on a E-device is a bother, I have to sift through all the "sponsored" books and whatever other crap the ebook reader company decides to add, and be at the whims of whatever they…

CheapCharts + iTunes Store + Apple TV (non-subscription) = zero ads and offline viewing.

Re: Americans still opt for print books over digital or audio versions

#19

Post by tayo42 »

jrmg wrote: post #6

I’m surprised to see digital books are still growing in popularity. I notice way few Kindles in airports and on planes in recent years compared to ten or fifteen years ago. I guess people are reading books on their phones and tablets?

Probably scrolling tiktok... With sound on and no headphones lol

Re: Americans still opt for print books over digital or audio versions

#20

Post by daoboy »

Physical books are irreplaceable to me. I love the feel, the smell, and having a house full of them. Just went to a library sale this morning and got even more.

I also really need a break from screens, and reading a book is a great excuse to not be on my phone or watching tv.

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