The New York Times ran an article recently on the fact that Amazon.com is both venturing into the world of e-books this fall. Here's what caught my eye:
In October, the online retailer Amazon.com will unveil the Kindle, an electronic book reader that has been the subject of industry speculation for a year, according to several people who have tried the device and are familiar with Amazon’s plans. The Kindle will be priced at $400 to $500 and will wirelessly connect to an e-book store on Amazon’s site.
Now, I'm one of the more voracious readers in the world, and nothing floats my boat higher than the thought of immediate access to new books -- no waiting for overnight shipping! No more books overflowing on my bookshelves and in banker's boxes in the garage.
But... $500? Ouch.
And I have to admit, I keep a printed copy of my manuscript beside me when I work. Why? Because it's just so much easier to quickly leaf through paper pages to find a detail than to scroll tediously through an electronic copy. It just is.
And so I remain skeptical. At least, I will until Apple gets involved and makes printed books available through iTunes...
