oh, what do corgies know? (and thanks to NK for finding these)
I want one. I really do. I don’t need one. I just want one.
I have no problem admitting that I love all things Apple. First and foremost, it is about the design of all their products. So much has been said about the design that I need not add my 2 cents. Function follows form in my attraction to their products but function wins out when I buy.
As most of my friends know, I am an avid reader. I love my books. I love my library. I enjoy looking at the old titles on my shelves. I treasure them because they are old friends. I enjoy the physicality of them. As every book lover will tell you, we enjoy holding the book and turning the pages. That will never change.
I also own more than I will be able to read in a lifetime. Ok that’s not entirely true. If I were stranded on a desert island with all my books and live until I am 100 years old, I could finish them. Given the sheer number, you can guess that we are surrounded by them. And that makes me very happy. Every single title, with hope, will transport me, challenge me, disturb me, delight me.
(the books pictured represent a fraction of the library. and yes, that is a stuffed squirrel facing down a ceramic Jonathan Adler squirrel)
So there is the internal/mental satisfaction I get from reading. And then there is also the physical act of it.
When NK and I go on vacation I always bring too many books. Not that I expect to read them all, I just know that what I am in the mood to read in the city will be different than what I am in the mood to read when we are in the Caribbean or in Italy. So I tend to bring 6 or 7 books, each ranging from 200-350 pgs.
Ok obvious transition to why I need the iPad. But just want to say one more thing about the physicality of reading. I love the way my Apple products look and feel. I enjoy holding my phone, changing songs on my nano, tapping away on the MacBook Pro. I held a Kindle and thought it felt comfortable. I think I really will enjoy holding the iPad. NK?
For me there isn't an issue of either/or. I often have to search for different editions of the same book if the first one I pick up has an ugly typeface or that the contrast between the dark lettering and the white page is too pronounced. The iPad won’t have that problem. I know I have room for both the physical book and the electronic book in my life. The circumstances under which I will be reading will end up dictating which format I choose. As soon as I get one. Hee.
Just to continue the conversation, I polled a few avid readers for their opinions and will publish those findings in a later post.
I was gifted a Kindle and love it. I also want (need?) an iPad (we're waiting for the 3G), but when I tried the iPad out for size at the Apple Store, I really didn't like the "Book Reader". For one: it's reflective; there goes your leisurely beach reading. The Kindle has that matte finish which approximates book paper better than a shiny glass screen. Two: that page turn animation is really annoying. I'll still be getting the iPad, but will probably continue reading on the Kindle, paper, or both.
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