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Cool idea: VitalSource Bookshelf
I think this is a pretty cool idea: VitalSource Bookshelf. In a nutshell, it’s like iTunes for books. Buy them online cheap and download to your library.
The downside here is the portability; a laptop isn’t as portable as a paperback (and paperbacks don’t have batteries to worry about keeping charged). If software and hardware were developed to make it fully compatible with iPods and PDAs (not just perfunctory “you can read it… but I wouldn’t, personally, it’s a pain in the neck”), then I could see this sort of thing really catching on. Need something to read while you listen to your music on the train? Just pull out your iPod.
Another obstacle is the whole “hard copy” attachment that people (including me) have. I take pride in having a nice little personal library that’s growing with shelves full of books that show what I’ve been studying. I think the “physical item vs. bytes item” will an even bigger obstacle to an online library of books than for an online library of music, as the process of reading a book in your hand is different than reading one on the screen.
I like the idea of the company and the software, but I’m not sure the technology is right at the moment for it to succeed in the same way iTunes has.
Tue August 16th, 2005 4:08 pm
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Now, the very idea of a book being read from a computer screen of any size or quality with which I am familiar does not appeal to me. I am more likely to get eyestrain playing with a computer than reading a book, and I love the flexibility of paperbacks. As well as all the stuff you mentioned about a massive personal library (have you seen the STACKS in my room?).