E books and its ease and convience in our society - Research Paper Example

Ebook readers have had a phenomenal growth rate since their introduction, and while some of the predictions made that ebook sales would over run the sale of conventional books have not come true (McCarty 161), the rate of growth has been no less impressive. Ebooks are just digitized versions of conventional books. Most books begin their life as digital manuscripts in the computer age, so the transition or transformation to other file formats is a very cost effective or cost efficient way of both manufacturing and also distributing a book.

Ebook readers are conventionally how ebooks are read. They are digital mechanisms with micro processing technology, and operating system, and a screen that function much like computers. For example, book retailers like Amazon have their own book reader known as the Kindle and Barnes and Noble who is another book retailer, have until recently marketed a reader known as the Nook (Smith and Smith 299). The fact that book sellers themselves see the value of marketing a reader for digital books, suggest very obviously that (a) they understand the transformation away from conventional books and that (b), they understand the potential profit of marketing digitized books.

There are a number of different types of ebook readers, and they vary with regard to cost but also technological efficiencies. For instance, the two readers mentioned, namely, the Nook and the Kindle are very limited as tools beyond just reading. That is, while they can handle and efficiently display a good range of file formats for reading books, they are limited when compared to the basic functions of a computer. A strong new presence in the market for ebook readers are computer tablets. For instance, the Ipad which was introduced April 2010 had already reached sales of over 3 million units within two months of its release (Ashley 1).

There are similarities in the look, feel, size and portability between an Ebook reader and a computer tablet, but also some very significant differences as well. Where an ebook reader is simply as it says, a 'reader', the tablet is a fully functional computer. That is, one can conduct and operate a tablet in much the same way that one can operate a computer as far as the applications that are involved. So, rather than being simply a reader, the tablet allows the user to send emails, access the internet, and do all of the document processing that any conventional computer is capable of.

For a student, there are some important advantages. For instance, a reader will not allow one to work on an essay or a book report while simultaneously reading the book in question. An Ipad by Apple will allow for these functions. Thus, one of the core disadvantages of an ebook reader, is the limitation of functions. That is, functions that go beyond reading such that the text in question can also be an object that is analyzed simultaneously. When one considers that the price difference is really not that great between a tablet and a conventional ebook reader, the technological differences therefore make an ebook reader almost obsolete by comparison.

The value in terms of education are many-fold. First, the cost represents a significant saving for any student. Text books especially in the sciences are cost-prohibitive. Therefore, savings for a student make ebook learning look advantageous. Likewise, and although illegal, the capacity to share an ebook by merely copying it and sending it as an email to another student makes it an advantage for learning. Another factor is the capacity. The least powerful ebook reader can hold thousands of books, so in terms of researching, there is a time efficiency factor worth considering.

When one can scan the entire text of thousands of books at a keystroke, the comparison with conventional books is a glaring study in contrasts. Conventional research in terms of finding books and physically getting them from libraries, and then in turn, scanning indexes or leafing through them for particular references is cumbersome by a long shot. There is no comparison worth noting on this scale, and already in education, students are understanding the time and cost efficiencies involved with using ebooks and ebook readers.

Finally, one can say that there are basic environmental advantages as well. The pulp and paper industry is a significant source of green house emissions, and likewise, the depletion of forests has an impact on increasing carbon in the air because trees filter this, and further, decreases the basic oxygen supply which is a product of trees and plant life. In an age where it can be said that more and more students are becoming conscious of the environment, the ebook reader holds some significant appeal.

Ebook readers are definitely a force for the future. While it might be argued that the tablet will replace the reader as the primary means of accessing ebooks, they are nonetheless both a part of education as a permanent fixture. Ebooks save time, money, and the environment, and these are their main advantages. Works Cited: Ashley, M. (2010). Ipad Publishing Guide: Write, Publish and Sell Your Book on the Apple Ipad. Campbell CA: FastPencil Inc.. McCarty, W. (2010). Text and Genre in Reconstruction.

Effects of Digitalization on Ideas. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers. Smith, T. (2011). Pricing Strategy: Setting Price Levels, Managing Price Discounts. Mason: Nelson Education. On Ebook Readers and Ebooks: The Educational Advantages and Disadvantages