Debate: eBooks vs Paper Books

A Paper Book.

In the last years a new way of reading appeared: The eBooks. Some devices as the Kindle or iPad born with the objective to change the way people bought and read books. In our class, we decided to discuss this topic in a debate.


I worked with Mr. Oporto and Mr. Kitzing and we were against eBooks, while the opposite team defended this type of books (Mr. Gré, Mr. Barriga and Mr. Núñez). Our arguments where based on the feelings that a paper book has (Not just letters, but an odor, color, texture, pages, etc), in their biodegradable material and in the vision problems a kindle may bring. While the other team focusses on the supposed cheapness of the Kindle, it's portability and it's easy way to get books.


Also, both teams exposed about prices. It's very difficult to define which is cheaper (paper books or ebooks), because it depends on each book's price. In some cases there are no big differences (for example, Harry Potter books have almost the same price in both versions in Amazon.com), while others may present huge differences in their prices.

Sony's eBook.

In my opinion, eBooks will probably grow in popularity, but paper books will never disappear. Also, the biggest concern about eBooks is their price: The electronic device costs over $100 US and virtual books aren't that cheap compared to paper ones. Also, you need internet connection, which is another problem in the distribution of this products. 


We can make a good comparison between books and music. Nowadays we have iTunes and other plataforms where we can buy and download music easily. However, people keeps buying CD's and Vinyls. This is because, a book or an album are not just music or letters, they are collectable objects!