Are computers replacing books?Digital media is replacing the old media in other areas

Music CDs replaced records and MP3s are replacing music CDs. Terrestrial TV has been mostly replaced by digital TV. Books themselves descended from parchment, which descended from papyrus scrolls and before that, stone tablets. Digital publications are the next technological step and so if the pattern is uniform, they will also replace the last step almost entirely.

Not all digital media completely replaces its older versions.A lot of the time they coexist. Although people own digital cameras they still like to print their images (the good ones anyway).When reports are generated in computer packages they are still printed out for meetings etc.Books are a very long lasting medium. If you are on holiday and lying by the pool or lying on the beach you wouldn't want some expensive reading screen device. A £3 paperback is so much better.

E-books use up far less storage space

Books take up a lot of physical space. Files take up no more space than the storage device does. File sizes are also becoming smaller and smaller as are external storage devices and computers in general.

There are internet archives, even digital books can be preserved. And give my mother a paperback and it will never be in readable condition again. I think e-books are better preserved/durable/long-lasting.

Because , we need to have lots of files and folders when we use computers to learn . Where as in books, we just need to turn the pages . And the information in pages remain there for years . Books can be felt where as computers cant .

Cheaper and easier to share information

E-books cost much less to produce and less to buy than physical books. The information in a digital format can be shared easily by email or by copying the files onto someone else's computer. It is also easier to edit the information. This makes it overall more convenient for students who might not be able to afford one copy of a book each and who doesn’t want to make notes and underline points.

Sharing can occur via a physical book. This can be done without the risk of virus infection which can cost you the price of a new laptop if left untreated.

Much easier to search for information

Even a simple search tool on a word processor is much more efficient than trying to find information in a book, even if the index is really well written.

Textbooks are getting more and more expensive whilst universities are bringing the goods online

Free information means free/'at least cheap' education. Sites like , Google(search free textbooks in your subject area) and Google books, permit students with a limited budget to get what they want without having to spend exorbitant amounts of cash.

Even if it is "cheaper" it is the internet and anyone can make changes to the information that is put on it so therefore the "free" information could be incorrect.

Go Green with E-books

E-books can reduce the usage of paper. It is one of the best ways to go green. And also it is easier to read when all the books are stored in one small device.

Computers require energy and resources to build, ship, and recycle and/or dispose of. In addition, when computers and other electronics are disposed of, they can release harmful chemical substances into the surrounding environment, making them substantially less green than paper books, which can be recycled in easier and more environmentally friendly ways.

Reading a screen isn't as comfortable

People like to sit down and read a book from cover to cover, and to stare at a screen for that long feels uncomfortable, damages your eyes and gives you neck cramps. A book can be held in the hand more easily than a laptop, even a netbook, because paper is a flexible material. Vision problems.

It’s easier than a book.

Digital media has too many copyright issues and is less trustworthy

Replacing books with e-Books entirely will create a similar problem to that faced by the music industry with MP3s. Digital information is entirely too easy to copy and redistribute for free. Academic publications can be hacked and plagiarised easily, and with online material being continuously updated and the copyright laws not entirely clear with digital material, it will make it difficult to prove that the work was plagiarised. In general, information found on the Internet is generally from unverifiable sources and may be extremely biased or incorrect. It is not useful for writing essays.

Books does not need constant maintenance and repair is cheaper

You could keep your book away in your attic and completely forget about it.......it is more likely to be found in its previous condition (though a little dusty ) by your grandchildren than an ipad or lappy you havent used in 35 years . if u tear your paperback the repair might cost a few bucks while a malfunctioning laptop or ipad will cost way more than that.

Old versions of e-books may not be compatible with new software systems

Technology is currently in a constant state of improvement. New software for electronics are continually being developed, and are often incompatible with data from other software systems. For example, computers that have old versions of Microsoft Word, or Adobe Reader, cannot open or read files from the new versions.