2010 appears to be the year of the portable eBook reader - the Amazon Kindle has been the hottest selling gadget for months, and eBooks outsold traditional paper books over Christmas of 2009. However, the news has prompted much debate over the question ‘will the eReader make traditional books obsolete?’

The Argument Against the Portable eBook Reader

The eReader is undoubtedly becoming more and more popular, however there are a number of reasons why it’s growth in popularity could be slowed. For a start, the price of an eBook reader - even the cheapest model - is many, many times more than the price of a book. On top of the reader itself, there is still the cost of each new eBook to consider. Unfortunately, eBooks cost roughly the same as traditional printed books.

There is also the fact that the traditional book is a part of our history, and a part of our culture. There are people who love the feel of a book, who love to fold down the pages and love to make notes. People love browsing libraries and bookstores and seeing the books in their physical form, which eBooks can never replace.

In fact, books become an artifact from history in their own right. Some might argue that paper books have a far longer lifespan than a gadget ever could - as we all know they eventually tend to break down or simply become obsolete.