• by James , September 29, 2010

I bought a book today. Not an e-book. I walked down to the campus bookstore, asked for assistance in finding the book, handed my card to the cashier, signed my name, and walked out of the store with a book in my hand. A real book.

So?

So I have an iPad! Remember? I was the one who was raving about all of the cool things it can do. Well, one of the more basic features on the iPad is the ability to download/read books from the iBooks store. You can flip through electronic pages and make electronic notes and highlight things electronically. You can store hundreds (maybe thousands?) of books on an iPad. So why didn’t I download the book?

I was wondering that as I walked away from the register with my book in-hand. It wasn’t until I got back to my office (a 5-minute walk through the building) that I’d figured it out.

A couple weeks ago, I downloaded a few of Malcom Gladwell’s works in iBooks. I love the way he dissects the things we take for granted, so I didn’t buy one at a time—I bought 4. Eager to get them underway, I began reading the first and got about 10 pages in before I had to put the iPad down and take care of an errand. I’ve not picked the book back up.

Today, I bought David Sedaris’ newest work, “Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk” and I’m more than halfway done with it. Now, there are a few things that COULD explain why I’m flying through this book but haven’t touched Gladwell’s book in more than a week.

1. Sedaris writes essays--they’re rarely more than 10 pages each. Much less cumbersome than a full book.

2. Because I swiped my card and signed for it, I might feel more of an obligation to read the book. Online purchases don’t immediately feel “real” to me. And…

3. Sedaris’ book has pictures! ?

The way Gladwell writes, my first contention is null. He doesn’t write stories with vampires, witches, love,…or plots, really. It’s non-fiction. Facts and opinions. My second contention also doesn’t hold much water except in the few minutes immediately following the purchase. And my third contention.....

I think the biggest difference is that, side by side on my desk, there’s a book…and a computer. Now, I’m not an avid reader, so this isn’t the “ebooks will never replace my old-library-scented books.” I don’t care how a book feels—or smells—to be honest. So WHY did I buy the hard copy and not the electronic version?

Like I mentioned a moment ago, when I look at the two, one is clearly a book; the other is clearly a computer. When I finish the book, I’ll be able to look at the book and know that I’ve read all of it. It’s a valid, tangible measure of accomplishment. When I look at the iPad, I can’t see all that it contains. I don’t see Malcom Gladwell’s book unless I tap the screen a few times. I don’t see ANYthing, really. I just see a nice, aluminum case with a glass screen. (It’s pretty, mind you.)

The book represents a single task. “Hold me for a few hours,” it says, “and I’ll not bother you for a year or two.” The conversation with the iPad, on the other hand, is more complicated…

“I’m a computer,” it makes very clear to me. It continues with a snooty tone. “Sure, I CAN be a book, if you want. I can also be a Facebook tool. Or Twitter. Or you can use me to play Scrabble. Or surf the Internet.” It jumps off the deep end here… “Pretty soon, you’ll be able to multi-task on me. So if you still want to try to read that book you were so looking forward to AND play games at the same time, we can! We can do anything!”

oof. Exhausting, isn’t it? My iPad is an Apple fanboi, for sure...

So that’s the difference. I love my iPad. But every now and then, I need a vacation from technology. Perhaps less really is more.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about technology. And I love the idea of a single iPad potentially replacing hundreds of books (even though there are components in an iPad that can’t be recycled). Some would like to think traditional books might one day be made obsolete by e-readers. But the way I see it, the more abilities with which we empower our gadgets, the more we’re likely to charge ourselves with keeping busy utilizing all that technology (creating the need, right?). And in all of that hustle, I think we’re probably going to miss “mono-tasking” for some things.

I can’t speak to everyone’s experience with e-readers and books, but I can tell you this:

There’s a book and an iPad on my desk. I’ll finish one of them tonight.