While eReaders were a niche product only a few years ago, the recent success of devices like Apple’s iPad and Amazon’s Kindle has made the eBooks format more popular than ever. Many have welcomed services like iBooks and the Kindle Bookstore with open arms, while traditional booksellers are trying hard to enter the market before their customer bases disappear. Although this new way of buying and experiencing books has its advantages, there are several reasons why they won’t be replacing traditional books and booksellers anytime soon.

Searching for new eBooks on an eReader doesn’t match the experience of browsing through an actual bookstore. Going to a bookstore can be a social experience, as you can peruse the stocked bookshelves with your friends while pointing out books you find interesting, funny or absurd. Even if you go by yourself, you can spend an entire afternoon looking through a store’s collection for something you like.

Austin has many independent bookstores that have their own unique atmosphere and specialties, and most have a knowledgeable staff that can make book recommendations. eBooks take out the social aspect of book buying. You typically have to know what you want when you search for eBooks, relying on the reviews of faceless strangers.

Bookstores are a frequent setting for date nights, as book lovers can share their favorite selections and get to know each other in a comfortable environment. The last time I checked, spending an evening browsing the iBooks store isn’t the best idea for a date.

Another shortcoming of eReaders is that you have to buy all of your books new. In addition to spending the money on the hardware required to read eBooks, you have to pay full retail price for the books themselves. As of right now, there is no way to buy eBooks as you would at Half Price Books or at a bookstore’s sale rack.

Because eBook stores are selling you files, you can’t turn around and resell them the way that some people sell their used books on eBay or other resale sites. A large number of the titles available at eBook stores can be found at physical resellers for a fraction of the cost.     

Lastly, eReaders will never be able to replace the tactile feeling of owning a book and holding it in your hands. There is still something special about physically turning the page of a good novel that cannot be achieved by sliding your fingers across a screen.

The sense of accomplishment you get from finishing a thick book just doesn’t feel the same on a device you have to plug in, and some would say there is no better smell than that of a new paperback. None of these sentimental aspects of reading a physical book are possible on an eReader…yet.

While I am not denying that eReaders are a force to be reckoned with, I believe the idea that they will replace paper and ink in the near future is a bit ludicrous. If bookstores continue to function the way they do, traditional books are a long way from singing their swan songs.