Amazon recently announced that sales of e-books overtook hardcover books by almost 50 percent (143 e-books for every 100 hardcovers).
This has come as e-book readers like the Kobo and Kindle have come down in price and Apple's iPad has moved to wider markets.
Only a few e-book readers (the Kobo, the Kindle and the iPad) and various smartphone-based applications are available here, but now we've got a wider range of e-book stores.
Whitcoulls released its e-book store online and via an Apple App at the same time as the Kobo went on sale this year. Amazon’s Kindle application can be downloaded to your computer (PC and Mac) or iPad. It can be used with an Amazon account, although some books might not be available here.
You can also download free out-of-copyright e-books through Project Gutenberg for reading on a device of your choice. Its database is also searchable using the Stanza application on your phone. Similarly, Apple’s iBook store is currently limited in New Zealand to copyright-free books.
There’s a bit to think about before going digital with your books. E-books are easier to store and much more portable on various devices. But they can't easily be loaned to friends or displayed on shelves and of course it’s hard to wrap an e-book as a present.
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