When Microsoft's eBook store closes, your books disappear too
I don&#x27;t buy ebooks, and this is just one reason. This is the complete list:<p>1. For some reason they cost a similar amount to print books<p>Sometimes a bit less, sometimes the same, sometimes more. Distributing a physical book means you have to print, handle, store, transport, store again, handle again and transport again (using a simplified model of the journey a book takes to the end user). That costs money, and it costs effectively $0 to get an ebook to a user. I don&#x27;t see that saving being passed on to me, the consumer.<p>Not only that, you&#x27;re generally paying for <i>less</i> than you get with a physical book in terms of rights and (IMO convenience)<p>2. You can&#x27;t (or maybe you can) lend them freely.<p>Last I checked there were limits on lending with the kindle&#x2F;amazon. Maybe that&#x27;s changed, but I don&#x27;t want to have to think about that, I just want to lend the book to someone.<p>3. You can&#x27;t give them to someone.<p>Maybe this has changed since I last looked, but passing on the book to someone else and it now being &quot;theirs&quot; isn&#x27;t possible. Again perhaps that&#x27;s changed these days.<p>3. Cognitive overhead<p>Can I do this stuff? Can&#x27;t I? How do I do it? I don&#x27;t want to have to think about that. Last week I gave a book to my daughter by just putting it on her desk. It was easy.<p>4. Longevity<p>In 10 years will I still be able to access my books? 20? Yes, because they&#x27;re over there, on a shelf.<p>If ebooks cost a fraction of what they cost today then I would totally consider them. It&#x27;s a tradeoff. Right now ebooks don&#x27;t swing the balance towards them.