Hi & Goodbye to the iPad

I have a brother that is dead set on getting an iPad. It looks like a pretty piece of technology, but when there are already computers, ipods, and iphones in our house, an iPad seems superfluous. For a few weeks I thought I might be interested in getting the iPad for the e-reader and wifi components, but when I went into the Apple store, I immediately rejected the possibility of reading off of that screen.

It hit me that I am a staunch supporter of print publications. Since summer break began, I have had the chance to sit down with a few books and magazines that had been piling up on my desk all semester. I've heard people talk about why they love reading actual books versus reading off a computer, "I love the feel of the pages, and holding the book in my face, and storing them on a bookshelf until I can pass one off to a friend."

While I completely agree with the reasoning in last sentence, I feel it is even more than that. There is something relaxing about underlining sentences and making notes on the side of the page when I read an outstanding line, or tossing a book in my purse on my way to the doctors office, or stopping on a Border's bookstore after work and checking out new titles and flipping through a selection of pages to get a glimpse of someone's story.

I also noticed I have built up a get-through-this feature kind of anxiety when reading things off of my computer. I want to get through the section so that I can get to the next find online. When I sit down with a book or magazine, I can simply focus on the material. If I had an iPad, I think the same anxiety would arise. My email and a plethora of other applications would be too convenient that I would probably spend my reading time flipping in and out of the book to get other things done at the same time (kind of reminds me of how I watch TV with a laptop in front of me). It's multi-tasking with no true focus.

Has anyone made the switch to e-reader? Do you miss the paperback?