Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Buy iBook or Physical Copy?

iBook or Paperback?

  • iBook

    Votes: 31 73.8%

  • Paperback

    Votes: 11 26.2%
  • Total voters
    42
T

TJ5921

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 5, 2011
238
3
I'm looking to purchase the Walking Dead Compendium 1. This is the first collection of the original comics compiled into a large book. It's available on iTunes for $39.99 and on Amazon as a $33.99 hard copy. I'm getting an iPad Mini for Christmas and currently have an iPhone 5. I have never experienced reading any sort of books or comics on it. Would I be better served just getting the hard copy or is reading on iDevices something worth paying a little extra for? Thanks.
 
Last edited:
when it comes to digital books i try to use kindle or comixology for comics. books because i have a kindle and I prefer the e-reader format, but the greater reason being: if apple every starts to mess stuff up, there are kindle apps for android and of course, the kindle, and web apps as well. the same with comixology. and reading from the kindle app on the ipad is really nice.

from apple i'll buy apps, music (because it's DRM free), and movies (because DRM there is unavoidable and i have a lot of iOS devices and an ATV for both TVs).

but if you're asking in general: physical media or online media, i dunno man. if it's something you want to keep as an artifact/souvenir because it's so beautiful or important to you then definitely get the physical book. if you just want to enjoy the story and revisit it every once in awhile digital content's awesome.
 
I enjoy reading comics on the mini, so for myself, I'd say it is surely worth it. But I wouldn't jump and spend nearly $40 on something without testing it out first. When you get your mini, download a free sample (all books have free samples), and make sure the reading experience on the mini works for YOU.
 
i look at that particular piece as something that might be better in hard copy. I still buy hard copies of some books but most are digital now. It just depends on how much I am into the book
 
Thanks for the tips I'm starting to think this is something I will want to have as a hard copy. Seems like it'd be this way for most graphic novels as well? Looking into some of the Batman ones and they seem like they'd be much better to have in hand. I guess I was hoping someone would be able to convince me to start investing in an iBooks collection instead.
 
there really is no investment ability in iBooks. You cant resell them. So really its for your pleasure of reading and rereading books. That is what I find the most valuable part about ebooks, I can reread them without the books falling apart.
 
peeaanuut said:
there really is no investment ability in iBooks. You cant resell them. So really its for your pleasure of reading and rereading books. That is what I find the most valuable part about ebooks, I can reread them without the books falling apart.
Click to expand...

This. and sometimes (not always) they're cheaper and will follow you to whatever new device you have: ideally in the year 2025 and longer.

But really I'd steer clear of iBooks, it's a rather limited option unless you want to strip DRM, and I think that's not legal.

Comixology is the way to go for comics in my opinion.
 
I have to say this is something I constantly go back and forth on all the time. For music I'm all digital and apart from certain films I really want in blu ray I buy digital just because its easy and simple. But for books idk, I can't make up my mind if I want to keep around hard copies, or just buy digital.
 
peeaanuut said:
there really is no investment ability in iBooks. You cant resell them. So really its for your pleasure of reading and rereading books. That is what I find the most valuable part about ebooks, I can reread them without the books falling apart.
Click to expand...

Also, you can carry your entire collection with you at all times.

As for DRM, I do strip my ebooks of DRM whenever possible. Currently, I buy my ebooks from Amazon, because the de-DRM program I have for Kindle books is more reliable and easier to use than the one I have for iBooks. I then convert them to epub, and load them into iBooks app to read. I like the iBooks font selection, and also, iBooks will sync your last position across devices even for books you sideload onto it. As far as I know, Kindle only syncs posiiton for books you buy from Amazon.
 
Night Spring said:
Also, you can carry your entire collection with you at all times.

As for DRM, I do strip my ebooks of DRM whenever possible. Currently, I buy my ebooks from Amazon, because the de-DRM program I have for Kindle books is more reliable and easier to use than the one I have for iBooks. I then convert them to epub, and load them into iBooks app to read. I like the iBooks font selection, and also, iBooks will sync your last position across devices even for books you sideload onto it. As far as I know, Kindle only syncs posiiton for books you buy from Amazon.
Click to expand...


I mostly buy through my Nook but have gotten a few through iBooks. I dont exactly strip my copies but I find them in epub for otherwise so taht I still pay for em but now they are more portable. And at this rate, I will never fill up my nook since the books are so small. Now comic PDFs, yeah, thats a different story.
 
Night Spring said:
Also, you can carry your entire collection with iBooks will sync your last position across devices even for books you sideload onto it. As far as I know, Kindle only syncs posiiton for books you buy from Amazon.
Click to expand...

This is a great tip. Yeah Kindle only does that for amazon-bought Ebooks.
 
The digital age robs you of the joy of tactility.

Putting on a record or Cd, showing photos and albums, holding a book and appreciating it especially if it has a bias on art work.

For me, re books, if its a particular favorite, especially if it has graphical art content I want the real thing not a photo of it.

But then if your a real fan you may collect every medium, I know I enjoy my Pink Floyd MP3's but love my CD's and albums too!
 
I switched complete as possible to digital content; specially for books I can use only for some years because they outdate fast.
I focus on Kindle as its device agnostic and can use on iDevice. Mac and in a worst case also on Windows. Plus the selection is better.

The only downside is you can't easily lent or sale. Though Kindle allow that, too. Never tried from my side.
 
wrkactjob said:
The digital age robs you of the joy of tactility.

Putting on a record or Cd, showing photos and albums, holding a book and appreciating it especially if it has a bias on art work.

For me, re books, if its a particular favorite, especially if it has graphical art content I want the real thing not a photo of it.

But then if your a real fan you may collect every medium, I know I enjoy my Pink Floyd MP3's but love my CD's and albums too!
Click to expand...

I fall in the middle of that. For books I read quite a bit but some of it is just for the time of reading and some is because I thoroughly enjoy the book. Some books I know I want hardcopy right away and some I know I will read once and then toss. For the toss books, I get the digital. For the ones I know I want I get hardcopy and digital and for the ones on the fence, I buy the digital first and then move on to the hardcopy for a more solid reread.
 
So what would you guys recommend for this book in particular?
This is what it looks like:
4500e03ae7a0f922f9fa1210L.jpg


I'm thinking it'll be nice to have that since it's a black and white comic. However I still want to be able to read this on my iPad Mini, iPhone 5, and Macbook Pro. They should include a digital copy with paperbacks.
 
TJ5921 said:
So what would you guys recommend for this book in particular?
This is what it looks like:
Image

I'm thinking it'll be nice to have that since it's a black and white comic. However I still want to be able to read this on my iPad Mini, iPhone 5, and Macbook Pro. They should include a digital copy with paperbacks.
Click to expand...

For THIS particular: digital ... No need to waste paper for it ... In two years you don't read it anymore and not sure if it would ever be a collectable.
 
Last edited:
TJ5921 said:
So what would you guys recommend for this book in particular?
This is what it looks like:
Image

I'm thinking it'll be nice to have that since it's a black and white comic. However I still want to be able to read this on my iPad Mini, iPhone 5, and Macbook Pro. They should include a digital copy with paperbacks.
Click to expand...

Oh dear. That looks like it weighs as much as 5-6 minis!

I do agree it would be nice if publishers offered bundles of digital + printed copy. For a book I really wanted, I'd be willing to pay a little extra to get a digital copy -- like for a $20 book, I might be willing to pay $25 for a +digital bundle. I really hate paying $20 for a hard copy and another $20 for a digital copy, that really feels like I'm being ripped off.
 
I bought an iPad specifically for my books and photos to be digital and I am very happy I did. I've finished 4 very long books so far. I am not much of a comics fan, but I do love The Walking Dead so I bought the first couple volumes in iBooks and thought it read very well, though it is in black and white - not sure if the printed comics are in color or not.

I did recently pick up a trivia book (about the size of a paperback bible) and I really wish there was a digital version. I've come to prefer reading on the iPad now. Seeing the picture of The Walking Dead Compendium, I'd have to say definitely digital for that one!
 
Mini is too small for comics. Also for color comics the colors don't pop.
 
Last edited:
I'm enjoying reading comics on the mini I think its the perfect size , My 7" Nexus is too small, the Larger Ipad too big and heavy, 7.9 inch is perfect.
 
I still and only buy used cds for my iTunes because I like having the physical copies of old cds in storage. But for books I'd do iBooks since actual books wear out, weigh as much or more than a Mini, and they take up more room usually.

As far as The Walking Dead goes, I would no doubt DEFINITELY BUY it on iBooks because I can only imagine how nice the colored pictures look on a lit screen as opposed to on paper.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back