The digital book is never likely to replace the printed one. How far do you agree?

A digital book is an online copy of a book, which can either be a novel or a textbook for studying a subject. The concept of digital books was developed to address the issues associated with printed books. While digital books offer certain conveniences, they cannot fully replace traditional printed books.

Printed books have always been plentiful, ensuring no shortage in recent years. Taking notes or highlighting important points in printed books is relatively easier for last-minute exam preparation. Multiple versions of books are available in shops, meaning that if a syllabus of a subject is updated, the new editions are quickly published. Various publishers offer the same syllabus in different formats, such as coursebooks, practice books, revision guides, and dictionaries.

However, printed books have some disadvantages. As textbooks often contain detailed data and experiments, they tend to be heavy to carry daily from home to school, causing severe back pain for students. Additionally, the mass production of books wastes paper if some books remain unused. Paper production involves cutting down trees, and reducing the number of trees that provide fresh oxygen. Moreover, printed books can be expensive for the average person.

To address these problems, digital books were introduced. However, digital books have limitations, preventing them from completely replacing printed books. Firstly, only a few copies of digital books are available online for free on platforms like Google Books, Archive, and Kindle. Secondly, there are limited versions available online, which may be outdated. Thirdly, finding the right book online can be time-consuming. Lastly, while digital books can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, they are susceptible to electronic glitches or security issues like key-logging software. Poor network connectivity can also result in files not opening or becoming corrupted.

In conclusion, digital books offer some advantages but cannot entirely replace printed ones. The tactile experience, ease of annotation, and reliability of printed books make them indispensable. To reduce the number of trees cut for paper, we could limit the number of printed copies and encourage sharing or donating second-hand books to those in need.