I think the point of the question is being lost in the aesthetics of holding a real book. For myself I prefer to buy my recreational reading in hardbound edition so I can enjoy it as part of my library. However, this is about the increasing cost of education. The reason many college texts aren't put in e-text version is because of the lack of users thus far. The more students brought up using this technology the more publishers will begin to offer. I used 2 e-texts this past semester and prefer that format. Cost comparison; about $75 total for the 2 e-text versus more than $400 for the print versions. That's only 2 textbooks and for one semester. Extrapolate that out to 5-6 classes at least 8 times in a college career. The savings are significant. Consider this, college borrowing has surpassed credit card debt for the first time. Every little bit helps. This is for early college education programs and schools should encourage the adoption of this. This is one time where the nay-sayers are being a little extreme and unrealistic about the costs.