What’s So Great About E-book Lending?

On Friday, Amazon made two big announcements about the Kindle. The first is the coming availability of Kindle newspapers and magazines on Kindle apps and not just on the Kindle device itself.  This is long overdue–many readers no longer use their Kindles much, but still read most of their e-books through Kindle apps on their iPads or other devices.  It’s about time.

The other announcement–that Amazon will be bringing 14-day e-book lending to the Kindle–is perhaps a bit more controversial. A similar feature was, you’ll recall, one of Barnes & Noble’s big selling points for the Nook.  So, starting later this year, Kindle users will be able to “lend” e-books to other Kindle users for two weeks, during which time the original owner won’t be able to read the e-book.

But what does it mean to “lend” an e-book, which is a file, not an object? Does e-book lending replicate the gesture of trust and friendship implicit in lending a print book? What do you think? Does e-book lending add value to your Kindle?  Do/ will you borrow or lend e-books?

What’s So Great About E-book Lending? « PWxyz.