Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
Its not a religious thing. But it *is* a cultural thing. A matter of expectations.
Yes, there will always be a place for print books but entire classes of print books *will* vanish.
Simple test: when was the last time anybody saw a door to door encyclopedia salesman?
An encyclopedia promotion at the supermarket?
I used to buy world almanacs religiously and *read* through them. Stopped long ago.
Map books.
AAA Triptiks.
All those things would make a modern ten year-old roll her eyes and snicker and mutter about "ten foot snowdrifts on the way to school". 
I've seen kids as young as three take to modern electronics like fish to water; they have no preconceived notions of what the world should be like so they take it as they find it and work from there.
It'll be fun to see where they take us all. |
Yes, it'll be fun to see how things develop. My nephew started enjoying iPhone games as a 1-year-old. We don't let him play with them much, though.
Print books will be around for a long time yet, partly because they're affordable, long-lasting and easily accessible. I'm talking about practical uses, not nostalgia. If they stopped printing all books tomorrow, we've still got plenty that people will keep reading. No hardware required. No money required, if you borrow.
I love e-reading. We're luckier than most, though. We can afford to choose. Many cannot. Expectations are often based on what you can afford.