[Stitchawl]

I think it that for the present, e-book readers are a geographically dependent item. There are still many countries that have few to none available, including large First World countries. Despite the fact that Sony is a major player in the e-reader marketplace, there are NO e-readers being sold in Japan. While a few folks do read on their cell phones in Japan, the number is very small. Although I travel every day on trains and buses in Kyoto and Osaka, (two of Japan's larger cities) I've NEVER seen anyone using an e-reader. The only people who have ever asked me about my e-reader have been Western tourists visiting Japan.

In many Third World countries that are popular with the backpack tourist trade, one can find used bookstores on just about every block in tourist cities, with prices of just a few cents per book making the economic value of e-books a moot point. These same backpack travelers do not want to have to carry extra electronic gear with them, other than their laptops for e-mail. Perhaps the new iPad with turn a few more of them into e-book users.

CDs and DVDs quickly replaced the vinyl market, replacing even the cassette market too at astonishing speed. I don't think that same speed will be seen in the e-reader market, however I do see an eventual take-over for newspaper and books (other than graphics-dependent media) in the future.

Personally, I haven't bought a paper book in more than a year, but have read roughly 200+ e-books. For me, book stores are places to look at craft books, technical books, and art books. I think paper books are for 'looking at' and e-books are for 'reading.'

Stitchawl