Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
I probably should have mentioned the other factor that will influence e-book adoption: - The influence of young people who are not affected by the inertia and conservativism of their elders.
Many of the points I mentioned earlier may not sway the older generations. But the kids, being raised in front of computers, have proven to be much more likely to adopt new ideas and new technologies much faster than their elders have. |
I think this is correct but it will be at least another generation. My generation (old) is not too conservative to go from p-book to e-book -- after all, I'm using an e-book and recommending it to my peers; instead, we recognize that there is an intimacy that can be reached with a p-book that cannot yet be matched by the e-book. There is also a sense of permanence to a p-book that is not duplicated by an e-book, which both changes the reading experience and provides an anchor in the life experience.
My son (my youngest child at 26) grew up with computers. He has no problem reading, for example, the NY Times online, whereas I want the print version and am averse to reading it online. But he prefers the eperience of reading a p-book to an e-book (although he does read e-books) and prefers to buy a p-book. I've talked with him about the Kindle to discover whether the features of the Kindle matter to him and they do not. He doesn't care about the wireless connectivity, which is its big feature. What he wants is a single standard so he can buy books wherever he
wants, just like he can with p-books, and he wants a reader that better emulates the p-book reading experience. Of course, he is a reader but I wonder what the majority of his generation want as they are not readers.
Anyway, I think we won't begin to see dominance of the e-book until public schools adopt e-books rather than p-books. It will be that generation who learns to read for school and for pleasure on a reader who will finally cause the death of the p-book. Sadly, once again our public schools -- elementary, middle, and high -- hold the key to a major generational attitude change.