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Originally Posted by Format C:
I'm not guessing: I've met them by the hundreds in forums and blogs. And they're all saying the same thing: words are not enough.
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Well, I meet dozens of people on a regular basis for whom they are. Words are, in fact, all they're interested in. The rest is nice to have at times, perhaps, but not considered essential. Pair that with other advantages of digital formats (hooray for full text search!) and you can imagine where the future's headed.
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That's why I thing present ebook technology cannot replace printed books.
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Not today, or tomorrow. Not even next year, but eventually it will. Printed books will become a niche market for bibliophile collectors and connoisseurs. The mass market will be almost entirely digital.
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Other analogy: did engines completely replace sails in boats? No.
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Of course not. People still sail for fun. But how large a percentage of the world's shipping is done on sailing ships? How many commercial passengers moved?
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Sailboats are still used for leisure, albeit we won't ever see a galleon used as an oil tanker....
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Exactly. Books will be around, no worries, the way LPs and analog photography still are. Niche markets, as I've said.