DISQUS

Charlie · 2 years ago

The key here will be epaper technology. Good quality, low cost eBook readers could deliver the death blow to print media.

Tom · 2 years ago

Well, I certainly think paper will eventually go away but I don’t think it will be any time even remotely soon. The problem with books and to a certain extent magazines is permanence. Your favorite copy of Moby Dick is not going to crash on you where as your hard drive very well might.

I think the turning point will come when someone manages to make a deal with all the media companies to provide some kind of digital repository that people can keep their stuff in for life. This is a much bigger problem though than it seems because the dirty truth of the matter is that media companies know people lose their media and count on it for additional sales. I can think of several CDs that I’ve bought at least 3 times in my life because the original got lost or damaged.

So allowing people a sense of permanence in their digital media means giving up a huge revenue stream for publishers. On that same note, digital media means no more “Special Editions” for book publishers. A new cover goes over a lot better than an e-book with a new jpg file included.

Based on all that I don’t see paper disappearing anytime in my lifetime. There are just too many forces pulling against each other to allow it to happen. That said, newspapers are probably dead (I sometimes find it hard to believe that hasn’t already happened yet)

engtech · 2 years ago

epaper needs to get the convenience and DPI down pat before print has a shot at dying.

Print will always be a little more convenient for bringing with us. epaper might hold tons of content, but never underestimate not needing a battery.

What scares the crap out of me is as we adopt more and more technology we are effectively guaranteeing that information will be lost to future generations. Which might be a good thing because we create so much of it now, but still.

More thoughts on that subject

Mathew · 2 years ago

Batteries won't be a problem once we get those solar-panel implants in our heads, Engtech :-)