You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the literal pages. I said the same thing about downloading music from iTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD. But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy. And the price is less than half that of a real book. And think of the convenience! Once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, can't wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you're holding a gadget instead of a book.
**Although I personally didn't write these comments, I could have. I really don't think print books will ever go away (she says, thinking of Jean-Luc Picard and his penchance for reading a volume while on shore leave -- see Star Trek.) But I don't think it's too far in the future that ebook sales will outnumber print sales.**
Books will stick around, I think. For many, many reasons, including money.
ReplyDeleteAnyone can get a library card and check out a book. For free.
An e-reader costs $150 or more. Some people read on their phones, true enough. But those are the expensive phones too.
Books will continue as a speciality item forever. But I give the mass-market paperback maybe another 25 years.