Originally posted by dadudemonThis I'm not so sure about. Digital books are win/win for everyone. Cheaper to produce, larger profit margins for publishers. Good for the consumers because they can get their books on demand.
It will certainly cut into the physical book market, for sure.However, there will always remain a small market for hard copy books.
Books will eventually go the same way all outdated formats go. Granted the transition may take longer with books because the purists will be against it... but they will eventually die, and the younger breed will naturally be attracted to the better format.
Although I don't think the Kindle will be the thing to put the nail in the coffin.
Originally posted by §P0oONY
This I'm not so sure about. Digital books are win/win for everyone. Cheaper to produce, larger profit margins for publishers. Good for the consumers because they can get their books on demand.Books will eventually go the same way all outdated formats go. Granted the transition may take longer with books because the purists will be against it... but they will eventually die, and the younger breed will naturally be attracted to the better format.
Although I don't think the Kindle will be the thing to put the nail in the coffin.
Like what outdated formats? Vinyl? Still bought by millions, myself included. CDs? Bought by even more. Cassettes? We all thought we'd seen the back of them, now shit loads of bands are having thier first releases put out on cassette and there are a lot of record labels that specialise in them.
The one thing that this will do is hopefully drive down the price of hardback books, they're ridiculously expensive. Digital books will certainly make a dent in the market, but I don't believe that it will destroy it. Certainly not within our lifetime, anyway.
Originally posted by King of AngliaIf you think that those audio formats are going to last forever I would have to disagree. People like Vinyl for nostalgia, that's it. Cassette has been dying for years... CD sales have also peaked.
Like what outdated formats? Vinyl? Still bought by millions, myself included. CDs? Bought by even more. Cassettes? We all thought we'd seen the back of them, now shit loads of bands are having thier first releases put out on cassette and there are a lot of record labels that specialise in them.The one thing that this will do is hopefully drive down the price of hardback books, they're ridiculously expensive. Digital books will certainly make a dent in the market, but I don't believe that it will destroy it. Certainly not within our lifetime, anyway.
I didn't say that it was going to happen soon, just eventually. Look at Newspapers, they'll be gone in no time. The New York Times have already started the transition online, with a paid subscription to their online newspaper.
Originally posted by §P0oONY
If you think that those audio formats are going to last forever I would have to disagree. People like Vinyl for nostalgia, that's it. Cassette has been dying for years... CD sales have also peaked.I didn't say that it was going to happen soon, just eventually. Look at Newspapers, they'll be gone in no time. The New York Times have already started the transition online, with a paid subscription to their online newspaper.
People do not just like vinyl for nostalgia. As someone who has collected it for years I can tell you there's a lot more to it than that. There's so much on vinyl that you won't find online or anywhere else, it has a warmth that can't be compared to and overall it just sounds better. Then there's also all the DJs that use and will always use vinyl and CDs. Serious music fans will always exist and a lot of them will always want to physically own the music, the same goes for books.
I'm with you on cassettes, but anyone who's been keeping their eye on stuff like the chillwave scene will know that they have had a huge re-emergence over the past few years.
To compare newspapers with books seems to me to be slightly understating the difference between books and a the daily news. I've never heard of someone regularly rereading a newspaper.
Originally posted by King of AngliaThe feelings you are describing is NOSTALGIA, the very line "As someone who has collected it for years I can tell you there's a lot more to it than that." ... As for DJs they're switching all the time to digital, they used vinyl simply because software wasn't capable of creating the mixes that they can now.
People do not just like vinyl for nostalgia. As someone who has collected it for years I can tell you there's a lot more to it than that. There's so much on vinyl that you won't find online or anywhere else, it has a warmth that can't be compared to and overall it just sounds better. Then there's also all the DJs that use and will always use vinyl and CDs. Serious music fans will always exist and a lot of them will always want to physically own the music, the same goes for books.I'm with you on cassettes, but anyone who's been keeping their eye on stuff like the chillwave scene will know that they have had a huge re-emergence over the past few years.
To compare newspapers with books seems to me to be slightly understating the difference between books and a the daily news. I've never heard of someone regularly rereading a newspaper.
Young music fans have no connection with vinyl, other than their parents... Eventually they will be the parents and their children won't give a damn about the dried up format. The same will happen with CDs.
As for your cassettes assessment, no one has been keeping in an eye on the "chillwave scene", because it's simply not big enough scene to count as example of re-emergence. A handful of people using it doesn't count for anything.
I was using Newspapers as another example of a hard medium being beaten by it's digital equivalent.
Don't forget video formats.... Digital will overtake there also.
Phonograph cylinders seem pretty dead. VHS seem to die out. Oh and this thing seems super dead:
Books, still have advantages in some ways over their digital format, but I agree with spooony, once they don't have a real advantage, and the newer generations didn't grow up with them they will lose a lot in popularity, perhaps they'll still be liked by certain communities, but they will likely not be an important part of human culture anymore.
Originally posted by LanceWindu
iPad would be great for books, but even better for comic books...however, I would not spend that much money for it.
I would if I had it.
Though I guess it's good I don't, perhaps the WePad or the Interpad or one of the new Android ones will be a better match once I have money.
Originally posted by §P0oONY
The feelings you are describing is NOSTALGIA, the very line "As someone who has collected it for [b]years I can tell you there's a lot more to it than that." ... As for DJs they're switching all the time to digital, they used vinyl simply because software wasn't capable of creating the mixes that they can now.Young music fans have no connection with vinyl, other than their parents... Eventually they will be the parents and their children won't give a damn about the dried up format. The same will happen with CDs.
As for your cassettes assessment, no one has been keeping in an eye on the "chillwave scene", because it's simply not big enough scene to count as example of re-emergence. A handful of people using it doesn't count for anything.
I was using Newspapers as another example of a hard medium being beaten by it's digital equivalent.
Don't forget video formats.... Digital will overtake there also. [/B]
I don't know of many DJs that have dropped those formats. CDJs are used in virtually every club. Laptop DJs do exist and in great numbers, but I would say they are not making inroads to take over, because they are as outnumbered as they were five years ago.
Chillwave is probably one of the most blogged about music scenes. It's literally all that's happening at the moment in indie music, or so it would seem. See bands like Washed Out etc It's not a handful of people. Granted it's not as many who buy CDs by mainstream acts, but it is most definitely an international thing that's happening in a number of lo-fi based music scenes. For further reading go to Pitchfork, Bandcamp or virtually any music blog.
It's an argument where we can't really predict much, I suppose. Although I do think that things like vinyl will stay around for a long time and I think books definitely will as well, although they may well become like vinyl, in that collectors and diggers (people who try and find stuff that isn't available in anything but that format) are the only people interested in keeping them.
Originally posted by §P0oONY
This I'm not so sure about. Digital books are win/win for everyone. Cheaper to produce, larger profit margins for publishers. Good for the consumers because they can get their books on demand.Books will eventually go the same way all outdated formats go. Granted the transition may take longer with books because the purists will be against it... but they will eventually die, and the younger breed will naturally be attracted to the better format.
Although I don't think the Kindle will be the thing to put the nail in the coffin.
What I said was correct.
Eventually the market will reach "digital" saturation but there will still be those that like the "hands on".
Unless you propose we breed out the kinesthetic learners from the human species?
Originally posted by Bardock42
Books, still have advantages in some ways over their digital format, but I agree with spooony, once they don't have a real advantage, and the newer generations didn't grow up with them they will lose a lot in popularity, perhaps they'll still be liked by certain communities, but they will likely not be an important part of human culture anymore.
This.
I'm of the opinion that, eventually, most people will interface with all data, directly to their brain. This will allow people to have virtual physical books...but it would be completely digital.
That format will quickly be replaced with brain downloads and you'll download and entire book within seconds, never actually reading it.
I want a Kindle (or other ebook reader), I would love an ebook reader...with the amount I read, it would be so very convenient. Just put that in my purse instead of carrying books around, and when travelling I wouldn't have to worry about running out of reading material so quickly.
On the other hand, I highly doubt actual books are going to phase out anytime soon. It isn't exactly comparable to DVD replacing VHS, at all.
never actually reading it.
That thought makes me sad.