Although the Internet, to the extent that it provides a cheap method
for moving large amounts of data, could facilitate the decline of the
printed book, the state of current technology suggests that the
printed book will be with us for a long time. Furthermore, the
Internet itself could support printed book usage.
The problem facing those who would supplant the printed book is that
the printed book, in most circumstances, is extremely capable at
performing its task. Unlike existing electronic book technologies,
printed books are much less expensive, do not require power supplies,
are readable under a wide range of light conditions (most display
technologies are not), and have minimal publisher-imposed restrictions
on their use. Printed books are at least as portable as existing
electronic book technologies, degrade gracefully (a drop of water may
stain a portion of a page, making some text difficult to read, whereas
a drop of water may render an electronic book unusable), and do not
require instruction manuals.
There are several advantages to electronic book technologies,
including the ability to store multiple books without increasing size
or weight, the ability to search text, the ability to incorporate
links to the Internet directly into the text, and the ability to take
notes that can be easily found and searched. Copies can be made at
virtually no cost, and data has potentially greater longevity.
Electronic book technologies can also be used for other purposes when
they are not being used to read books. However, current technologies
can only provide these capabilities at high cost relative to most
printed books.
Books provide a comfortable, intuitive user interface that can be used
in a wide variety of conditions. Most computers would be adversely
affected by the sand and high temperatures present at the beach, for
example. Books can be used by anyone, child or adult, with minimal
training. Books can be borrowed and sold by the user without any
restrictions from the publisher, whereas electronic book technologies
frequently prohibit such transactions. Books can be obtained
essentially for free from public libraries, whereas e-books are at
best usually only available to be read on a library's computer.
Different security technologies and file formats, along with the need
to connect to the Internet, can make acquiring content for electronic
books very difficult.
The Internet can adversely affect printed book usage in a variety of
ways. First, the Internet offers new ways to acquire information and
new entertainment means, such as games and music downloads, which
leave people with less time to read books. Second, many books are
available online for free to anyone with an Internet connection, such
as those at Project Gutenberg. Third, existing electronic books
replace conventional book usage to a degree.
New technologies may make electronic books more attractive.
Electronic books are trying to duplicate the look and feel of
traditional books. "One closely watched technology is 'electronic
paper,' developed by E. Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The first
consumer product is an electronic book that Sony and Royal Philips
Electronics have just launched in Japan. The size of a thin book, it
opens to reveal a paper like, black-and-white screen that changes the
text from page to page by rotating its tiny pixel balls, each of which
is half black, half white. Behind the screen is enough memory to
store an entire library of 500 digital books. So its name, LIBRIč, is
apt. Cost? Just $380. The LIBRIč's screen is rigid, but Phillips'
new Polymer Vision (PV) unit is itching to launch a flexible
follow-on." ("Just Two Words: Plastic Chips" by Otis Port, with
Rachel Tiplady and Faith Arner, BusinessWeek, May 10, 2004, pages
109-110)
However, new technologies can help conventional printed books overcome
many of their typical liabilities. The need to publish books in
advance, ship them, store them prior to sale, and destroy them if they
do not sell, leads to increased costs and an inability to stock very
many books. The large number of out-of-print books clearly manifests
this problem. The Internet, when combined with print on demand
technologies, may be the solution. By using print on demand, a book
is not printed until a user is ready to buy it. As a result, there
are no books to be shipped and no inventories to be kept, except in
digital form. This offers the potential for traditional printed books
to be supplied at even lower prices to the consumer and for a much
larger number of books to be available in print.
To me, except in circumstances where the ability to carry and access a
large number of books is critical, the Internet's support for printing
on demand outweighs its facilitation of the adoption of e-books.
Particularly in low income countries, $380 for a display is simply too
much, no matter what its capabilities are. Even in the United States,
adoption of e-books has been slow. Until technology progresses to the
point where a display has at least most of the beneficial
characteristics of a printed book, especially its low cost, I believe
the printed book will continue to dominate the marketplace.
Sincerely,
Wonko |
