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How much longer will newspapers/magazines and text books will be around?

S

SAWYER

Lifer
I was just reading on engadget about a new Kindle and partnership with text book publishers, plus the news of news papers hemorrhaging money, I think within 5-10 years. It would be great for students to no longer having to lug around all those books, plus cheaper prices on the books
 
Textbooks I can see effectively being replaced. I already have pdf versions of all my textbooks.
Newspapers and magazines, probably partly. Most newspapers that keep print versions in addition to online. I think it would take like 15 years for newspapers in U.S. to transition to 95% or more online readership.
 
Hopefully they'll be around until I die at least. I don't want to bring my laptop into the bathroom with me to read.
 
Originally posted by: mugs
Hopefully they'll be around until I die at least. I don't want to bring my laptop into the bathroom with me to read.
Click to expand...

This. While most newspapers and magazines ARE available on line, they're awkward to read while on the throne.
 
textbooks, cheaper? HA.

If anything they'll find a way to make it MORE expensive.

<-- had to buy a new textbook at $140 to be told it is worth $0 at the end of the semester :frown:
 
Originally posted by: mugs
Hopefully they'll be around until I die at least. I don't want to bring my laptop into the bathroom with me to read.
Click to expand...

I read ebooks with pda while on the throne. Not so much wide format content like newspapers, though. Maybe if they come out with affordable e-ink or OLED scrolls.
 
they will NEVER do away with testbooks. they are to big a money maker for the college etc.
 
Few things are as low maintenance, portable, cheap, and durable as books. You can go into any used book store and walk out with several weeks' worth of entertainment for $10-20. Plus there are indescribable characteristics like the feeling of sitting in a warm, comfortable chair with a good book versus sitting in a warm, comfortable chair with your Kindle.

In summary: books are going nowhere. Nor should they.

Edit: I realize you're talking mostly about text books. I still believe hard copies will always be more low maintenance, portable, and durable. Digital copies MIGHT be cheaper, but rest assured the people who write text books will still make their money.
 
I hope they go away within 10 years. There really isnt much use for them. I also hope the mail gets eliminated in the same amount of time. It would be good for the environment 🙂
 
Originally posted by: dainthomas
Few things are as low maintenance, portable, cheap, and durable as books. You can go into any used book store and walk out with several weeks' worth of entertainment for $10-20. Plus there are indescribable characteristics like the feeling of sitting in a warm, comfortable chair with a good book versus sitting in a warm, comfortable chair with your Kindle.

In summary: books are going nowhere. Nor should they.
Click to expand...

I agree with you for enjoyable books you plan on keeping for a long time.
Note that thread topic focuses on magazines, newspapers, and textbooks, though. I don't curl up by the fire with my organic chemistry textbook, and I don't keep a copy of the NY Times for more than a day, usually (there are cases for both textbooks and newspapers that I may want a physical copy to keep, but most of the time, no).
 
Originally posted by: dainthomas
Few things are as low maintenance, portable, cheap, and durable as books. You can go into any used book store and walk out with several weeks' worth of entertainment for $10-20. Plus there are indescribable characteristics like the feeling of sitting in a warm, comfortable chair with a good book versus sitting in a warm, comfortable chair with your Kindle.

In summary: books are going nowhere. Nor should they.
Click to expand...

I have to add that printed books, unlike e-books, will be guaranteed to work in 50 years even if their publishing company goes out of business in the meantime. In my case, let's say that Sony stops making the Reader and stops supporting software for it. It's unlikely that other e-readers will be able to read the copy-protected Reader files and sooner or later the electronics in my reader will fail or the computer software will no longer run on newer operating systems. At that time, all of my e-books will become unreadable.

I love my Reader for travel, it sure beats having to lug a bunch of paperbacks around, but for the most part I will always prefer printed books.

ZV
 
Originally posted by: dainthomas
Few things are as low maintenance, portable, cheap, and durable as books. You can go into any used book store and walk out with several weeks' worth of entertainment for $10-20. Plus there are indescribable characteristics like the feeling of sitting in a warm, comfortable chair with a good book versus sitting in a warm, comfortable chair with your Kindle.

In summary: books are going nowhere. Nor should they.
Click to expand...

I don't see books going away for good, but they definitely will see a significant downturn as technology improves. There's no reason that ebooks won't be as cheap as regular books. Physical books actually lose out big time on portability as carrying more than one quickly adds up. Modern books are not low maintenance either. They're cheap and will not hold up over time. I actually see books moving back to earlier methods, where they'll be made in small quantities of better materials.

I do love the physical feel of books, but for most reading, they could easily be replaced by technology (where you could adjust the font size on the fly, brightness, do quick references, have overlays instead of permanent notes/highlighting, etc).
 
Originally posted by: mugs
Hopefully they'll be around until I die at least. I don't want to bring my laptop into the bathroom with me to read.
Click to expand...

ive done this all the time. netbook + portable mag stand FTW
 
science text books work best when you can highlight and reference them away from a computer. imho, of course.
 
Originally posted by: Sawyer
I was just reading on engadget about a new Kindle and partnership with text book publishers, plus the news of news papers hemorrhaging money, I think within 5-10 years. It would be great for students to no longer having to lug around all those books, plus cheaper prices on the books
Click to expand...

i bet textbooks will be around forever. if they do stop printing them i for one will print them my self. i can't study on a screen.
 
Textbooks will still be around. I just hope piracy will bring the prices down cause that shit is ridiculous.
 
Books don't need a power source so I doubt they will entirely disappear. Why must they be replaced? Isn't technological progress supposed to be about more options, no fewer? In the meantime, until there's a Kindle that can take the abuse a paperback can sustain, I'll stick to treeware.
 
Originally posted by: oboeguy
Books don't need a power source so I doubt they will entirely disappear. Why must they be replaced? Isn't technological progress supposed to be about more options, no fewer? In the meantime, until there's a Kindle that can take the abuse a paperback can sustain, I'll stick to treeware.
Click to expand...

Books may not need a power source, but effort and energy and cost are required to keep the book up to date. With a digital book you could just download the new version. The manufacturing and distribution costs are thus largely fixed even if the book gets updated yearly.
 
Originally posted by: waggy
they will NEVER do away with testbooks. they are to big a money maker for the college etc.
Click to expand...

Ain't that the truth. With the move to electronic versions, it is much easier for a school or a student to not have to move to newer editions that people have to shell out for. With print, there will always be a limiting physical factor that restricts the supply when something goes out of print in favor of the newer editions.
 
You know that once we move all books/media/content to digital format and put it on the internet, the internet it's gonna implode and we're never gonna be able to access it.
 
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