Do you believe that non-digital books and newspapers will become obsolete in 50 years? Ever?

Answer 1

Yes they will. We are in the middle of a literary revolution at the moment in which books are now being dual published for people that prefer digital copies or hard copies.

At the moment, there are no reasonably priced means for reading ebooks on the go, but the technology is completely available. It is possible to purchase UMPCs and Laptops between the sizes of 7-12 which are well-suited for reading ebooks due to their size and mobility; however, the technology is too expensive for it to be available to the common person. In fact there are even ebook readers available on the market today (priced around $300-$400).

As the technology becomes easier to manufacture, ebooks will become more common in distribution. Currently, some of the leaders in the field of ebooks are textbook publishers as they generally make a digital and non-digital book available to students (and some provide the ebook free with purchase of the hardcopy) which seems to be leading toward a future where digital books are common.

These ebooks are usually copyprotected like any music you purchase of iTunes or Napster and only allow a certain amount of computers access them.

I am currently using this technology for my reading and assignments. The technology allows me to highlight parts of an article, "clip" only what I need and save it, and make hand written notes in the margins. I appreciate it a lot and find that it is currently a bit limited, but find it highly mobile compared to carrying around 5 books. An advantage in some cases, is when reading I do not worry about what page I'm on because in some of the ebooks pages are eliminated therefore no more distraction by counting down the pages. As technology advanced, any limits I am experienced(mostly loading problems due to size of files and rendering them; though in some cases battery life can have an impact though it is yet to affect me negatively) will be fixed and the price of the technology will be greatly reduced making it easier to obtain by the public.

The plus side to using eBooks is keyword searching, reduced costs, and easier publishing. Publishers do not have to put on thousands of dollars to print solid books, instead they just upload the eBook to a server and when consumers purchase it they are given the ability to download it.

Answer 2

Newspapers, yes, because they require the use of many materials for their production. But radio, I doubt (and sincerely hope) that won't die for a long time yet. Honestly, I can't STAND MP3s. They'll just never be as good as they're made out to be. All the music I like is too intricate to be re-written into that format, so much of it is lost, therefore, I decided against owning one. Also, there's just something much cooler about turning on the radio and having it be totally random. You find new music without having to come to Y!Answers and ask people to suggest it. Of course, the disadvantage of that is that you might run across a song you particularly hate on any given airwave... Then again, you can nearly always just change the channel, right? As for paper books... Those better never disappear, cause I'll have to be institutionalized without my reading material. And screens make my head hurt. They also don't possess the comforting smells that paper books do.

Answer 3

Each generation will have to work hard to ensure that such a thing will never happen. As much as I like technology and all the gadgets they come up with, at the end of a day, there is nothing like curling up in bed with a good book. I like the way a new book smells and the feel of paper. I also like the idea of being able to take it with me on the bus, or a plane without having to plug in or reboot. You just can't read a computer in the bathtub while you are soaking away the aches and pains of a hard day at work.

Answer 4

Newspapers will become obsolete long before books--if ever. Technology is great and has truly caused a revolution to rival the industrial revolution, but books, I think, I hope, are here to stay.

Answer 5

It will all depend on supply and demand- the almighty dollar. The second criteria will depend on technology. Right now, it's been tested pretty conclusively that it's much more efficient to absorb information (especially technical info.) in book form rather than off a screen. So unless technology can somehow overcome that hurdle, we'll probably always rely on paper for intensive studies. For that common paperback and newspaper/magazine- I say it's gone in less than 20 years from now.

Answer 6

Never.

People like being able to hold a paper book. It travels easilly and is more durable than some sort of computerized version.

It's also by its very nature more difficult to copy than an electronic book.

That doesn't mean the electronic versions might not become more available in the future.

Answer 7

Nope. Students with highlighters, passengers on flights, basically we want our portable written material.

Additonally, with electronic/digital you gotta have a battery or electricity to read through it. So what are you going to take when you go to the beach or camping.

And most of all, you can't really curl up with a good laptop.

Answer 8

Yes I do - but not because of any technical superiority of new
paperless products - but rather the fact that people are turning
away from reading to just audio/video absorbtion (the boob tube,
in its various forms).

I am as guilty as the next.

Consider that the one of the reasons that McDonalds is so
successful is that they don't require the ability of their
cashiers to read - you can just point at the picture of the
thing the customer bought and it gets rung up.

Answer 9

I don't believe so. I just think that computer technology has made it easier to aquire the books.

Answer 10

Maybe, but then the collectors will treasure them.