Trends show it's too early to close the book on digital text
September 17, 2003 Edition -1
New York: Don't slam the cover on digital books just yet.
Readers hungry for a good page-turner will still turn to bookstores and libraries, but cheaper computers and changing consumer habits suggest that electronic books, or e-books, still have a future.
To be sure, that future is years away, particularly after Barnes & Noble, the world's largest bookseller, earlier this month shook the nascent market by shutting its eBooks store.
Daniel Blackman of barnesandnoble.com said downloadable books had not lived up to their hype. "There is a market ... but it has not materialised to the point that we will be able to support the business."
As with digital music, multiple books - say, Shakespeare's collected works - can be stored on a memory card the size of a stick of gum, making them popular with travellers, students and professionals.
"Two audiences that will benefit most are young people who loathe the idea of a library ... and ageing people who want the convenience of large type on demand," or freedom from lugging heavy hardcover tomes.
For now, e-books are an afterthought in the publishing world. Less than 500 000 e-books were sold in the US in 2002, compared with more than 1.5 billion printed books, estimated researchers Ipsos-Insight in Chicago.
The excitement of 2000, which saw the likes of Microsoft, Palm, Adobe Systems, Gemstar and Franklin Electronic Publishers developing gadgets on which to read stories, or software to mimic the look of a printed page, waned as these failed to catch on.
"The typical American consumer isn't ready for an e-book," said Barrie Rappaport of Ipsos. "It doesn't fit in with their lifestyle. As far as reading goes, people like to touch paper."
Moreover, concerns about piracy may limit the number of new titles that are made available.
Palm, Adobe and Amazon, which also sells downloadable books, said they planned no major strategic changes.
"It is too early to declare the demise of the digital book," analyst Susan Kevorkian said. "(But) to raise awareness there needs to be competitive pricing to get people to adopt the technology." - Reuters
