http://www.ocdqblog.com/home/will-people-still-read-in-the-future.html?lastPage=true&postSubmitted=true

These kinds of questions led me to a producing am hour long discussion about the future of reading. Here is a link http://bit.ly/8Qqv3O

Will people still read in the future?

So far it appears that everyone (myself included) who has commented is someone who likes to read.

However, if you are not someone, to paraphrase Brian, who sees an adventure awaiting you in a 500 page novel, then you don’t care if it is a printed book or a e-book – you aren’t going to read it.

So, yes, between us readers, some of us will not exchange our personal tactile relationship with printed books for an e-reader made of the finest plastic, glass, or metal, and equipped with all the bells and whistles of the latest technology.

But much more importantly, e-readers aren’t going to make non-readers want to read.

I am arguing that there is a declining interest in reading in general throughout society. And I see this interest declining rapidly across current generation gaps, and dropping even more dramatically in the coming decades.

For example….
Paper books have a personal tactile relationship with a user that cannot be replaced by plastic, glass and metal. The feeling a reader gets as they are holding the slim first 10 pages of a 500 page novel… the aventure that awaits them. This is something that cannot be replaced by a display screen “page 5 of 543″. That is a value the old tech of printed books will and likely always will retain over new tech options.

As per your example of a Walkman. The reason you and nobody else will be out to buy these is because it retains no intrinsic usable values that aren’t vastly improved on by newer tech.

Sames reason why some audiophiles keep a turntable and their old vinyl….

After my initial comment, you might be surprised to learn that I neither currently have an e-reader, nor do I plan to buy one anytime soon.

I am, in fact, surrounded by stacks of printed books. I could probably start my own book store – or, at the very least, my own eBay account for selling used books.

However, I am not a total hypocrite – despite my copious amounts of free time, I often struggle to read all of the printed books I buy.

For example, I am a fan of Chris Anderson and own copies of both “The Long Tail” and “Free” – but I haven’t read either book – and I am not sure if I ever will. I have read so many magazine articles and blog posts (including Anderson’s) as well as seen so many interviews about the books, that I already know their core messages.

There are currently six printed books waiting to be read on my nightstand that I have queued to read before even considering to read Anderson’s books – and that doesn’t count the book I am currently reading, which technically makes seven.

And I would be willing bet Phil a Coke (even though I prefer Pepsi) that I will buy more printed books before I finish reading half of my current queue – and that some of the new books will be prioritized above the existing ones – meaning another author’s work may join Anderson’s book in the stack of books I own but haven’t read and might never read.

Maybe I am simply a book collector and not a book reader?

However, I still stand by my predictions above – I believe that before the end of this century “we” will see the end of printed books.

But, the end of the century is 90 years away, and like Graham said, neither of “us” will be around to see who’s right. But if history is any indication, probably neither of us is right.

After all, we still don’t have any flying cars, personal jet packs, robot servants, or holodecks.

So, it’s a safe bet that future generations will have a good laugh about all of our predictions.