Blog Post

The Future of the Paperback Book

rjmccray

With the latest development of eReaders and tablets many people believe it could spell the end of the paperback book. The most popular “ePaper” technology used today is called electrophoretic – an electric charge is used to arrange titanium dioxide particles – and the Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, and the Kindle all use this version. From what I’ve read online there are more than a dozen other technologies available, but the most popular eBooks I’ve looked at all use this technology.

Some popular facts that about eReaders:

  • The Apple Newton, which came out in 1993 came was envisioned as a device for reading books.
  • Waterstone’s sells an ebook every 90 seconds; and its fastest selling ebook is Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol
  • One crucial part of the e-book library is Project Gutenberg, started by Michael S Hart in 1971 to make uncopyrighted texts available to as wide an audience as possible: the first document he digitised for that was the United States Declaration of Independence.
  • One unexpected side-effect of the eReader is a rise in the sales of erotic fiction, because it gives anonymity by doing away with the shaming, give-away dust-jackets.
  • The e-book is not limited to specific devices: Kindle for iPhone allows users to read Kindle e-books on their iPhones, too.
  • The Sony Reader Pocket Edition weighs 220g, and will hold about 350 books. The average novel, however, weighs 340g. That means that an eReader can be the equivalent of 119kg worth of books, which is roughly two sets of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
  • Google’s controversial Books project – digitising 1.5 million texts and making them freely available – is available online and as an iPhone App. Visit books.google.com/m.
  • On Christmas Day 2009, more e-books were sold on Amazon than print editions.

Although it is still a relatively small market a recent Pew Research Center survey found eReaders in 12% of American households in May 2011 (up from 6% in November 2010) with tablets in 8% of homes. This may seem like a small percentage compared to mobile phones and ipods; it is worth noting that both the eReader and tablet markets are still relatively new; the 2nd generation iPad is less than a year old.

While digital will never be suitable for all books, if the “enhanced” bestsellers find success in digital app stores rather than on the shelves of high street booksellers then the repercussions on the publishing world will likely be widespread. With retail print sales being lost to Amazon, and print sales being lost to eBooks, the impact of  virtual books could have a lasting financial effect on the local bookstore.

If you find this post interesting please read a previous post written by PJ during the last blog contest titled College Textbooks Going Digital.

By Eberly Systems 02 May, 2024
West Lawn, PA, May 2, 2024 — Eberly Systems , the West Lawn-based managed IT services and managed voice provider, today announces its acquisition of the Lebanon-based LYLAB Technology Solutions. Eberly Systems seeks to further a movement of people who are motivated and equipped to make a difference in their world through their daily work. They believe in building lasting partnerships based on trust and transparency while delivering industry-leading solutions to support and protect critical business assets. Driven by the principles of people, excellence, integrity, and stewardship, the team prides itself on partnering with companies to securely, reliably, and efficiently grow their businesses. “We cannot be more excited to join forces with the LYLAB team,” comments Kordel Eberly, Eberly Systems President & Founder. “ The integration of LYLAB Technology Solutions into Eberly Systems solidifies our commitment to providing small businesses with unparalleled service and support. We’re proud of this new opportunity to carefully design and manage the IT infrastructure and systems of even more local businesses and communities.” The acquisition solidifies the Eberly Systems commitment to supporting businesses in Lebanon County. Merging the two teams together as one entity offers the collective team the benefit of enhancing capabilities, refining processes, and extending reach to better serve the evolving needs of small businesses in the surrounding area. Future plans include expanding their presence into Lancaster County.
computer help with IT support
By Eberly Systems 16 Jan, 2024
A trusted MSP can be your invaluable strategic partner.
By Eberly Systems 02 Jan, 2024
These 5 key features of Office 365 Business Premium make it essential for businesses to have.
set of keys
By Eberly Systems 19 Dec, 2023
Eberly Systems has been hard at work over the last year in a concerted effort to enhance the security posture of our clients’ information technology environments. Here are the quarterly updates.
construction site
By Eberly Systems 03 Jul, 2023
After years of steady growth, the workforce at a construction development and property management company was becoming increasingly frustrated by disorganized data. Eberly Systems deployed a hybrid cloud storage solution for efficiency and secure data access.
By Nate M. 01 Jun, 2023
SharePoint file storage has both features and limitations that you should be aware of while storing and accessing files. Here's a rundown.
By Nate M. 05 Jan, 2023
These are the Eberly Systems recommendations for creating good passwords in 2023.
By Eberly Systems 15 Dec, 2022
Every business relies on phones and a phone service. In accordance with Eberly Services Managed IT, we offer Managed Voice solutions for both handheld and softphones supported by our stellar sales and help desk teams.
By Eberly Systems 04 Oct, 2022
Eberly Systems is proud to offer new services around managed endpoint detection & response, cloud security, business internet brokerage, and unlimited projects.
By Becky 22 Sep, 2022
Annual fundraisers offer a great opportunity to use company paid volunteer time off.
More Posts
Share by: