Editors weblog has published an excellent two part report by Jan Bierhoff, Director for the European Centre For Digital Communications, on the future of e-readers and their possible impact on print media. Click here for part one and here for part two. Bierhoff’s conclusion will comfort some:
The conclusion is obvious, the adoption potential for mobile electronic reading is certainly high, but it is a medium in its own right, not just another print or online edition spin-off.
I agree, electronic devices for reading newspapers and magazines such as the iPhone, Kindle and the long awaited e-paper models are of a medium separate to print. The question to which we will only discover an answer over quite some time is the number of print consumers who migrate.
From a newsagents perspective, my view is that we need to read widely on this issue of disruption. It goes to the heart of how we design our shops for the future, how we stock them and the control we assert over our businesses.