Amazon has been selling an "wireless reading device" for years. I don't believe it achieved great success.

I support these stuffs for the sake of the tech evolution, but I don't think people will give up reading in paper, mainly about books of hard content.

I can't imagine myself studying a complex Computer Graphics math book in a "device" different of paper.

-------------------------------------------
http://picturetopeople.blogspot.com
Get Inside Computer Graphics

yeah Amazon has been selling their "Kindle" for a while now. I've seen it in person and for a book, it's pretty cool. Books are black and white so it make sense. The screen is very easy to look at, no brightness or glare to bother you over time.

But i understand that it won't replace the FEEL of a book. That will be hard to let go of form a lot of people.

It's my opinion that "paper" will surely die, mainly because the COST of paper restringtions ans taxes that will be apply to it. We are going to a more greener world, where destroy forest only to read is not longer an option. by the other hand new devices will appear that will change the way we access information. Poeple read less and less in paper and more in computers, handhelds, phones, xbox, psp, you named it. This will couse a reduction in printed media users such as news paper and some magazines, study books maybe hang around a little more, but the era of the paper will come to and end, as the era of film photo did.

I think one factor for me has to be the smell and feel of a book.. as soon as they invent a 'retro book smell glade plug-in' I'll be all over it. loving the fact that you can bend the page.. wanna get my hands on one.. i mean i've read rss feeds on my ipod / notes before..

Thats amazing!

I´ve seen something that talks about this. Its the Nokia Morph Concept. Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX-gTobCJHs

I agree with all the comments. I 100% believe that paper will be made redundant due to the fact that how stupid it is to cut down trees and starve ourselves of oxygen just to be able to read. (i'm not a naturalist btw or a naturist haha).

I do believe it will be hard for our generation to give up printed paper but the next generation and the one after that will be raised from an early age without paper and so they will not miss the smell and texture. Perhaps unless they happen to spend all their time in the library. But will libraries be replaced with vast cyber-cafes with strict talking rules and old women who wear patches on their arms and smell of coffee.

But you say about learning books and Computer Maths equations etc. Well I for one have read book on coding and have got well stuck before. It would be extremely useful if i could press a touchscreen button and a visual animation would explain all the steps.

Doesn't Wacom's Cintiq 21UX have a realsitic paper texture to its screen. If you could incorporate that into a flexible book size format then i think your onto a winner.

And for the smell, simply leave them to gather moth balls in an OAP's home for a few years to gather that 'authentic book smell'. :P

Twisting minds and turning heads since '83! www.sa3s.com

Its just a matter of time, tomorrow or 10 years from now we'll be using a technology like this.

I'm personally dissapointed in the execution of the Esquire cover, I think they could have been a little more creative with it.

Print is never going to die out completely. There is too much money invested in it, and too many major companies with interests in keeping printing alive. It might lose popularity, but will never die completely.

As for the waste of trees. I am from Canada, and in Canada most of the paper produced, and I assume is the case with other countries, is produced by wood chips. Most of the paper mills in Canada are situated close to sawmills that produce lumber for the construction industry. These paper mills take the wood chips and sawdust created in the lumber mills and then use them for the production of paper, otherwise that would get thrown out. Its less expensive for a paper mill to do this then it is to cut and process the timber from the forestry industry, because its already striped and chipped for them.

Most newspapers and magazines these days use vegetable based inks which are RECYCLABLE (yes!) and recycle their own paper. My local newspaper puts the recycled newspapers it gets back in a giant tub of water. The ink separates from the paper, and is scooped off the top and used for the next days' black ink. They then recycle the paper and have to add about 10% new fibres to it in order for it to hold together. They even reuse and melt down the aluminum plates to reuse the next day.

I just graduated from design school and am a print fanatic. Nothing more beautiful then a well printed publication. With a majority of people going into media today from design schools, there will be a lack of professionals who have intimate knowledge of print, for those clients that request it.

Lets see you get a business card on an ebook!