For publishers and authors, this means that electronic books and periodicals can now quickly grow to become a vast and lucrative new industry. |
Paper and leather binding for books are greatly appealing. It's going to be a transitional period. A fellow growing appreciating books might never buy an electronic book. But someone growing up using a game boy will find using an e-book is a very natural way of reading. And they'll find it a lot more attractive than carrying around 50-pound pack of school books. |
These guys didn't jump willy-nilly to convert everything they own. They've been carefully watching and measuring the impact to see if there's going to be a market. If they ignore the market now, they're in great danger. |
We've been predicting this will overtake print books in about 10 years. In the first six months it will be a very small part of Steve's business. But three to five years out we see a billion-dollar marketplace. |