Tech companies don't want to eliminate physical goods to save the environment. They want to be in the data distribution business because it's a source of recurring revenue. They need something to offset the drop in computer sales, and being a distribution channel (a la Verizon, DirecTV, etc) is the digital version of giving away razors to sell razor-blades (or Jell-o recipe books to sell Jell-o). Distribution of physical goods is expensive, and the channels are controlled by large players. The cost to transfer bits over the Internet is the same no matter how far it goes, and the cost to store data only goes down over time, no matter how frequently it's accessed.
In its original incarnation, the iTunes Music Store only sold tracks instead of streaming them. Steve Jobs was insistent, "People want to own their music." Of course, now that sales of mobile devices is dropping, Apple needs to convince Wall Street its stock is undervalued. It hopes to double its revenue on services, so it's more than happy to collect money from folks like you in exchange for bits. The margins on repackaged electrons is high indeed.
