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Will Tablets Kill Bookstores

Blakjack

Blakjack

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 23, 2009
1,806
319
Will tablets with it's books apps eventually shut down stores like Barnes&Nobles and Borders or can these stores adjust to the evolution of the way readers read their content.

I notice how all the movie rental places like Block Buster have been murdered because of things like red box, iTunes, etc.

Could the Bookstores face a similar fate, or am I Off?
 
I believe so. It will take much longer to kill books, and there will always be purists who prefer paper as some still prefer vinyl. But new generations won't have that nostalgic association with paperbacks and will grow up reading on digital devices.

Of course, it's also possible I'm completely wrong and people might never be able to concentrate on reading with a tablet, and so we might be forced to go back to paper. Who knows really...?
 
I think that there will still be people who will always want a physical book in their hands rather than a digital copy of it. Although I still prefer reading physical books over e-books, I am slowly migrating over to e-books. I really don't think I'll fully embrace e-readers, because I love the feel of books; in addition to the collection of books that I keep at home.

As for what will happen with bookstores themselves. I know Borders was experiencing some financial instability within the past year or so. Not that B&N is any better off, but at least they have adapted their own e-reader, The Nook. From my own perspective, I don't think e-books will completely shut down bookstores as a whole. But you may notice that there will be a lot less brick and mortar stores around.
 
Kindle, Nook, iPad/iBooks, Sony etc all will have a significant impact on books. I suspect that some books (reference materials, childrens' books, technical books) will survive for many years to come as people will see paying a premium for 'hard copy' for those.

But I'm betting it will take at least a full generation for it to happen. Too many retiree's still out there supporting the analog marketplace for this to happen any time soon.

I am betting, however, that publishing house days are numbered. When an author can self-publish and self-distribute, the value of the publishing house is greatly diminished. They will fight to stay relevant....just witness the RIAA's efforts at stifling digital music distribution. But they will fall before bookstores themselves fall.

As for Blockbuster dying to be replaced by Redbox....I'd say Redbox better figure out how to combat Netflix in a hurry. Their own model is about to become irrelevant. I've not personally rented any DVD/BlueRay disk in over two years.
 
I think it will give hard copies a little trouble. But like some have said, it will take a few generations. Personally, I dig the digital content....of course I was brought up in technology and embrace every advance we come up with.
 
I like print books, however when moving time comes (And considering my job this happens often) I absolutely hate them. Actually, eBooks really make me consider getting an iPad now...crap. lol
 
It is not going to be the ereaders and tablets that kill bookstores. It is going to be places like Walmart and target that will do it and even then they seem to mainly be hurting places like B&N and borders. Smaller bookstores have been relatively uninfected. Reason being is people go there for the atmosphere. I have notices B&N and borders for that matters both have changed over the years to get more of that smaller bookstore feel and have expanded some sections of their books from what used to be 2-3 shelfs to now 2+ rows. Now thoses areas ebooks will never really hurt nor will Walmart and target pick them up since it is smaller market stuff. (Comic books, and mangas)

They adapted. I still like my hard copies of some stuff but at the same time I am fine with reading an ebook on my kindle.
 
Physical books will become a niche market over the next 10-20 years. Starting with the Internet, we became a society willing to consume information electronically. Newspapers are a dying breed. Further, look how the big book superstores are now struggling. This is why B&N introduced the Nook and why Amazon introduced the Kindle. They know that physical book sales will diminish and, in the case of barnes and noble, brick and mortar sales will virtually disappear.
 
The beeper king lives!

Every decade or so, some new technology comes along that people think will come some older form of tech. CDs will kill tapes, cell phones will kill beepers, dvds will kill video tapes, transporters will kill cars, etc. etc. But I still have a vcr in my minivan and my kid has a tape player so I guess the reports of the deaths of all these things are a little premature.
 
stevensteven123 said:
Every decade or so, some new technology comes along that people think will come some older form of tech. CDs will kill tapes, cell phones will kill beepers, dvds will kill video tapes, transporters will kill cars, etc. etc. But I still have a vcr in my minivan and my kid has a tape player so I guess the reports of the deaths of all these things are a little premature.
Click to expand...

VCRs and cassettes are dead. Nothing new is put out for them.
 
stevensteven123 said:
Every decade or so, some new technology comes along that people think will come some older form of tech. CDs will kill tapes, cell phones will kill beepers, dvds will kill video tapes, transporters will kill cars, etc. etc. But I still have a vcr in my minivan and my kid has a tape player so I guess the reports of the deaths of all these things are a little premature.
Click to expand...

Thats nice that you still have an old vcr playing old tapes in your mini-van, how about your next vehicle or when the VCR breaks? Been to a store lately, try finding a cassette tape, how many beepers do you see. Nothing get killed over night in the next 20 years paper books will be a very small market (just like vinyl records are now), news papers are in their death throes now killed by craigslist, ebay and kijiji which took away all the classified revenue.

I still own sliderules (that work) but I'd still say that technology is dead.
 
What does kijiji mean? And I'm sorry that I forgot to post in blue, I was just kidding around....When the van dies and the old tv with the built-in vcr dies, I'll need to find some sort of craft project to do with my old vcr tapes....
 
I don't think old timers will want to hang on to their old books.

I ditched my books immediately when my arthritis was bothering me. Add to that eyesight and other illnesses common to old age, an e-reader is a convenience you can't resist.
 
Ah, but come on.

Imagine Christmas day and you child unwraps a nice thick glossy annual of his favourite comic book.

It's a lovely big thing, all shiny with big coloured pages full of his favourite characters.

I don't think an eMagazine download really has the same feel to it.
 
And no way has Email replaced Birthday and Christmas cards.

Can you imagine what your family would think if they just got emails rather than cards with warm Christmas or Birthday wished from close friends and relations?
 
Cuddles said:
I think it will give hard copies a little trouble. But like some have said, it will take a few generations. Personally, I dig the digital content....of course I was brought up in technology and embrace every advance we come up with.
Click to expand...

+1

Honestly, I dont do anywhere near the amount of reading that I used to. My wife reads a lot though, and was a total ebook/tablet hater in the beginning until I surprised her with a nook as a gift.

She never goes into Barnes & Noble, etc anymore unless its to buy a gift for someone else or to pick up an accessory. Shes an ebook junkie now.
 
You still see video stores around even with red boxes and Netflix and on demand. If they can do it certainly books can. I don't see it being as bad as music though. I think people being able to buy just one song instead of the whole album really hurt them. Because there is a lot of sucky music out there.
 
GaresTaylan said:
+1

Honestly, I dont do anywhere near the amount of reading that I used to. My wife reads a lot though, and was a total ebook/tablet hater in the beginning until I surprised her with a nook as a gift.

She never goes into Barnes & Noble, etc anymore unless its to buy a gift for someone else or to pick up an accessory. Shes an ebook junkie now.
Click to expand...

I think some good questions to ask are, of all those who swear by print, how many of them have even tried digital yet? And when they do try digital, how likely is it that they will want to continue with print as their main source of reading?
 
Acorn said:
You still see video stores around even with red boxes and Netflix and on demand. If they can do it certainly books can. I don't see it being as bad as music though. I think people being able to buy just one song instead of the whole album really hurt them. Because there is a lot of sucky music out there.
Click to expand...

Every single video store in Tallahassee Fl. Has closed down. And I've also noticed in Atlanta, many have closed. Blockbuster for gods sake is done!
 
Book stores are already hurting big time. Barnes & Noble just shut its subsidiary, B Dalton Books. Waldenbooks (owned by Borders) is down to only 150 mall locations.

Barnes & Noble has been shopping themselves around looking for a buyer. Border's stock trades for under a dollar.

Been to a B&N or Borders lately. Tons of non-book items for sale. Trying to stem losses.

Digital books will be the final nail in their coffin. They've already lost so much market share to Target, Walmart and membership shopping clubs and, of course, Amazon.
 
stevensteven123 said:
Every decade or so, some new technology comes along that people think will come some older form of tech. CDs will kill tapes, cell phones will kill beepers, dvds will kill video tapes, transporters will kill cars, etc. etc. But I still have a vcr in my minivan and my kid has a tape player so I guess the reports of the deaths of all these things are a little premature.
Click to expand...

I have a quadrophonic 8-track tape player. Cell phones DID kill beepers and pay phones. CDs DID kill cassettes. DVDs have killed VHS.

Oh, and the SUV killed the minivan. (Mine was an Aerostar(2))

Acorn said:
You still see video stores around even with red boxes and Netflix and on demand. If they can do it certainly books can. I don't see it being as bad as music though. I think people being able to buy just one song instead of the whole album really hurt them. Because there is a lot of sucky music out there.
Click to expand...

We are down to one ghetto Blockbuster. And that sucker is really rundown.
 
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