Print is Dead, Long Live Print

A few years ago I used tell clients that print is dead. They laughed. But now things are different. With all the newspapers collapsing in the west the day of actual print on paper is coming to an end. Which leads me to the point I am trying to make. The deal is though, print is not dead. It is just changing from the model we know of deliveries and newsstands to a whole new format. Enter Amazon Kindle. I recently purchased one to see what the whole fuss was about, and also partly cause I hated to lug all those books my fiance wanted to read! So this one little device was going to save me a lot of sore muscles.

Little did I realize how comfortable it was reading on this device. It didn't feel like a screen like you see on the computers, there is no glare and no strain on the eyes. It felt very eerily comfortable, apart from the the split second flash between page turns, this felt like a book, more so with the lovely leather bound cover for authenticity. My only gripe with the device was a lack of a touch screen for a more realistic experience and a larger screen.

Well all that is apparently changing... This week a rumour making the rounds was that as early as this Wednesday Amazon might introduce a larger format Kindle tailored especially for the newspapers who are shutting down and need a new distribution model. If this is true, I think the days of print on paper will finally be over. A device that has the clarity of paper, and the search-ability of the internet, delivered wireless to your device when you are on the move so you can catch up with the world on your own time and pace. Think of all the carbon that would be saved.

You would not need to print the millions of copies of your paper. The carbon offset from not having trucks criss-crossing the country delivering the paper. The paper boy who never gets it delivered on time or the neighbors dog devouring your copy! For the papers they get a efficient distribution model that gets dispatched on time, and when they have a breaking news story they don't have to worry about it getting old before the next day by dispatching another set as it happens. And in time the technology will only get better with support for colour ink and even the ability to roll the device up like a paper. Its already happening, just a matter of time when it gets affordable. So print is not really dying, its just getting started!