If we look at how the digitalizing of the world by computers and the internet has changed the world, it i obvious that the e-book technology is a consequence of this evolution. Books are a grand contributor to society in terms of enlightenment, education, science, culture and joy. Modern society is totally dependent on the written word. A reasonable assumption is that the analog reading technology will co-exist with the digital reading technology for some time into the future. The traditional technology of books has been developed and perfected through centuries, and will still be the preferred format used by many people for the rest of their lives.

The next generation will already be thinking in a substantially different way than the previous, by growing up using, creating and adapting to technology which is changing in an increasingly rapid pace, and with an industry constantly interacting and adapting to the needs of its consumers. Soon the nostalgia of all the sensory experiences attained by the original paper book will be history. The generations of the future will have different mindsets, priorities and expectations. Some predict the paper books to be fazed out when they become to expensive to produce and transport around the globe. The transition may happen faster as we think as the technology of e-book-reading-devices is coming closer and closer to stabilization. The publishers will have to increasingly adapt to the structural changes of book production. New skills will be needed to make content suited for different distribution platforms. In future mainly digital. Workflows will have to be altered and there will be organizational consequences. Content and user behavior will change when news are updated continuously, and books have access to dictionaries and Wikipedia. Small publishers will have an extraordinary chance to exploit the future infrastructure which will be available to both small and big actors on the market.

The e-book- technology and the digital distribution will revolutionize one of our most ancient industries. The challenge will be to find a balance, keep the interaction between consumer and device fluid, and encourage the mutual development of usability and technology. The consumers of today expect to be able to participate in the configuration of the devices they use. They wish to personalize their tools to fit their interests and needs. Looking at Amazons efforts to cooperate with different actors on the market can predict a directional path. Cooperations are now engaged with text book publishers Pearson Cengage Learning and Wiley who hold 60% of the text literature market in the USA, and six American universities are testing the use of Kindle amongst students. A pilot project with newspapers include corporations with the New York Times, Boston Globe and the Washington Post. They are offering Kindle at reduced prices in turn of long term subscriptions to the electronic versions of the newspapers. ( “Større e-bok for avis og universitetet”, DN) The emerging technology of the e-book-reader device is said to revolutionize the book and news industry. It raises a lot of questions. The technology will probably change the diffusion of knowledge and the consuming of literature. What is the effect of availability? It certainly puts more stress on the consumer to sort out unwanted information and seek the wanted. What can this availability do to the expectations we have of one another i terms of knowledge?

Photo reference: http://www.edopter.com/trends/eBooks