e-Reader tipping point within the next 10 years? Steve Haber thinks so

Fastcompany featured an interesting quote from Steve Haber, President of Digital Reading at Sony Electronics, from the May Issue of their magazine.

We have been watching the developments of digital e-Readers over the past year and whilst there have been massive steps forward in making e-Readers mainstream, the technology (and culture) hasn’t appeared to adopt it as quickly as other new technology such as satellite television and digital cameras.

However Steve believes that the tipping point for e-Readers could happen within the next 10 years:

E-book readers will largely dominate the industry, and it could happen in less than 10 years. Every time I give a Reader to someone to test, I never get it back. It’s just like when TiVo or digital cameras came out. At first, people didn’t know they needed it. But once they have it, they can’t live without it.

…When we introduced our Reader, the biggest resistance I heard was, ‘I like the smell of books, and I like the smell of paper. I can’t go digital.’ That was the confirmation for me that this change will happen. If the smell of paper is the biggest push back, then we’re good to go. Steve Haber

[Fastcompany]

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