Please! Give us a break. I am sure that something similar was said about the Gutenberg's printing press. But, somehow we the world survived that evil technology. Then we were warned that radio would be the end of newspapers, and people would no longer go to concerts, purchase records, or attend sporting events. And then, horror of horrors, television came along and tolled the death-knoll for radio, live theater, and the cinema--all of which have since flourished, possibly because of TV.
And now, the Kindle is going to be the death of "real" books. The printing industry will be destroyed, libraries around the country will become mausoleums, librarians will be flipping burgers, and book stores will disappear except for one which will be moved to Greenfield Village next to the blacksmith's shop.
In fact, I suspect e-books and traditional paper-and-ink books will co-exist quite nicely. There is a place for both. Whereas the computer/internet made printed encyclopedias obsolete, the e-book is not going to replace paper-and-ink book anymore than radio replaced live concerts. There will always be readers who want the experience of sitting on the beach, turning pages, although, at other times, perhaps on an airplane, they will choose the convenience of a best-seller downloaded to their Kindle.
And then of course, there are children's books. It is difficult to foresee that either a parent or child would choose to read these books with their various sizes, engaging illustrations, and creative print on a Kindle.
Since the advent of the computer/internet more people than ever before are reading and writing. Let's not presume that an alternative method of reading is the end of paper-and-ink books.
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