As we progress further into the 21st Centaury, technology of all forms and shapes continues to infiltrate further into the lifestyles of many people as well as companies, who continually adapt to emerging technologies to stay current and up to date. In the publishing sector, E-Readers and tablets have seen the biggest effect on the industry, allowing them to create online book buying and electronic publications of all sorts.
Amazon’s Kindle, one of the first e-readers to pop up on the market in 2007, showed a drastic effect on e-book sales, as before this e-book sales were insignificant and posed no effect on print publications (Wasserman, 2014). From this date onwards, the publishing industry experienced great change within a short amount of time as Amazon continued to improve their Kindle e-reader and many other tablets were developed to incorporate an e-reading format and an online book buying option such as Apple’s iBook. By September of 2013 it was estimated that 43% of people aged 16 and over owned a tablet or e-reader (Rainie & Smith, 2013). This meant that a large number of people had access to digital publications and a lot of the time, a person faced with the choice of going to the store and buying a book, compared with downloading it at the click of a button, choose the later option.
By looking at the PPA Combined Circulation Chart for August 2013 in Figure 1, we are able to see the decline in print and the rise of digital editions for a number of magazines:
Amazon’s Kindle, one of the first e-readers to pop up on the market in 2007, showed a drastic effect on e-book sales, as before this e-book sales were insignificant and posed no effect on print publications (Wasserman, 2014). From this date onwards, the publishing industry experienced great change within a short amount of time as Amazon continued to improve their Kindle e-reader and many other tablets were developed to incorporate an e-reading format and an online book buying option such as Apple’s iBook. By September of 2013 it was estimated that 43% of people aged 16 and over owned a tablet or e-reader (Rainie & Smith, 2013). This meant that a large number of people had access to digital publications and a lot of the time, a person faced with the choice of going to the store and buying a book, compared with downloading it at the click of a button, choose the later option.
By looking at the PPA Combined Circulation Chart for August 2013 in Figure 1, we are able to see the decline in print and the rise of digital editions for a number of magazines:
This chart highlights the rise and decline in the year on year percentage changes of circulation for both digital and print formats. It shows how print is beginning to struggle when faced against the option of digital where e-readers are available in almost every price range. This accessibility and ease that the e-reader presents to the users is where print publications are seeing their downfall.
Bibliography
Rainie, L. and Smith, A. (2013). Tablet and E-reader Ownership Update. [online] Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/10/18/tablet-and-e-reader-ownership-update/ [Accessed 9 Oct. 2014].
Wasserman, S. (2014). The Amazon Effect. [online] Thenation.com. Available at: http://www.thenation.com/article/168125/amazon-effect [Accessed 9 Oct. 2014].
Rainie, L. and Smith, A. (2013). Tablet and E-reader Ownership Update. [online] Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/10/18/tablet-and-e-reader-ownership-update/ [Accessed 9 Oct. 2014].
Wasserman, S. (2014). The Amazon Effect. [online] Thenation.com. Available at: http://www.thenation.com/article/168125/amazon-effect [Accessed 9 Oct. 2014].