Advisory services group PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), UK, has released a report which cautions publishers, content owners and retailers to act quickly to secure positions in the e-book and e-reader market or risk losing out to a new industry.
The PwC report, "Turning the Page: The Future of ebooks", warned that the new generation of e-readers and tablets could spell the end for traditional paper and ink publications. It further noted that publishers, Internet bookstores and companies that manufactured e-readers had high expectations of the digital future of the book industry.
The report also revealed that some heralded the advent of digital technology as an opportunity to open new target markets and create customers. However, others lamented the end of traditional books and doubted that the industry would be able to retain control over pricing and content.
PwC has urged publishers, bookstores and device managers to take the opportunity to provide the market with innovative products before they were pushed out of the market.
According to the survey, e-books and printed books would co-exist. However, it pointed out that whether multifunction tablet devices such as the iPad would push e-readers out of the market had not yet been established. While tablets and e-readers are still in the early stages of development and will undergo significant changes, experts believe the devices will merge as the trend is clearly heading for more usability and connection to mobile networks and colour.
Search for more Industry study reports
To access our daily STM news feed through your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphones, please visit www.myscoope.com for a mobile friendly reading experience.
