Steve Jobs recently commented that people do not read anymore, so any e-reader product is doomed to fail -- since none of us read. That's bad news for the textbook business, where most of what we sell is reading material.
There is an interesting editorial/response to Mr. Job's recent statements in Ad Age this week. As a rebuttal, it is worth a quick read. I think the rebuttal makes some worthwhile points to consider -- how the Kindle has sparked peoples' interest (at least at a novelty level), and even more so in the points related to "what is reading?", and that the point is about getting text -- whether from magazines, newspapers, books, or blogs anywhere and on demand. Anywhere and on demand -- relevant words for our industry in the year(s) ahead. What do those terms mean to your store?
Something to think about as you read the Ad Age article at:
http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=123332
