E-books: 
Doom or Opportunity?

As for e-readers, the question is whether the rise in market share will be at the expense of hard copy, or if it represents a new sector that doesn't thrive on the demise of the printed word. Some feel the truth lies somewhere in between.

One segment of the book industry that has the potential to lose significant printing share is education, particularly in the high school and collegiate sectors. Frank Romano, professor emeritus at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), notes that a number of universities are already giving out computers to incoming students, and some (including RIT) distribute course materials via PDFs and other digital formats. In fact, says Romano, every RIT class has an online component—reading materials, tests, videos—and, increasingly, the paper/book aspect is shrinking.