It happened with the mp3 and now it has happened with ebooks. The idea – whilst originally scorned at first – has started to really take off.
When mp3s were first unveiled to the general public, there was an outcry of derision. People argued that they would never catch on as you would have nothing physical to show for your collection, just a few 0s and 1s on a screen. Likewise, the audible crackle at the start of a vinyl or cassette record would be no more, as would the whir and stop of the CD.
Then, as people began to realise how they could store thousands of albums on a device they could fit in their pocket, downloading a world of new music as they went, the change began.
Now, this is happening with the ebook.
The public outcry around the ebook was arguably even more vociferous and impassioned than that of the mp3. The feel, smell and experience of a book would not be better or even equalled by a sterile screen, people argued. But then, of course, the idea began to win people over. Stacks of holiday reads were whittled down to just one discreet, narrow device.
On the go you could scroll through a catalogue of thousands of books, downloadable at the touch of a button, whether you’re in your living room, on the beach or at the top of a mountain (signal provided, naturally).
Now, the popularity of the machines has been galvanised by the fact that the Man Booker Prize judges were given ereaders for the first time in 2011, allowing them to access all of their small mountain of books in a neat and orderly fashion.
So whilst the naysayers may have made claims against the ebook, it appears as though it will be a resounding success and is certainly not about to go anywhere quickly.