The IPad Books & Newspapers - Gerson is Right

If you read my posts you know how often I reflect on how technology is changing the world and doing it really really fast. A lot faster than folks realize. This is going to revolutionize a lot of industries and people's lives. Its sneaking up on us and for many, one day they are going to turn around and ask, "what happened?"

Michael Gerson, Op-Ed Columnist at the Washington Post, recently penned an editorial, The 64 Gigabyte Shape of the Future. In it he illustrates this point.

"Media mogul Rupert Murdoch recently observed, "I got a glimpse of the future last weekend with the Apple iPad. It is a wonderful thing. If you have less newspapers and more of these . . . it may well be the saving of the newspaper industry." "

When Op-Ed columnists begin to realize the potential that rapidly evolving technologies offer their dying newspaper business models, there is hope. When the nostalgia gives way to the practical benefits of change, we are well on our way to a brighter future and people like Mr. Gerson won't be the ones scratching their heads when it arrives. As Michael observes in the article :

So: We know that even bibliophiles like me will purchase books that arrive via the Internet because it represents a quantum leap in convenience. We know that people will consume both good and unreliable news on the Internet when it comes free. Because of the iPad (and its eventual competitors), we will be able to test whether people will pay for excellent news content delivered on a platform that multiplies its usefulness and enjoyment.

Those of us nostalgic for the book-based culture also will be nostalgic for ink on our fingers, the crinkle of thin pages, paperboys and papergirls and stopping the presses. But there really is no competition. Tablet computing makes a user feel like a maestro or a magician, summoning worlds with a touch. Prospero throws his books into the sea to abandon magic. A million people have done the same to embrace a new kind of magic.