Good news for publishing – consumers still love books!
Despite the publishing industry’s concerns that digital technology (Google Books, e-book readers and the iPad) are taking over all forms of entertainment and culture, new statistics suggest that many loyal people are still remaining true to traditional forms such as books, CDs and DVDs.
According to a new survey by technology company Hewlett-Packard (HP), around 95 per cent of British consumers prefer reading old-fashioned books compared to their digital and online counterparts. The HP survey and others like it also found that:
• 70 per cent of UK people aged between 16 and 60 believe digital film and music will never replace the real thing – hard copies
• 75 per cent prefer to watch films on DVD than online
Excellent news for the publishing industry then – books have not been deserted!