Women read nearly twice as many books a year than men, but men purchase nearly 60% of all IPads and other similar tablets-despite many predicting that the multi-functionality of tablets would appeal most to women. Maybe the gender imbalance will even out over time, but will women still be avid readers now that the book frontier has gone digital?
In fact, e-book reading has been successful with female consumers, and its convenience especially appeals to time-constrained mother. Most people read on tablets in what would otherwise have been empty time- waiting at the doctor’s, on a bus, whenever we can grab a minute, and instead of having to carry around a book, people would only have to get out a device that they would presumably have on them anyway.
No doubt that the rise in popularity of the e-book can and will continue to be linked to the decline of print media, which may see books becoming fashionable as art, in the way that vintage clothing, old fashioned cars and retro fridges have suddenly become popular again.
Take the example of the “Facebook Book”, where a French company offered a limited number of people the chance to turn their Facebook into a hardcover book.
The 1000 that were offered were snapped up incredibly quickly, signifying that although books are becoming redundant in a practical sense, they may always have a special significance to us.
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