Paper shall thrive
Introduction
The "Paper shall thrive" scenario argues that paper book will remain popular in both the near and far future. Electronic books will also exists alongside paper books, but only for a very particular niche market. It argues that paper books are far superior to their counterpart electronic version because of added emotional value, something that eBooks don't have. It also argues that the major advantages of eBooks do not weigh up to the advantages of paper books and that the latter will never be replaced.
The emotion of books
The five senses
Paper books are something special; there is something about them that cannot be imitated by anything else. Sure you might think it's all about the content of the book but don't be misjudged by this common misconception. When you pick up a book it communicates to you through all your senses. There is the size and weight of the book; a small and light book might tell you it is just a flimsy story while a heavy large book might tell you it contains an epic story. Then when you open it up there is touch; you can feel the pleasant texture of the paper and can sense the slight breeze blowing at you when you flip through the pages. With that also come the smell and hearing: you can hear the pages flip, causing a unique sound based on the paper used and the size of the book. The smell is very powerful too; especially new books carry this undeniable pleasant odor of new paper. And finally when you start reading not just the text, but also the layout communicates its content to you, this can be on a single page bases, but some book will use a combination of two pages to bring you a powerful message.
Aforementioned senses are very characteristic and unique to paper books and people will not likely stray away from the feeling that a book gives them. EBooks are only able to provide the content of a book and are missing the texture and smell of paper, the size and weight of a book, the sound a page made when it is flipped and the layout that speaks to the reader. Without these elements consumers will no be given the full experience a paper book provides when reading an eBook and the paper book will remain to be the object of choice.
The social aspect
Books have this magical attraction that forces people to at least take a peak at what others are reading. If for example you are reading a book in the train the people sitting around you will know what you are reading by looking at the cover. This aspect of books is great (for some) as it has a great social impact: it is a conversation starter. Since people are always curious about what you are reading, they will find out, and if the book or topic of the book interests them they might want to chat a bit with you. If you would be reading an eBook this will not work. Since with an eBook you can only view one page at a time, the people around you will never get a clear view of what you are exactly reading. EBooks do not have any kind of social aspect, while paper books have a lot of it. Since people are social beings they would prefer a paper book over an eBook anytime.
The joy of shopping
Another major aspect that paper books have opposed to their electronic counterparts is the joy of actually buying a book. Paper books are generally bought in bookstores while eBooks are aquired on the internet. Bookstores provide a great atmosphere in which you can fully experience browsing numerous books, chatting with other customers or enjoy a starbucks coffee and read a bit in a book of your choice. This very enjoyable experience is completely missing when buying books over the internet in which the stale online environment will only show a small cover thumbnail and some introduction text. Browsing is most often not possible and interaction with other customers is non-existant.