The emergence of e-newspapers as a major force would surely herald the end of the traditional print media. For the less technologically informed among us, myself included, it would be a massive and in my opinion, an unwelcome change. For as long as most of us can remember, we have been accustomed to picking up a peper and reading over our breakfast or whilst relaxing in the armchair on a Sunday with The Times. What’s that I hear you say? It’ll never happen. Well, the transformation is already under way I’m afraid, with major newspapers in Europe and Asia, as well as The New York Times deciding to venture down the “e” road.
Stig Nordqvist, a swedish mobile technology engineer has a vision. He see’s the masses using small i-pod like gadgets to access up to the minute news. With more and more people consulting the Internet as their chief newsgetter, he feels the e-volution of the e-paper will take the industry by storm. Summed up bluntly, he states “There’s not much of a future for the once-a-day distribution of highly perishable information, printed with ink on thin sheets of expensive, chemically treated wood pulp.” Well, I suppose that’s some consolation, at a time when the Environment is under threat more than ever before, the e-newspaper could provide some much needed respite for our trees!
