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# The Future of Reading
- URL: https://www.philsimon.com/future-of-reading/
- Published: 2010-02-01T07:00:04.000Z
- Updated: 2025-12-30T01:47:00.000Z
- Description: Read my take on David Pogue's take.
- Author: Phil Simon
- Tags: Publishing, Trends, Amazon

What is the future of reading? I honestly couldn't tell you, but evidently other people can.

One of the soothsayers is [David Pogue](https://www.davidpogue.com/?ref=philsimon.com)–the personal technology columnist for the *New York Times*. I was watching a talk with him from the [Boston Book Festival](https://www.bostonbookfest.org/?ref=philsimon.com) recently.

*Video has been removed. Bummer, man ...*

## A Few Quibbles

Pogue is clearly a smart guy but I disagree with two of his points. First, he claims that all technology is additive and nothing is displaced. Oh, really? Try to find 8-track tapes or typewriters these days. I'm not saying that I'm going to buy a Walkman tomorrow, but I don't see how a learned guy like Pogue can claim that new tools and toys displace old ones.

> All technology is not additive.

Second, Pogue isn't happy with the restrictions of e-Readers. In his view, e-Readers should allow for easy transfer of digital books to different media–iPhones, PCs, and the like. Disclaimer: I don't have a Kindle or equivalent and may have hit my limit with digital devices.

Still, I can understand why publishers and authors don't want their work so easily "loaned" to others. I suppose that this is the same issue that musicians and record labels faced back around 2000 with [Napster](https://www.napster.com/?ref=philsimon.com).

## Thoughts?

What do you think about the future of reading? Will books go the way of so many technologies or will you always want to feel a physical book in your hand?