Ready, Cassette, Stay: An old format sticks around
Over the weekend USA Today carried an AP story by Josh Funk entitled “Cassettes linger long after expected demise.” The story talked about how, even though it’s been decades since they were seen as cutting-edge technology, cassettes not only continue to exist but in some cases are thriving (albeit on a modest scale). “The first obituaries for cassette tapes appeared more than 20 years ago when CDs hit the market,” writes Funk. “Sales of music tapes plummeted from 442 million in 1990 to about 700,000 last year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.”
So even though the numbers are down, cassettes are still not out, and many people still buy them. In fact, just last weekend I was in a Barnes and Noble when I heard someone ask for audiobooks on cassette tape. (The bookstore had them, but they were not located in the general audiobook section, which featured titles only on CD). So while high-profile events like the debut of the iPhone may make it seem like everyone is a techophile yearning for the latest and greatest gadget, the truth is that many people just want something easy to use and that they’re already comfortable with (not to mention that they already own). Daryl Chapelle, general manager of cassette manufacturer Lenco-PMC Inc., is quoted in the story as saying, “The truth is new technology does not replace old technology for years.”
Statements like these, and the fact that cassettes are still around even though they have been considered “dead” for a long time, should be some kind a salve to bibliophiles and booklovers in terms of the “print is dead” debate. Because even though more and more people will read electronically over the coming years, leading to a reduction in the production and consumption of books, books themselves will never be extinct. The fear exists that any kind of substantial adoption of eBooks or reading on digital devices will lead to either books becoming extinct or even, in the more far-fetched scenarios, banned (Fahrenheit 451 anyone?). Instead, books will continue to exist, but just in much smaller numbers than they exist now. The same way that cassettes have weathered the threat of CDs, and now MP3s, books will continue to stick around for a long time. Of course, they’ll be seen as increasingly antique and anachronistic, but then again people are already beginning to look at them in that way.
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As far as actual reading usefulness, the iPhone and the best e-book readers out there just aren’t as good as a technology as the book. A book is cheap, portable, never needs recharging, can be read in any light, never suffers from format incompatibility problems, and supports out of the box any conceivable form of underlining, highlighting, or margin-writing.
You’re right that the book’s number is coming up. But just not for a while yet.
This reminds me of a pin I saw in Antwerp that had the old British ‘home taping is killing music!’ logo on it. Irony is cute.
I tend to agree with James: the good old book is still the best way to consume literature! I take books everywhere, they get beat up, and I never have to worry about it “breaking” or running low on batteries, etc.
Great post though! I actually used this as the topic for my own technology-related blog at: http://laymantechie.blogspot.com
I sometimes wonder what is going to replace digital music files. Interesting thought!
I think what’s important is that some things linger, and some things matter, and we should always strive to matter rather than just linger. Cassettes are still around, sure, but so are Ford Tauruses from 1988; that doesn’t mean I want to drive one. And if irony is cute, then I should be adorable. (See? I’m being ironic…)
The same way that cassettes have weathered the threat of CDs, and now MP3s, books will continue to stick around for a long time. Of course, they’ll be seen as increasingly antique and anachronistic, but then again people are already beginning to look at them in that way.
The “of course” is interesting. The codex has been in use for almost 2000 years which is longer than the cassette format magnetic medium. As a result, the book has a more established “installed base” although its current continued growth could subside in a century or two…