Friday, April 16, 2010

The Flat, Glowing Face of Future Non-Pop-Ups



I'll never be convinced that pop-up books aren't one of the best things ever invented, but I have to say that if there's ever going to be a digital attempt to come in second place to them, this is an interesting step in that direction.

2 comments:

Tim said...

At the risk of completely hijacking your comments section for this, I've found myself thinking a lot about ebooks recently. Up until the point the iPad was unveiled I was vehemently against them, but because I'm an Apple whore I've really come around to the idea since then. Things like this are a prime example of how the format can enhance the appeal of books and encourage reading, particularly for generations brought up on PS3s, 3D movies, fizzy pop, and instant gratification. How long before some sort of enhanced Harry Potter ebook series is wheeled out?

I *never* want to see printed books disappear, but I think there's room for both formats to exist side by side, kind of like how people still buy 12" LPs rather than CDs or mp3s.

In related matters, I *desperately* want an iPad, but the launch has been put back until the end of May here. I had to resort to making my own to tide me over:

http://tinyurl.com/y2fjxrf

Paul Hornschemeier said...

I completely agree with your assessment: I think books will become more of a fetish object – in the way that vinyl is for music – but will continue to be produced... and when you buy the book, you'll get a code to download the digital "book" for your iPad or whatever device is dominant at that point. If you don't want to buy the physical book, you can just buy the file.

Thanks for sending the link of your homegrown iPad. It's sure to catch on any minute now.