The book is great technology, but it’s not good for everything

Printed books may have been groundbreaking technology 500 years ago, and they still have plenty of value as an information-distribution platform — but they are no longer good for every purpose, Matt MacInnis of digital textbook publisher Inkling told attendees at the GigaOM RoadMap conference in San Francisco. When it comes to learning and exchanging information about a topic, MacInnis said, multimedia platforms like the tablet are a better solution. And as books increasingly go digital, traditional bookstores will have to emphasize the social aspects of books and reading if they want to survive.