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Vol 2 | Year 2011
E-Devices - Print’s Enemy
An ancient saying attributed to Chinese author, philosopher and general Sun-tzu offers great insight into the attitude the printing industry should take toward digital devices such as electronic readers, smart phones and iPads: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. It pays to know thine enemy and, if necessary, put him to work for you. Fact of the matter is, printing has been under attack almost from the moment that Johannes Gutenberg kicked off the moveable type printing era in the 15th century. Radio, television, the Internet, the electric grill—all the revolutions of the past 100 years—have threatened to steal away print’s market share. While each revolution has been met with an evolution of print, the current wave of electronic devices—e-readers, smart phones, tablets—threatens to provide the stiffest test and harvest the greatest market share to date.