Electronic is not necessarily the end, when consumers speak

In a discussion initiated by Digital Worm we uncovered Microsoft's plans to include printing functionality in Microsoft Reader 'within the next year.'

In the 'Open Mike with the Industry' session we posed that the reason behind Microsoft Reader not being print-enabled was in fact a philosophical one - that Microsoft is opposed to the printing of electronic content such as electronic books. A lively discussion began from the many panelists and a Microsoft representative in the audience.

The response from Microsoft was that Microsoft Reader will include the ability to print within the next year, and that there was no philosophical reason for the reader not having it.

netLibrary CEO Rob Kaufman for example regarded printing permission (varying depending on the content) as an essential function for netLibrary's audience of academics, analysts and students.

Overwhelmingly the consensus was that consumers (readers) at this time demand the ability to print, and that this is what the ebook publishers and retailers will give them.

SoftBook CEO James Sachs made the good point that readers were used to reading from a standard computer screen or laptop and that this was an important factor in users preferring to print. When a reader uses a handheld device that resembles more closely the traditional book reading experience the user would be less likely to want to print.