I don't think they're ever going to completely go away. People were forecasting that they'd be history more than ten years ago yet they're still around. I think they'll be used less when it's convenient to use a laptop, tablet computer, etc., but they'll still have their place. When it comes to fashion and other luxury goods, people are still willing to pay for things that are done by hand even though machines can do it faster and cheaper. I think books might be thought of in the same way.

I would venture to say within a decade or so. When the youth of today are making the bulk of purchases, their money will dictate what direction publishers, booksellers and writers will take.

If the majority of purchases are E-Books, then it would be more cost efficient to skip the middle person (book store) and simply publish exclusively in e-book format.

I don't think paper books will ever go away completely. Too many people enjoy having an actual book in their hands, don't trust technology, don't like reading from screens, etc. I much prefer a book to a screen, and really don't like reading lengthy documents off of a computer.

There will probably be fewer books printed in the future, but paper books are still being consumed by the millions, so I don't think they're on their way out any time soon.

I really don't think they will be obsolete in a few years. Granted, more and more reading materials are going to e-books, but I hate to have to read books online. Of course I guess you could buy one of those Kimbles to use to read Ebooks, but those aren't cheep. In my online college, I have many classes where the text book is online and is not a text book that I can hold in my hand. I absolutely hate it. It is not easy to browse through the book and it is hard to read online. I would much rather have a book I can hold in my hand and navigate it that way. If there are as many people that I think there are that think like me, there will be paper books around for a long time.

I would hate to see it, because what would happen if all the computers suddenly were inoperable? There would be no more literature. I love books, personally, love holding them and reading them, turning the pages. I've tried reading books online, but it is just not the same.

No they will never be obsolete as to many people like to actually hold a book in their hands when they read. What will people do on long flights when the battery in your computer doesn't last that long. You can't tuck a computer in your jacket pocket to read on the train or bus to work. Libraries will always have hard copies. Women's romance novels will never go away. Textbooks will always be there as will law books.

No, I refuse to give up my papter back books, in fact, I haven't even read an online book. I am sure there are others out there that feel the same way. When one is too tired to sleep, there is nothing like a good book to read while huddled under the covers, and eventually falling asleep with the book still in your hands. Try doing that with a laptop or regular computer. LOL

I think they may eventually become obsolete, but not necessarily in the next few years.

Outside of the convenience issue of someone now being able to store their entire book collection on these small, portable devices, environmental issues, and the damage being done to the rain forests etc, might eventually see people completely eschew paperback books in favour of their digital equivalent.

Also, with the world's population continually growing, the time may eventually come when many people don't even have the space to store books. Who knows what spatial restrictions may be placed on people and the size of their homes in the future. The environmental / rain forest issue is obviously a more prevalent one, but I think e-readers will prove popular in countries like Japan where apartments etc. are often small and cramped.

A lot will certainly be lost if the paperback book ever is consigned to history. I guess there will always be the option of buying a title in that format anyway but they might become rarer and a lot more expensive if print runs are significantly reduced.

But I think we may see bulky reference books, like dictionaries, thesaurus etc. become a lot less common in the next few years.