The Australian arm of the fantastic chain of bookstores, Borders, is being put up for sale by its US parent company.
The US company is deep financial troubles and is selling off assets and concentrating on domestic businesses. Let’s hope the excellent service, range and strategy of Borders continues in Australia and it is not split up or dissolved in the event of a botched sale.
The key issue here is – as always – digital channels will evolve quicker than physical ones. While content stays the same: Text, Audio, Video and Images, channels are the things that change – and will change quicker as the digital revolution gathers pace.
With digitisation, we’ll see items of much larger file sizes being downloaded, until such time as the entire world moves from atoms to bits. There may be a time when Star Trek-style “replicators” create items around us, when virtual reality drives a mix of physical and digital.
Exciting times ahead; I’m not sure how Borders will cope. The printed book as a channel may have an enduring lifespan. Let’s hope it does.