Physical Media, May it rest in peace Options

[Hobbes]

I've mentioned this to a few friends recently, and Mata's FaceBook post about the Kindle made me think about it again...

I'm a book-lover. And I mean both reading books, and having books. Libraries are wonderful, bookshops are glorious, and having my shelves full of books makes me feel better And that's mainly why I've not invested in a Kindle (or another e-reader). The physical properties of the traditional book are difficult to give up and, whilst I acknowledge how useful and convenient a Kindle is, I still can't bring myself to embrace it just yet. Similarly, music. Although I do own - and regularly use - an iPod, the majority of the music on it also happens to be on my shelves in CD form. Some of it is downloaded, but mainly when it doesn't actually exist in physical form. I have iTunes, Amazon MP3, etc. at my fingertips, but I still rather like having a CD, with a cover, and inlay, etc. And again, with movies. I never had THAT may videos (VHS), so the move to DVD wasn't particularly painful. But I don't own any download-only films. It's all on DVDs.

PC Games, however, I predominantly get via Steam now. Partly because many shops are just not stocking PC titles anymore, partly because only the newest releases seem to be available in stores, and partly because Steam has had some good deals over the last year. So whilst I still have some games on CD and DVD, I don't buy them in that format anymore.

Aside from clearly being materialistic, , the point I'm leading to is...

I think it's fair to say that there will soon be a generation that rarely uses physical-format media. Those formats might continue to exist, but the decline in their use is inevitable (and has already begun).

So what's my question, my burning issue to discuss? Is it whether we should mourn the loss of the physical-formats? Is it whether this will have an effect upon retail and our high streets? Is it whether it will create greater levels of piracy and digital crime?

No. My question is:

What the **** are people gonna put in their homes?! I mean, seriously. Nobody is going to need shelving because they won't have anything to put on it. Everyone is gonna have so much wallspace.

MENTAL!

[Phantom]

I'm not a fan at all of having to much stuff, every six months or so I throw away pretty much everything and start overnew with collecting things I currently like, ( I have to admit I mostly only allow myself to buy stuff that is useful, like stuff for the kitchen, though the female catch for me is that it can look nice and to my liking I will spend more time looking for something I prefer to another item more than other people tend to do).
I don't have a lot of CDs anymore especially not since I moved countries and I had to carry a bag with everything I wanted to own in England..... The bags (3 in total, one was a trolly... Yay....) where very heavy, so no need for me to put in things like DVDs or CDs.
Although not liking to own to many items I do have to point out I take a lot of pride in what I do own.... Like my super Mario Nintendo ds holder stand thing

Okay I'm straying... I mostly only listen to music via YouTube and my mp3 player. I only have a couple of books since I am awfull in reading and it takes ages, most of my books also as my stuff contain useful information (like my books I bought in and for uni). And I stream most of the films, though I do have a DVD collection, also we have love film so streaming if pretty easy, and if not available in the watch now, ordering for rent is pretty easy and quick. So no need to expand my DVD collection.


Mmmm I think I'm straying again. I would gadget and geek up my house with nifty cool things that look cool as to having shelves with DVDs, CDs, books and dust.