The book and the Kindle shall co-exist

Most of us began our emotional relationship with the printed page as children, a bond we are reluctant to sever even in the light of constant wonders of the digital age.

Today, books have come a long way since the ancient Mesopotamians recorded astronomical events on clay tablets five millennia ago. The evolution of books reached a watershed when the printing press was invented around 1440. While it is virtually impossible to elaborate on the enormous impact that mechanised printing had on the history of Europe and the world, one fact needs to be noted: man is now free to access a growing body of literary, religious and scientific works in practically all languages, in a compact form and an affordable way.

Again in the last 100 years, we have witnessed a quantum leap in the way the world communicates with the progressive arrival of the TV, the PC, the laptop, the palmtop and the handheld. It would appear that as more and more people get drawn to ground-breaking digital technology, the days of the printed book are numbered.

While there is no question that the proliferation of digital media has reduced the amount of time we spend with the printed page, it is definitely premature to sound its death knell. Let the numbers talk for themselves.

Refuting the claim that the printing industry is about to slow down is a recent study published by PIRA International, the worldwide authority on the packaging, paper and print industry. It points out that the total revenue for the printing sector in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) alone is expected to grow to about $11 billion (Dh40.4 billion) by 2015 — an annual growth of 7.7 per cent.

Closer to home, the UAE leads the Middle East when it comes to the availability and uptake of internet services while it is also ranked as the region's leading printing and publishing hub. The size of the UAE's printing and publishing market in 2012 is projected to be in the vicinity of Dh7.5-Dh8.5 billion. Dubai has leveraged its status as the emerging knowledge-based industry hub in the region to spawn several free zones. Some of these free zones such as Dubai Media City and the International Media Production Zone are dedicated to the growth of the print industry. Home to the regional operations of global companies in the print sector, the exclusive media zones have attracted significant amounts of foreign investment.

The growth in the publishing industry in the Middle East and North Africa comes at a time when there is increased regional consumer-oriented activity such as book fairs and an expected growth of new books and magazines. According to the organisers of Gulf Print and Pack 2011, the leading industry event for printers, converters and packers in the region, new technological advancements in machinery and materials are creating fresh opportunities for commercial and package printing industries in Mena.

Progress in information technology shall, no doubt, continue to influence the way we read. According to a recent study publicised at the launch of Rufoof (an Arabic-content bookstore application and a Tecom business partner), around 600,000 Arabic books are available on the internet, of which only 2 per cent can be read on smart phones and tablets. This is a tremendous opportunity for publishers, opening up an immense potential in the smart phone market in the Mena region.

However, in the final tally, even the most active proponents of digital reading are inclined to curl up with a good book over a cup of hot tea. For all the advances in knowledge transfer that online publishing has brought and for the higher costs associated with conventional printing and publishing, there are tens of millions of readers for whom the printed page will always prevail.

For many, the book and the Kindle shall continue to co-exist.

The author is executive director, International Media Production Zone, a dedicated media production zone under Tecom Investments' Media Cluster designed to meet the unique needs of printing, publishing, packaging (3P) and graphics art companies.