The internet has shown its true power yet again. This time it is making the printed version of the world famous oxford dictionary becoming less and less valuable. Oxford University Press, the publisher, said Sunday that burgeoning
demand for the dictionary's online version has far outpaced demand for
the printed versions. People are now going online and reading the dictionary and finding meaning to the words they do now know. It has added advantages, after people search the meaning of words, they can simply go to another window and look for pictures about that to get a better picture of what it is. Also, it can be updated almost daily. When you get the print version, there might be some words which are not there yet but the online version allows for instant updates and new words can be added in almost daily. The online Oxford English Dictionary now gets 2 million hits a month
from subscribers. The current printed edition -- a hefty 20-volume, 750
pound ($1,165) set published in 1989 -- has sold about 30,000 sets in
total.With the advancement of technology, with new devices like the IPad coming out, more of these books are expected to use the online avenue to reach out to its people. There are so many advantages and the only disadvantage I can think of is people miss the feel of holding a book and flicking through the pages. It is all about getting use to the new technology. It allows for so much flexibility, pictures, videos, instant translations can be added to texts. Online reference books are definitely going to take off now.
Source: http://www.businessweek.com/
Image:
Tickets for the concert are moving fast, so make your way to http://www.hkticketing.com/ to book your seats!