Saturday, September 10, 2011

IKEA Sees Death of Print, Changes Bookshelves

Not IKEA, just a bookshelf
IKEA is changing the design of their BILLY bookshelf to incorporate deeper shelves and possibly glass doors for decorative item show space.  The LA Times sees this as IKEA noticing the changing of the times as ebooks become more popular than print materials.  Referencing the closing of Borders as well as reports by Amazon citing an increase in ebook purchases, they may have a point.

I can see this as true.  Look at your grandma's couch versus your own.  The weird vinyl thing with a dust cover was a decorative centerpiece and is far apart from the cushion-covered almost-bed that lives in most apartments I have been in that functions as a place to focus on the television and Xbox.  Even the desk had to open up to allow for computers and other devices to populate their surfaces.  Hell, my desk does not even have one of those pencil drawers.  Things gonna change, I guess, and it fits that the folks that fabricate most everything are the one's noticing first.