I’m usually one who needs to have the latest tech gear in order to feel like I’m on top of my game. Whether it’s a new computer, the latest software, or just the hottest gadgets, I usually feel like I need them. But I am having a hard time coping with the craze of tablets developed in 2010. As one who finds joy in reading almost anything on a printed page, I plan to be one of the last to join the tablet wagon. But, when examined next to a modern tablet, I find it increasingly harder to defend the folded paper under my arm. Here’s why.

The first leg-up that digital has on print is extra content. This alone is perhaps enough to convert some print-lovers to rely solely on their tablets. Initially, a long fought battle between print and tablet publications was of physical preference. However, the invention of the iPad, Kindle, Android and apps have put us on a whole new playing field. Instead of just reading your newspaper on a new medium, you also can access extra photos, video and share your thoughts on the subject. In other words, it’s interactive, and you are now a part of the conversation.

If I can read a story about a world event in a newspaper, I will know roughly what’s happening, and I may have an idea of what it really looks like through a photo or two. But if I can access it on my tablet, I will not only have a greater amount of up-to-the-minute information, but I’ll also have a video of the event and suggestions with links to further reading. Plus, there’s a good chance I’ll be finding all that out way before my print-loving friends. Now the question is: is my love of the hard copy worth being outsmarted at the water cooler?

Just as the digital publication world has offered something unique to get ahead, if the print world wants to survive, it needs to adapt and offer something that the digital world cannot. “Just as the radio had to adapt when TV came along, so must the print newspaper,” says Steve Garton, Global Head of Media Research at Synovate. Garton argues that the radio adapted by becoming more attractive to wider audiences. The print world’s lifeboat is perhaps to offer the same as what online publications address and to a more targeted audience. Whatever the change is, the print world has to discover something that only it can provide, and make that its number one marketing tool. There are many examples of publishers creating portals with a very wide range of content to appeal to more people.

Moreover, iPads and tablets boast an unarguable convenience factor. Instead of leaving home with a copy of the Tribune, the FT, the Journal and a briefcase, users can now leave home with just a tablet. The ease of having everything available without having to lug around a briefcase is something that tablets possess, which newspapers cannot compete with. And since the Apple App Store now offers over 350,000 apps (a comparable number also in the Android Market), ranging from magazines and newspapers to games and social networks, there are increasingly more things a tablet can do that print can’t. If everything available in print is available on your tablet in a more portable format, why not? Do people still carry around Discmans because CDs possess higher quality audio files? No, they carry around iPods, and they succumb to a lower quality music experience because they can clip it onto their shirt. It’s just easier.

This is not to say that the fight for digital publications will be easy. In the developing world, where iPads and tablets aren’t readily available, newspapers are still the primary source of information. Furthermore, even in countries where tablets are available, there is often a lack of WiFi and 3G networks, which can make the device all but useless. Until this changes, the printed newspaper still plays an invaluable role.

“There is also the issue of monetising digital publications,” explains Garton. “In an age where users expect more for less, developers will have to search for other means of compensation; advertising simply isn’t enough. If they cannot find substantial compensation, and the newspapers are losing money by supplying digital versions for free, what motive do publishers have to continue?”

Of course, ultimately, there will be holdouts. For many, nothing will ever replace the experience of holding a newspaper, reading a book, scribbling margin notes and tearing out articles. Just like there are those who still rush to the record store—I mean, Amazon.com—to buy a physical album when it’s released. But, unfortunately, these classicists will be fewer and farther between as time progresses. For now, I’m still sticking with my pen and paper. I’m just not sure how much longer I’ll be able to do it. 

Contact Steve Garton, Director of Media Research, Synovate at steve.garton@synovate.com for more information on media research.