I am no fan of printers: messy things with a voracious appetite for consumables that cost more than their weight in gold. I print the absolute minimum, so it is highly encouraging that the iPad is busy hammering a few nails into the coffin.
Last week Morgan Stanley said the the rise of the tablet had adversely affected printing by more than had been anticipated. Apparently, many tablet owners regard print reduction as one of the main benefits of tablet adoption.
None of this is very surprising. Until recently it was a real faff to print from an iPad and, even now, you really need a special special AirPrint printer. This I don’t have, so I haven’t been tempted to print; and I cannot justify the cost of another printer just so I can print from the iPad. It’s far cheaper to send the document to the Mac if needs must.
Printing is occasionally necessary, of course. But the times when you have no alternative are diminishing by the year. This is a good thing, in my opinion.