E-papers: The way forward?

A week or two ago, the lesson was on print media. And I'll be honest, I've been saving this strip for Professor Armstrong since I first read it in May, because I've always wanted to ask him what his thoughts on a scheme like this were.

Well, he replied that the idea didn't seem to consider the user, and that given the older skew it didn't really seem workable or cost effective. Well sir, I've been giving it some thought, and this here is how I think it could work.

First off, Professor Armstrong mentioned several times during the lecture how he hated getting newsprint ink on his hands when he was reading it. So wouldn't reading the news off a Kindle solve that problem straight off the bat?

Secondly, let's consider the older skew. It can't be denied that the vast majority of newspaper readers are people a generation above me, i.e. our parents and people in that age group. So the fact that the Kindle is an electronic device could pose a few problems, namely the technological generation gap (if there's such a term) and well... Older people don't really like to squint at a screen. Professor Armstrong also asked I'd rather use a Kindle or open a newspaper.

So going point by point there: The Kindle is basically an e-reader, with none of the complications a laptop might provide. The Kindle is also almost half screen, with a 6" screen on a device that's 8" by 5.3". Therefore, print is large and easy to see. Finally, Professor Armstrong mentioned that a broadsheet can be a pain to read on a bus or a train, simply because it's too darn big. If you could get a full newspaper on a 8"by 5.3" device, that's another problem solved straight off the bat.

So what do the rest of you think? Could the Kindle or a similar device be newspapers' saving grace? After all, getting the news online seems to be on the rise nowadays... Why not an e-version of your favourite newspaper?