Ikea Hates Books
The print book publishing business was growing by huge margins and raking in ever-growing amounts of money—until now. Ikea has ruined it. Why do Swedish people love lingonberries but hate the printed word?
Ikea, which has done for furniture what Lunchables did for lunch—make you put it together yourself—has changed the design of its "Billy" bookshelf, which is the bookshelf that everyone in every city with an Ikea is required to have in their apartments, because we are all pitiful sheep. The Economist reports:
Next month IKEA will introduce a new, deeper version of its ubiquitous "BILLY" bookcase. The flat-pack furniture giant is already promoting glass doors for its bookshelves. The firm reckons customers will increasingly use them for ornaments, tchotchkes and the odd coffee-table tome-anything, that is, except books that are actually read.
No biggie, just a bookshelf that won't hold books. I don't think the publishing industry should be worried, because consumers like to put books in all sorts of different places, like the trash.
