i have a combination of e- and hard copy. i have a file associated with my e-mail and that's where i put my e-copies. i can draw up my e-mail and start reading the mag in seconds(?). i do have to upload (or is it download?) them to my i-pad and then they are portable. my 18 mon old dgd has my nook so she can watch elmo and sing songs when they are in the car, or even waiting in line. surprisingly, she not only knows how to find her videos, she is very careful with it. i'm waiting for them to get her a used one, but right now i'm giving them netflix, too.
i was a bookseller for many years and i love books, but physically i can't always read them. the ipad lets me get as close up as i want, and that is a real benefit. i've even used it to see other people's avatars when i can't figure them out (usually an animal) or if it's a quilt i get more detail. there is room in the world for both types of communication. i hope we will always have hard cover books
and printed magazines.