Absolutely, but then again I also expect television, movies and books to all be similarly "obsolete" someday soon. By that I strictly mean "in their current form." If we take it as proven that technological advancement continues to make things smaller, cheaper, then we can envision a day when something like a Kindle is so ubiquitous that there's no reason not to have one - much like cell phones are today.

Just because it hasn't happened yet (as I hear all the "there's nothing like the feel of a real paper book" people scream), doesn't mean it won't - it simply means we haven't had the right cultural circumstances yet. Remember that every new generation grows up accepting as common things that the previous generation thought were advancements. Look at the net. I remember having to dial up my computer over a 300 baud modem, and people older than me will remember it worse than that...but my kids will have no concept of what "computer without a net connection" means. Likewise I see a day when kids will know of a gadget that allows you to read personalized newsfeeds from all around the world, and scratch their head in wonder about why you would want to limit yourself to one static version like Grandma and Grandpa did.

The same can be said of television - I'm meeting more "kids" these days (and by that I mean 20 somethings, ya young whippersnappers) who don't bother to own a TV, they just get all their programming online. And movies -- I don't know how it is near you, but one of the theatres in my town just closed up for lack of business. With high def and on demand and 50+inch screens at home it's too easy now to just wait for the movie to come to you.

Source(s):
Although I'm a computer geek I actually got my degree in the "Sociology of Technology". So, you know, exactly stuff like this. :)

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