Okay, so maybe I'm not such a dinosaur after all. "Macworld UK" (http://www.macworld.co.uk/digitallifestyle/news/index.cfm?newsid=3224278) reports that a Hewlett Packard survey of over 1,000 UK consumers, aged between 16 and 60, shows that, despite the rise of services such as iTunes, folks (besides me) still like their CDs and DVDs.

HP's survey found that 86% of the population access some form of digital media, the survey revealed consumers attach very little monetary or emotional value to the digital content they own. For example, 68% of consumers still prefer photographs to be physical rather than digital. Sixty-four percent prefer CDs over MP3s and downloads when purchasing music. And 75% preferred DVDs when it came to films, while a massive 95% still prefer reading books traditionally.


Not surprisingly, those ages 16 to 34 are the most keen on digital media. Still, according to HP's survey, 39% in that age group are still purchasing CDs and DVDs along with digital formats. Despite all the talk of moving to the "cloud" and subscription-based services, 73% of those surveyed said they could never see a time when they’d move to a 100% subscription model for their music and films.

What's more, the UK users in the HP sample "are treating their media collections more as a utility rather than a personal purchase," according to "Macworld UK." Seventy-one percent say they've never lost their media library and aren't worried about security. And 27% put their digital media collection’s value at less than £50.

Finally, the survey found digital media was generally viewed on a desktop computer with 56% listening or viewing while sat at a desk. Laptops also proved a popular option with 47% using digital medium on notebooks. DVD players accounted for 28%, MP3 players 25% and mobile phones 18%. (HP found 14 per cent said they did not access any form of digital content).

So it seems that there are still plenty of folks like me who think that: 1) digital media are a complement to, not a replacement for, digital media, and 2) devices like the iPad are a complement to, not a replacement for, Mac desktops and laptops. Which is why I still hope to see Blu-ray playback support on the Mac sooner rather than later.

-- Dennis Sellers