Dare thinks that this is the reason publishers (and some authors) are worried about Google's plan to scan books and make them searchable:

So what does this have to do with Google Print? Well, I personally don't buy computer books anymore thanks to the Web and search engines. The last book I bought was Beginning RSS and Atom Programmingand that's only because I wrote one of the forewards.

The trouble is, looking up technical information isn't like reading a book for pleasure or research purposes. Sure, I could haul my laptop up to the bedroom - but it's a whole lot less trouble to have a real book - and the book doesn't need power. The point is, I don't see a lot of people deciding to read the 7th "Harry Potter" book online. Looking for a bit of technical information isn't at all like trying to follow a plot line.