ianandyr: When these kids are ready to embrace higher fidelity music it will be the most natural thing in the world for them to use computer/hdd based sources.
tractorboy: I don't think they're interested in fidelity. Hence the popularity of YouTube and MP3.
Then they won't be buying CD players either. Those who are interested in the pursuit of hi-fi (and let's face it we're already in the minority) will be very comfortable with the idea of a HDD/PC source or an Apple TV / Sonos system.
ianandyr:Imagine a Sonos system with a Napster subscription providing SACD quality music streaming over cable or BT's forthcoming 21cn broadband and you have a high-fidelity source the equal of anything we have in our homes today with no usability issues whatsoever.
tractorboy: Most of the people in my office are in their 20s, and have grown up using PCs. When their PC stops talking to the printer, they haven't got a clue what to do. Does it occur to them to check the USB cable is in securely? No. Do they check to see that they have the default printer set correctly? Eh? The what? How do I do that then? People on this forum tend to be comfortable with technology. I would suggest that the vast majority of the general public, young and old, are not - at least not beyond a very superficial level.
Your bad luck to be surrounded by such a bunch of incompetents. Where I work pretty much everyone has a home network, mostly wireless, and could have a Sonos up an running in an hour or two.
As far as I see it the major stumbling block here is the availability of high quality downloads/streaming. That will come - the movement toward it is well underway. Then, with album art, lyrics, the convenience of playlists, shuffle, integrated services like Last FM, internet radio and so on the attractions of the little silver disc in its plastic box will become the preserve of an ever increasing minority.
I don't for a minute think that hi-fi is going away, far from it, but I do believe a change is coming in the way we source, store and manage our music.