This makes me want to cry.

Long live real books!

I LOVE that they're redesigning the BILLY. If I were to get one though, it would still be for books. It would be nice to have something that accommodated some of the larger books we have.

As an artist, having books of inspiration and anthologies of art is non-negotiable. Sure, I can find lots of inspiration online, but the resolution and color quality of having print sources is not something I will ever give up.
Though I have to admit, besides some classics and graphic novels, I haven't bought a book just to read in ages, and that type of book may go by the wayside for me, outside of a few gifts.

i got an e-reader as a very thoughtful gift from my boyfriend. The big problem is that all my books i already have I would have to REBUY on the kindle for $5-$10 a pop! Who can afford that? A lot of used books can be had on amazon for $.01 + shipping. Ive bought some new books on e-reader and really enjoy the e-reader for more "disposable" media (news papers, blogs, magazines). But I dont see myself stop buying books, or getting rid of my books soon.

Does anyone know what the new dimensions will be?

Can't take in e-reader into the bath! I do like the idea of glass doors for the Billy though.

History is a great teacher. There are people who moved to push button phones only because they couldn't find rotary phones anymore. Contrast them with those who stood outside the Apple store all night to pick up the first untried iPhone. Some people embrace change, others do not.

The dimensions are fine as-is... what I'd really like is an upgrade to the wood.

I still buy art books and graphic novels in paper form, but for my regular reading, my Kindle has taken over. I still have all the paper books I had before, though, and there are still some great older books that haven't made the journey to Kindle format yet. So I guess there's room in my life for both. :)

The difference between real books and ebooks is MUCH greater than that between rotary dial and push button. Books are an expression of who you ARE - the phone? if that expresses who you are then I probably don't want to know you.

This website says that they will be selling *both* the 11" depth and the new 15" depth BILLY bookcases once the new one comes out. http://www.edrants.com/ikeas-billy-bookcase-the-real-story/

Not such great news for people who are committed to owning a lot of books -- that increase in shelf depth can take up a lot of space in a small room.

@bshields - oh you can take an ereader into the bath... you just have to be very, very careful :-)

Many people I know with kindles (including myself) still have a ton of books but many of those books are larger in size (design, photography, art & cookbooks) so a deeper bookshelf would accomodate these sizes. I also think many don't put books "only" on bookshelves any more, shelving just looks better in my opinion with a combination of books, pictures/art and tchotchkes so I would imagine a deeper shelf is more versatile.

I am an avid reader, if I had kept every single novel, motivational and business book I owned I wouldn't be able to enjoy small space living as I do. Also I really don't like a bunch of books lying around not being read. So, in the past, I always gave many books away once read, now I use my kindle for the most part and make a little dent in the environment by using less paper.

To me, there is no "kindle" or "books" question, there is room in my life for both.

I would love to see the deeper option. As a designer with a huge library, very few of my "trade" books fit Ikea shelving. Nice to hear they'll be selling both depths.

Ha! I already have my 11"-deep billies (many) stacked 2 deep with paperbacks I cannot part with -- the 15 inch depth will made the 2-deep a bit easier.

We've had Billy's over the years and we have a huge book collection. The 11" depth was never enough even for books. Even if it's just 1% of the books that hang over the bottom edge, it creates a very cheap look when you have spines sticking out of the bookcase. That said, I think 12" would have fixed the problem perfectly and 15" (the depth of the Expedit) is going way over the top. I hope there is some stackable scheme where a low 15" Billy can be installed on the floor with a 12" Billy above.

I hate tchockes.

And while I think eooks are great for vacations (less lugging), I really haven't warmed to them -- although I've got to admit, reading something on the iPad in bed at night is kinder to my sleeping husband.

Still, as my husband was unpacking box after box of books, he did say that we should get rid of a lot of them...

This is bad news for people who live in small spaces (unless they are keeping the 11-inch version). I'm not sure what tchotchkes desperately need those extra four inches.

I agree that an upgrade to the strength of the shelves is more needed than one to the depth.

I'll take the best of both! I still have a lot of books after paring down to the essentials. But I've started using the Kindle for novels and light reading. And classics I don't already have! I have a wall of Billy and they've been a godsend. I also collect a ton of other stuff, so more sizes they add to their lineup the better. Are they retiring the old standard Billy?

My Billy Shelves:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blastmilk/tags/billy/

<sarcasm> How innovative! </sarcasm>

I've always put way more than books in my Billys...books, tchotchkes, whatever.

Why is this news?

I've always wanted to swap out my current bookshelves for Billy with doors---but as an artist, so many of my books are over sized, so the doors were never an option. 15" might make that possible, so thumbs up.

I feel like the article is a bit disingenuous. The "new" Billy is one bookcase that is to complement the standard Billy. It's also replacing the old Bergsbo cabinet that was sold as a complement to Billy, but in fewer colors.

I've found our regular Billys to handle all of our books. In fact, it winds up being too deep for many of them, and the cats like to push those on the bottom shelf back. I do think that the deeper size works well as a display cabinet, though.

LONG LIVE BOOKS!!! There is nothing like dogearing the page of a book, the smell of them, the feel of them. I will always read real books rather than by a nook. So keep those bookcases for me please!

Boo!! For shame. Billy was the one decent bookshelf and they are already too deep!

"Sure, I may buy a Kindle and join the ranks of e-reader converts, but I can't imagine ever eliminating actual, 3-dimensional books from my home." *Agreed.*

I'm just a little pissy because I just got about $1,000 worth of billys for storage in our small condo and I would have loved for them to be deeper. Bad timing.

Ugh, this kills me. I'm sorry but I don't want to live in a world without REAL books. It's an obsession and a love affair that I can't end.

I think we are WAY too dependent on technology and reading is a great way to escape and expand your horizons. I couldn't see myself doing that with anything other than a worn, comfortable book.

It's a very smart move on Ikea's part. More and more people are using their bookcases as a place to display things that are not for reading...

We are, probably, moving toward a future where buying a real book will be a luxury item. That does pull at my heart as I love my books like friends.

But I really cannot knock Ikea for answering the design trends with this update.

Suppose the ideal would be if they kept the old format as an optional buy. :/

Can they get away with this? I thought most of the appeal of Billy was that you could expand your library as you needed to, and be able to get new bookcases that fit with the old ones ten years down the line if you want. And media towers and height add ons etc. This will screw up that whole concept!

I own many, many books, and I will never buy an e-reader. I don't see the point in them - I just bring a netbook & maybe one or two books on a trip, as most of the time I'm so busy I can't get through more than that. Like Aidenpouge said above, reading is like a break from technology for me - one of the last places I can go to stop staring at a screen for a moment. Guess I'll have to build my own bookshelves in the ~~future~~~~ :)

I am displeased. I like the size of the Billy bookcase, even for uses not with books. If I want a deeper bookshelf, I just get their Besta line.

I think it's better to have both a skinny and deep option, since not all apartments have that much room.

Extinction, no. Pruning, hell yes. I'm a journalist; my husband is a nascent professor of archaeology. When we last moved, 57 boxes of books had to be carted out of our 1-bedroom apartment, and that was *after* I'd already given away four garbage bags full of easily replaceable books that took up too much shelf space, like Harry Potter (14"). Did I like Harry Potter? Yes. Am I going to read it again? Probably not.

Oh, and about the bathtub: You can seal a Kindle in a large ziplock bag just in case. But I've had mine for 2 years now and somehow managed to not drop it in the tub (I've dropped so many books in the tub...)

I have four IKEA Billy bookcases that were purchased in the last few months specifically because of our books (they are all chock full!). And we are both under 30! Goodness. I couldn't imagine NOT putting books on a bookcase.

That said, I don't think it's a bad idea to make the shelves a little deeper. There are some things I can't store in our shorter office-y Billy (with doors) because they're not that deep.

I just don't love that marketing strategy: ANYTHING but BOOKS! Ugh. And we wonder why our kids don't read anymore...

Evil Kindle owner here, but I still have three shelving units filled with double stacked books. One does not erase the other, and because I like to read EVERYWHERE, it's much easier for me to carry my tiny Kindle in my purse than whatever 500+ page hardcover I'm reading.

So far as the shelves go, kudos to Ikea. I hate the overhang from artbooks and large cookbooks, and it hurts me to stack them flat for storage. (And those coffeetable-size books will never be replaced by an e-version!)

I agree with lazy_lurker; the 11 inch depth isn't really enough for two layers of books, so the deeper Billy will help a lot. Of course I already have ten Billy bookcases and they're all full, and I have no room for any more bookcases, so if I got any of the deeper ones it would have to replace the ones I already have. I will say, though, that I love my Kindle, and hopefully it will mean I won't need that many more bookcases.

I have walls and walls and walls of bookshelves and this is after culling books mercilessly one year. Do you know how much dusting they need???? URGH!

I have a kindle and while that leaves me in fear of losing my kindle books at some point due to eventually outdated electronic equipment and software, I am happy not to be adding (as much) to my 3-D collection.

I love books and have a huge collection myself, but I have to admit that I've always hated the shallow depth of the Billy and find this to be THRILLING news... and timely too. I was just about to shell out for some new BESTA units since the Billy wasn't meeting my needs--now it sounds like I won't have to!

I have used and reused BILLY bookcases in all my homes, for books, electronics and tchotchkes, but my favorite use was to house all my shoes. Held a million, looked clean, minimal cost compared to built-ins or other storage options. But fitting the shoes on the shelves facing out was tight though, and I have relatively tiny feet. Because you can buy the basic unit and extra shelves, and doors if you want to conceal some of the visual clutter, the idea of deepening the shelves makes them ideal for storing shoes, even for people with bigger feet. Excellent!

I agree with those who welcome the additional depth due to oversized books. Most of our books fit on our current 13" deep shelves, but we have quite a few (including family photo albums, large books, etc) that hang over the edge a bit. I actually had wanted to get some BILLYs as we are running out of space on my parents' hand-me-down shelves, but they are just not deep enough at 11"!

QUIT FREAKING OUT PEOPLE AND READ THIS EXERPT FROM THE ARTICLE ESPY MENTIONED ABOVE: (for a bunch of people who supposedly read, not too many of you actually read the comments)

On September 10, 2011, The Economist published a story suggesting that IKEA was changing its Billy bookcases because of decreased demand in books. The news spread like wildfire on Twitter, causing additional alarm as irresponsible reporters further fanned the flames without bothering to call anybody. But in a Tuesday afternoon telephone conversation with IKEA public relations manager Marty Marston, Reluctant Habits learned that the Economist‘s story is false and exaggerated.

“We are not removing the original Billy,” said Marston. “It’s interesting that everybody has jumped on this.”

The Billy bookcase with the 11 inch depth will still be stocked. Production will not be curtailed. An additional Billy bookcase, with a 15 inch depth, will be introduced in all countries — an effort to respond to how customers are presently living their lives.

“Billy has gone through transformation since it started in 1979,” elaborated Marston. “This is just one additional transformation. And we’ll probably see some other ones.”

I'm not going to get rid of my books nor shelves but definitely I will reduce buying paper books...

Will Ikea do the same resizing with the Lack shelves and storage units? I recall the shelves are also 11" deep.

@keri payne
(for a bunch of people who supposedly read, not too many of you actually read the comments)

Haha XD

e-readers are great, i love my nook.. except when there is a problem and suddenly the book you are reading disappears and you can't finish it, and you can't do anything until the next morning because you are LOCKED out from the book and need to speak to customer service who are god knows where and you can not understand a word they say... then it takes 4 hours and two more phone calls to get your damn book back.
oh yeah this happened to me.
*twice*
I do love my nook but real books will always be in my home. classics are classics they are meant to be read as they were printed and if i can I opt for as close to an original printing (copyright 1920? yes please!)
but say the sookie stackhouse series? not exactly bookshelf material in my eyes so sure lets nook those books.
all i can think is ray bradbury. *shudders* I think books will stick around but on a smaller degree in peoples homes.

and yeah that had nothing to do with the billy bookcases. I dont have anything to say on that since the original is still going to be sold and the new one will be lovely i'm sure plus i dont have an ikea anywhere near me. :(

I was about to grumble and then I realized that the newly proposed Billy will not only still hold my books just fine, it was also now be deep enough to hold vinyl records. Huzzah!