Plenty Competition In The E-Book Reader Marketplace
There are currently a large number of manufacturers competing in the relatively, but exponentially expanding, e-book reader market. The high competition level is a strong signal that high growth can be expected in this sector. Consumers can expect to benefit from the high level of competition as manufacturers compete to offer higher specifications and lower prices.
There is an impressive list of major players who all have e-book readers in various development stages of – and in some cases, about to be imminently released. Sony, Barnes and Noble, Plastic Logic, Asus, iRex, – and don’t forget Apple and Microsoft (as if) – are all lined up and fighting for their share of the market.
There’s little doubt about the current market leader. The Amazon Kindle reader has not only dominated the market, but has been pivotal in its development since it was launched in November 2007. Now into its second iteration with the Kindle 2 and the large screen Kindle DX, Amazon has secured a 60% share of the American e-book reader market. The Kindle reader is now their number one product and, on October’ this year, after what seemed like a long wait, they started shipping the international Kindle 2 to over 100 countries worldwide. When you think about it, iIt’s a backhanded compliment to Amazon that every new e-book reader in development (and theres no shortage of these, the list above is hardly exhaustive) and which shows any promise whatsoever, is immediately dubbed the “Kindle Killer”. Right now, the Kindle is setting the benchmark which must be achieved, and then bettered, in order to achieve success.
If it seems as if the Kindle’s current number one position is verging on the unassailable, it’s worth bearing in mind that Amazon were a late entrant to the market when the Kindle was first released. The franklin eBookMan is generally considered to be the original dedicated e-book reader. This was launched in’99 – a decade ago. The Sony PRS also hit the market in advance of the Kindle’s 2007 launch.
The success of the Kindle was due to a number of different factors. In the first place, Amazon had a strong link with books, being one of the largest sellers online. They also had a huge selection of books available for download – at the moment they have over of 300,000 titles (and growing in number every day) on their Kindle store. The wireless connectivity feature – with no ongoing fees – was one more huge selling point.
Just as Amazon came from nowhere to secure the number one position, one of the other contenders could do exactly the same – and in the short term. For example, Barnes and Noble have more than one million titles available for download to their new Nook e-book reader. They will also use the ePub format – which the majority of readers in development seem to be favoring. Kindle’s format is proprietary. Purchase a Kindle book – read it on your Kindle.
The Nook will also allow you to “lend” books to your friends and family for a fourteen day period. During this time, the borrower will be able to read it and the lender will no longer have access to it on their Nook – just like lending a “real” book in fact. The only difference is that you will be guaranteed to get it back.
The Sony Daily Edition – Sony‘s next generation reader – will be a large display format, just like the Kindle DX. Unlike the DX it will feature touch screen controls. It will even permit users to “borrow” e-books from participating public libraries. Again – just the same as a real book.
The other readers in development generally incorporate features that may well make them more appealing than the Kindle. Amazon certainly have a fight on their hands – and it seems certain that they won’t give up their number one position without a fight. Given their innovating role in the development of the market thus far, and considering the importance of the Kindle ebook reader to their business, it seems reasonable to expect them to have a few new ideas yet to be unleashed.
Considering the high level of activity amongst all of the various competitors, it would seem likely that the e-book reader market is about to start expanding even faster. It is to be hped that the fierce level of competition that seems about to be unleashed will produce a downward price trend sufficiently strong as to take e-book readers out of the geek domain and into the mainstream personal mobile technology market.
Learn more about the Amazon Kindle eBook Reader and discover how you can get free Kindle books.
categories: Amazon Kindle,e-book readers,e-books,gadgets
Tags: Gadgets, e-book reader, e-books, Amazon kindle, e-book readers
