Whilst they may be the hot gadget of the moment, it\’s worth noting that e-book readers have been available for quite a while. In 1999, the Franklin eBookman was launched (generally held to be the first example of a dedicated electronic book reader). Sony\’s PRS reader launched in 2006 and, in 2007, the original Amazon Kindle was released.
However, it wasn\’t until 2009 that the popularity of e-book readers really rocketed. Amazon were very instrumental in this – the February launch of the Kindle 2.0, followed shortly after by the launch of the larger DX version in June produced a storm of publicity around e-book readers in general and the Kindle in particular. E-book readers were in the news, they were the hot, \”must have\” gadget of 2009. The Kindle reader quickly became the top selling product on Amazon and, during the 2009 festive gift giving bonanza, became Amazon\’s \”most gifted\” product ever. Both Sony and Barnes and Noble had a good tilt at the Xmas sales by releasing their own new readers – but an inability to guarantee delivery in time for the big day coupled with the Kindle\’s well established brand presence, meant that Amazon cleaned up at Christmas.
Currently there are plenty of readers to choose from. The list of companies who have, by now, released their own e-readers, or who have one in development, is lengthy and impressive. The Consumer electronics Show (CES), held in Las Vegas in January 2010, included a special zone just for e-book readers for the first time ever. Most industry watchers agree that 2010 is going to be, if anything, even more successful for e-book readers and sales are predicted to increase exponentially.
It is, to all intents and purposes, an entirely new market segment which, until very recently, simply didn\’t exist. Aside from manufacturers of the e-book reader devices themselves, there are implications for book publishers, academic establishments, educational authorities, third party suppliers and, of course, the book reading public.
The sudden emergence of this market segment has been good news for companies such as M-Edge who manufacture a wide range of Kindle accessories including covers, reading lights, chargers and so on. There are plenty of other accessory suppliers who are also benefiting. At the moment, there is a strong focus on accessories for the Kindle, but as the market expands and other readers gain in popularity these will also offer good opportunities to the independents.
The e-book reader market is, even now, still in its infancy. It is developing and expanding at an astonishing rate. Up to now, Amazon has been a strong influence in the development of the market and currently claims a 60% slice of the e-book reader market in the U.S. In 2010, their dominance will be challenged – as will the second position currently held by Sony with a smaller, but nonetheless very respectable, 35% market share. This e-book reader gold rush still affords plenty of opportunities for companies with the innovative skills and vision to take advantage and establish themselves now whilst the market is in a period of rapid growth.
Check out Amazon\’s Kindle reader and learn how you can save money by downloading free Kindle books – right from Amazon\’s website.
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