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 e-book readers really took off in a big way. With absolutely no disrespect to Sony, much of the credit for this has to go to Amazon. The launch of the Kindle 2.0 in February 2009 backed up by the release of the larger DX reader in June caused quite a stir and established e-book readers as the hot gadget of the year. The Kindle quickly became Amazon’s number one selling product and was the most gifted Amazon item ever over the 2009 festive period. Both Sony and Barnes and Noble had released new readers in time for the Christmas season, but uncertainty about delivery in time for Xmas, coupled with the Kindle’s already established dominance meant that Amazon swept the boards.
At the moment there is no shortage of readers to choose from. The list of companies who are developing their own e-book readers is both long impressive. For the first time ever, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas in January 2010, had a separate section dedicated to e-book readers. All the signs are there that 2010 is going to be an even more successful year for e-book readers and we can probably expect to see sales continuing to grow rapidly.
It is effectively a brand new market sector which didn’t exist, at least not in any meaningful way, until very recently. Apart from the companies who manufacture e-book readers, there are implications for publishers, educational institutions, independent suppliers and of course, the 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 still nascent. It is growing and developing at an incredible rate. Amazon has been instrumental in the development of the market to date and enjoys a 60% share of the American market as a result. Their dominance will be strongly challenged in 2010, as will Sony’s current second place (with a 35% market share). However, this new market offers plenty of opportunity for companies with the vision and innovative skills to establish themselves at this early stage.
Read more about the Amazon Kindle reader and see the full range of Kindle accessories available to help you customise your Kindle.
