Electronic book readers have been available for quite some time now. The Franklin eBookman is generally considered to have been the first and launched in 1999, over a decade ago. Other readers slowly appeared – the Sony PRS launched in 2006 and the first Amazon Kindle hit the streets in November of 2007.
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.
There is no shortage of e-book readers to choose from right now. There is a long, and impressive list, of manufacturers who now have their readers on the market, or who are developing them for release in the very near future. Industry analysts are anticipating that 2010 will be a big year for e-book readers and the level of sales is expected to increase.
What this represents, is the creation of a completely new market segment which, until very recently, simply wasn\’t there. Over and above the manufacturers of the e-book reader devices themselves, this represents a significant development for traditional book publishers, educational authorities, suppliers of accessories and, of course, the customers who read the books at the end of the process.
The sudden appearance of this brand new market has been great news for manufacturers such as M-Edge who produce a range of accessories – chargers, reading lights, covers, etc. – for the Kindle. Other accessory suppliers are also making hay while the sun shines. Right now, most of the accessories on offer are for the Kindle – but other readers will emerge and they will almost certainly be catered for in a similar manner.
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.
Learn more about the Amazon Kindle reader and see the full range of Kindle accessories available to help you customise your Kindle.
