2010 Expected To Show Huge Growth In Ebook Reader Market

Jan.05, 2010 in Technology and Gadgets

Amazon has had a fantastic year in 2009. A lot of the credit for that must go to the Kindle ebook reader family. The Kindle 2.0 and its larger sibling, the DX, have been a massive success for Amazon. The Kindle is now Amazon’s best selling product.

At the moment, 60% of America’s e-book reader market is serviced by the Kindle. The Kindle 2.0 was recently released on the global market. Even if Amazon don’t achieve the same high degree of success worldwide – although it’s hard to see why they shouldn’t – the enlarged size of the market is going to help Amazon to achieve even stronger returns next year.

There are those who suggest that much of the Kindle’s success up to now has been down to a dearth of genuine competition. Whilst it may be true that there weren’t many e-book readers around to go head to head with the Kindle in the early stages, it would probably be nearer the truth to say that the Kindle’s success was chiefly due to the fact that it was an innovative, market changing product.

Certainly, there are plenty of competing ebook readers on offer today – or scheduled for launch in the near future. The lengthy list of companies which either already have their own readers on the market or scheduled for imminent release is a strong indication of the level of growth which can be predicted in the e-book reader market. Although the market is new and is still in development, it has received support from a number of different sources – including the world of academic publishing and various political bodies. Rapid growth looks inevitable.

Another good indicator of the expected level of growth in this sector is the large volume of third party goods available to customise, protect and accessorise ebook readers. At the moment the majority of these goods are intended for Amazon’s Kindle reader. If you are looking for a Kindle cover, Kindle reading light or a spare charger then there are any number of independent manufacturers ready and willing to cater to your needs. The selection of items for new readers, such as Sony’s Daily Edition and the Nook reader from Barnes and Noble will begin to expand as their popularity rises.

In exactly the same way that 2009 was a good year for Amazon, we can expect 2010 to see ebook readers become generally more popular. Amazon’s dominant role will be challenged and increased competition will naturally lead to lower prices – perhaps to the point where ebook readers enter the mainstream consumer electronics arena.

Many business analysts have suggested that a price of around the $ 150 mark would allow this to happen. Bearing in mind the amount of competition in the market, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that this price point would be attainable in 2010.