E-Book Reader Sales Will Soar In 2010

When Amazon updated their Kindle e-book reader in February 2009 with the launch of the second generation Kindle 2, it was the only reader with wireless connectivity. We had to wait till June of 2009 before another competing reader with wireless connection facility appeared. Even then, that was Amazon’s own Kindle DX, a large format version of the Kindle aimed at readers of newspapers, magazines and academic textbooks.

It began to look as if Amazon was competing with itself. Which was probably a good thing as there were no other serious competitors in the market. Even today, at the end of November 2009, there is still no reader outside of Amazon’s Kindle family which includes wireless connectivity. Amazon really have had a strong competitive advantage for quite a while now.

That may all be about to change – and in the very immediate future. The new Sony Daily Edition reader is planned to launch in mid-December and Barnes and Noble’s Nook reader is scheduled for release around about the same time. Both of these readers include wireless functionality and incorporate additional features, such as touch screen controls which will, in the opinion of many, put them well ahead of the present Kindles. The Daily Edition reader even permits users to borrow e-books from participating public libraries.

The Nook will allow its users to access a collection of over 1,000,000 e-books on the Barnes and Noble website. Users will even be able to lend e-books to friends and family – just like a real book. So whether you look at it from the point of view of technical specification or from the perspective of user features and usability, the Kindle may find itself in the unusual position of second, or even third, place.

There will be even more competition in 2010, when other manufacturers start releasing large format readers to go head to head with the Kindle DX. Consumers will certainly benefit from the increased competition which will produce a downward price trend.

Remember – the Kindle is now Amazon’s top selling product – so it is to be expected that Amazon will counter with their own new and updated devices, improved services or both. 2010 will probably see some standard e-book format emerge which will, along with falling prices and increased functionality, quite likely be enough to see e-book readers enter the mainstream marketplace.