E-Book Readers - A Brand New Market Segment

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 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.

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 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.

Read more about Amazon'sKindle reader and see the full range of Kindle accessories available to help you customise your Kindle.