Kindle Reader Leading The Electronic Book Revolution
The biggest book seller in the world, spearheading the revival of reading and using its own proprietary technology in the process? It sounds like a marriage made in heaven – and that’s exactly how the Amazon Kindle reader’s relatively short career must seem to Amazon’s marketing men. The Kindle reader is the perfect fit for Amazon, with its strong association with both personal electronic devices and books.
Just as digital cameras and digital picture frames have been replacing the old fashioned equivalent items, the future of books looks like it’s going to be digital. Right now, the e-reader is the hottest “must have” piece of personal electronic kit available on the market. Oprah Winfrey was an early adopter. As long ago as 2008 she pronounced that the Kindle reader was her “new favorite gadget” – and you can be sure that her huge audience was paying attention. The Amazon marketing men must have been turning cartwheels with delight.
Amazon gained yet more great publicity during the release of the Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009. Novelist Stephen King wrote a special Kindle themed novella – “Ur” – to commemorate the occasion. The world’s bestselling author, the world’s largest book seller and the world’s hottest new gadget all came together to produce one massive publicity event. It’s hardly surprising that the Kindle is selling so well is it?
There’s no shortage of competing manufacturers trying to get in on the act by releasing e-book readers of their own right now. However, Amazon and Sony are the two dominant players at the moment. Amazon enjoy a 60% share of the U.S. e-reader market. Sony take second place with a smaller, but still respectable, 35% share. It’s only fair after all– these two companies have done more to grow the e-book reader market than most of their competitors. The Sony PRS reader was launched in 2006 and November 2007 saw the release of the original Kindle. Sony and Amazon are now benefiting from their earlier innovation and drive in a big way.
The number of Kindle books available on the Amazon site is enormous. At the moment there are in excess of 400,000 – with an average of 500 new books being added daily. Sony have teamed up with Google so that their customers can access Google’s huge online book collection. Electronic books tend to be cheaper than the printed equivalent. They don’t need paper, ink or bindings – and they don’t need to be delivered by truck or by mail. You can, should you wish, download the first chapter of any Kindle book as a free sample – so that you can try before you buy.
Every year, the newspaper, magazine and book sector in the USA requires the felling of 125 million trees just to supply the paper needed. Remember also the ink, chemicals and energy used in the manufacturing process – and the emissions produced during shipping.
There’s no doubt about it, e-book readers and e-books are the future of reading. Amazon and Sony have both attained strong positions in today’s market – but the influence of additional competitors will tend to produce a downward price trend. At the end of the day, it will be the customer who benefits from lower prices, a more environmentally friendly product and an easier purchase and delivery method.
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