Special E-Book Reader Section In CES 2010
It’s interesting that the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas dedicated a special area for e-book readers this year. That’s the first time that this has happened and is an indication of both what a bumper year 2009 was for e-book readers and what is anticipated for 2010 and beyond.
Of course, a lot of the credit for the current buzz around e-book readers has to go to Amazon’s kindle reader - the Kindle 2.0 launched in February and the DX launched in June of 2009. It caused quite a stir and everyone from academic publishers to politicians had something to say about e-book readers in general and the Kindle in particular. Amazon have certainly been instrumental in the development of the new e-book reader market.
Needless to say, there are a whole host of electronics manufacturers who now want “their share” of the market. There are at least two dozen different companies showing off their version of the e-book reader of the future at the CES. Interestingly, neither Amazon or Apple are there.
Amazon currently have a 60% share of the U.S. market for e-book readers. Sony have a perfectly respectable 35%. It doesn’t leave a lot for new entrants – but given the likely growth that’s envisaged there probably is plenty of room for the right device – should it appear.
It seems probable that the CES in 2011 will have another special area for e-book readers, maybe it’ll even be bigger. It will be interesting to see the list of manufacturers competing in the market in twelve months time. Some of the current wannabees will almost certainly have fallen by the wayside by then.
