New E-Book Reader Market Is Good For Business

E-book readers have been around for a long time now. The first one, which is generally agreed to have been the Franklin eBookman, was released in 1999, more than ten years ago. Other readers were released, notably the original Amazon Kindle in 2007 which actually lagged behind the Sony PRS reader which had launched in 2006.

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.

Still in its infancy, the e-book reader market is developing and expanding at an extremely rapid pace. Amazon has been hugely influential in the market's development and growth up to now. 2010 will see their current dominance challenged. Sony's second position - with a very healthy 35% market share - will also come under fire. There are plenty of opportunities for innovative companies to profit from the e-book reader gold rush in 2010.

Find out more about the Amazon Kindle reader and see the full range of Kindle accessories available to help you customise your Kindle.