2010 was supposed to be the year of the eReader. Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's nook, the Sony Reader, Plastic Logic Que, Spring Design Alex, and others were all headed for a battle royale. It was to have been mono-eReader y mono-eReader, with the clear winner of such a battle ultimately being the consumer as prices were forced beneath $100. But while the prices of the most popular eReader devices have come down, the variety in eReaders has been anything but prolific. Blame the iPad. I predicted (along with about everyone else on the planet) that Apple's tablet was a game-changer for the eReader space. Never mind that it isn't a dedicated device like Amazon's Kindle. It's still an eReader, just with a whole lot more capability.

When the iPad debuted, many people were surprised by the initial price point of $499 (for the wi-fi only version). What this immediately did was draw a line in the sand for anyone thinking of manufacturing an eReader and gouging customers with prices up to $800 (Plastic Logic planned such a price point for it's Que eReader). It also made it difficult for some companies to turn a profit given the cost of manufacturing. iRex Technologies, maker of the Digital Reader line of eReading devices, for example, recently filed for bankruptcy due to poor sales of its devices. iSuppli, which did a manufacturing cost-analysis of the Kindle 2, priced the cost to build the device at about $180. With the Kindle now selling at that price, it's fair to say Amazon's eReader is now a loss leader, with the real profits coming out of the sale of content.

So where does all of that leave the current market? The clear winners at this point are Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's nook, and Apple's iPad. The Sony Reader might be up there with that trio, but I seldom hear or read anything about the Reader anymore, so I can't say if it's in the running or not. The truth is that each company is fairly secretive regarding sales figures or units sold, making it difficult to know for sure who is "winning". I do know that Apple claims they've sold three million iPads in 80 days, Kindle sales 'allegedly' exceeded three million units through the end of 2009, and nook sales have been "strong". Sony made a claim back in 2008 that they'd sold 300,000 units, but that figure is so old as to be irrelevant (the figure is irrelevant, too, when compared to the 3 mil. units sold of either the iPad or Kindle).

Considering that the Kindle was once priced at $499 and has since gone through several rounds of price cuts since, it's clear that competition is a good thing (at least for consumers). But only as long as some of the players survive. There was early speculation that Apple would move quickly to cut iPad prices if sales were not encouraging enough. Apparently, they have been, since the pricing remains steady. But just like Kindle ushered in a field of challengers, so to has the iPad sparked a new level of competition, with new Android-based tablet devices coming out from Asustek, Micro-Star, Dell, Cisco, Google, and others.

This makes me wonder if we aren't seeing the beginning of the end for the dedicated eReader. If nothing else, it's fair to say the larger version of the Kindle, the Kindle DX, is on its way out.

On a personal level, none of this changes the enjoyment I get out of my Kindle. But after having attended a company tech conference recently and seeing several of my colleagues carrying iPads, I have begun to look at the devices a bit more seriously. Prices will come down (they always do), so whether you're in the market for a dedicated device or one of the new or soon to be released tablets, it's a great time to be a consumer.

I'll leave you with a rogue's gallery of some of the eReaders mentioned above.

 

 

 

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Today Amazon.com cut the price of their Kindle eReader from $259 to $189. The last price cut for the device was in October of last year. Barnes & Noble prompted Amazon's price cut with one of their own as they lowered the price on their popular nook eReader while also introducing a wi-fi only model.

I think most people have been expecting this move since late last year when Barnes & Noble released their competing eReader, the nook, and especially now that Apple's iPad has proven itself a viable contender (and more depending on who you ask) in the eReader space.

I received my Kindle as a Christmas gift last year. My first impressions were favorable. As far as dedicated devices go, it's top-notch. I wouldn't want to have waited for this price drop, either. I've read about an eBook per week since turning the device on, so I think I've gotten some good use out of it. Of course, for someone new to the device, a lower price justifies the purchase that much more.

Back in April of 2009, iSuppli opened up a Kindle 2, identified the parts, and, based on their findings, figured out what the device really costs. Their finding: $185.49. I'm going to guess that component and manufacturing costs have since come down because otherwise that leaves Amazon with a paltry profit of $3.51.

The last point I want to make about this latest price reduction is to ask the question once more: Is now the time to buy a Kindle? No doubt, it makes the idea more compelling. But times have changed. There are viable competitors out there, including a just announced version of the nook with wi-fi only for $149. Apple's iPad is still hovering at $499, though the iPad is much more than just an eReader.

In any case, competition is always good from a consumer perspective; it drives prices down and hastens new development. For me, I still just need an eReader device, but it's nice to know prices are coming down while functionality continues to climb to new heights.

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The wait is over. Apple debuted their all-new entry into the tablet market and it is called the iPad.

I wanted to post this as a follow-up to my post of a couple of days ago where I wondered if the iPad was really the "Kindle-killer" everyone was thinking it might be. Even now, I don't think the question has been answered as there are people continuing to argue both sides with others who believe the two can happily co-exist. We may not know for sure until the iPad is actually released for sale in a couple of months.

Personally, I think there's room for both. The only crossover in functionality is both devices' ability to act as an eReader. The iPad has the advantage of a backlit color screen, but only 10 hours of battery life. The Kindle has the advantage of eInk, which while black and white is so crisp it's like you're reading a page from a paper book. Also, there's no eyestrain with eInk and the Kindle can literally last for weeks without a charge (with the 3G wireless turned off). People looking to read eBooks will likely go with the more specialized eReader device. People looking for more, the iPad. Regardless, we'll likely see more and better features emerge for both devices, something that is a win-win for consumers.

Of particular note is Apple's iBookstore announcement, which is essentially an app that allows you to purchase/read eBooks. In addition, iTunes will begin selling eBooks. What hasn't been mentioned is if Apple will open iTunes to self-published authors similar to how Amazon has done so with the Kindle store. This model would be similar to developers selling apps for the iPhone through iTunes. It's not that far of a step to include eBooks in on this. For right now, though, eBooks will only come from the major publishing houses. Whether the iPad is the publishing industry's savior remains to be seen.

I'll leave you to formulate your own opinion with some related stories I found interesting:

• The Blogosphere Reacts to the Apple iPad
• Fujitsu: iPad name "is ours"
• Adobe Slams Apple for iPad's Lack of Flash
• iPad Fail. iBook Win.
• iPass – Why the iPad Won’t Save Publishing
• Apple iPad vs. Amazon Kindle
• Debating the merits of Apple's iPad
• iPad: Did it live up to the hype?
• Apple's iPad Tablet Includes Cool New Apps and Features
• For Apple, iPad Said More Than Intended

 

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For the most part I keep topics related to technology and software in particular confined to my technical blog. This blog is, after all, about my literary pursuits. But every once in a while a topic emerges that blurs those lines. Of late, there's been no greater such subject than eReaders, eBooks, and the resulting changes in the publishing industry.

Now, the game is about to change once more as Apple is set to unveil their version of the tablet computer this week. Tablets are nothing new, but they've failed to gain a foothold beyond utilitarian use. There's no doubt Apple's products are revolutionary, evolutionary, and everything in-between (look no further than the iPod or iPhone). Now, if the sheer number of rumors hold any weight, Apple is about to change the eReader market.

Or maybe not.

Rumors News reports price the Apple iPad iSlate (or whatever they wind up calling it) at $499 and up $1000. Yet in an informal poll conducted by Retrevo, 70% of consumers would not be interested in purchasing an iSlate if it's priced higher than $700. Further, "Retrevo found roughly half the respondents said they didn’t think they needed a tablet computer" at all.

Also, compare the rumored $1000 price point with Kindle's current price of $259. The iSlate is supposed to do a whole lot more than just serve as an eReader, but c'mon. For someone who just wants to read eBooks on a small, lightweight device, I think the choice is an easy one.

Even if you never buy an iSlate, however, you still might feel its impact. Publishers are decreeing Apple as their savior (or at least they're hoping they are), largely because Amazon has been lowering consumer's expectations with regard to pricing. I'm not just talking eBooks here, either. Late last year Amazon, Walmart, and later Target engaged in a price war over newly released hardcovers when they dropped prices as low as $9. Now, the publishers aren't losing money when retailers choose to lower their prices by that much since Walmart, Amazon, Target, and others still pay whatever the publisher charges. But how long before those same retailers "cry" uncle and raise prices, all the while lamenting how greedy publishers have forced them to do so because they will not lower their prices. The backlash could be catastrophic to an already reeling publishing industry.

That's where Apple's role as savior comes in. Apple energized and legitimized the online music world with the introduction of the iPod and iTunes store. Publishers are hoping they'll do the same with eBooks. Also, by making their own deals with Apple, publishers hope to wrest back some leverage over pricing from Amazon.

Personally, I'm curious to see what capabilities Apple's new tablet might have (though I've no intention of purchasing one; I'm quite happy with my Kindle). I'm particularly interested in the possibility of Apple selling eBooks on iTunes and if they'll open that possibility to authors similar to how Amazon opened the Kindle store. Last, but not least, I'm looking forward to January 27 (the day of Apple's unveiling) if only to expunge the rumors and finally breath some reality into this story.

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Not everyone has a handheld device a la an iPhone or Blackberry. Nor does everyone have an eReader (Kindle, nook, etc.). As of this moment, I don't own either. As of December 25, 2009, I own a Kindle 2. Fortunately for those who aren't willing to pay for one of those options there remain other ways to read eBooks: on your PC or Mac.

Now a desktop or laptop is not the best way to read eBooks. LCD technology by its very nature causes eye fatigue of varying degrees, and few people enjoy curling up in bed with their laptop or tablet. Sitting at my desk, with my laptop open, I rarely do more than read short stories or quickly scan through something longer to see if it's something I might want to print.

That being said, I still wanted to scope out the available eReader applications available for your PC or Mac. I'll take a look at each of the eBookstores from my previous post and list the eReader app each requires you to install in order to read eBooks from their store.

That last statement perhaps is worth commenting on: many eBookstores have their own application you will need to install in order to read content from their site. If you're tech savvy enough you may be able to get away with downloading in say, the EPUB format, then import that file into some other eReader application or convert it from one format to another to satisfy the app in question, but my suspicion is that you'll be fighting DRM all the way.

Other eBookstores are satisfied with offering their eBooks in a variety of formats, then pointing you in the direction of someone else's eReader application. For example, DRM-protected PDF files often require Adobe Digital Editions.

As you can imagine by glancing at the list below, if you shop at all of these eStores you're going to have to install a lot of readers:

My documents folder has a corresponding number of eBook folders, which has certainly cluttered things up a bit.

So, here are the eBookstores with their respective eReader apps listed alongside.

1. Amazon.com Kindle Store
eBook formats: AZW (aka, Kindle format)
eReader App: Kindle for PC

2. Barnes & Noble
eBook formats: PDB, EPUB
eReader App: Barnes & Noble eReader

3. Books On Board
eBook formats: ADE, PDB, EPUB, MOBI, LIT
eReader Apps: Microsoft Reader, Adobe Digital Editions

4. Diesel eBook Store
eBook formats: PDB, PDF, MOBI
eReader Apps: Adobe Digital Editions

5. eBooks.com
eBook formats: MOBI, LIT, PDF, EPUB
eReader Apps: Microsoft Reader, Adobe Digital Editions

6. fictionwise
eBook formats: PDB, LIT, PDF, MOBI, LRF
eReader Apps: Microsoft Reader, Adobe Digital Editions

7. kobo books
eBook formats: EPUB, PDF
eReader Apps: Adobe Digital Editions

8. Mobipocket eBooks
eBook formats: MOBI
eReader Apps: Mobipocket Reader

9. Palm eBook Store
eBook formats: PDB
eReader App: eReader Pro

10. Scribd
eBook formats: DOC/DOCX, PDF, ODF, TXT, RTF, others?
eReader Apps: Microsoft Reader, Adobe Digital Editions

11. Smashwords
eBook formats: HTML, MOBI, EPUB, PDF, RTF, LRF, PDB, TXT
eReader Apps: Microsoft Reader, Adobe Digital Editions

12. Sony Reader Store
eBook formats: EPUB
eReader App: Reader Library

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One of the features lacking in Amazon's Kindle plans for e-book domination has been the fact that in order to read e-books purchased from their store you need to have a Kindle.

No longer.

Amazon has just released the new Kindle for PC software, currently in beta with Mac version coming soon, which is a free download and allows you to view Kindle e-books on your home computer or laptop.

If you're leery of beta software best wait for the release version, though I installed and did the basics without any issue.

Kindle for PC is a quick install. In moments, I was presented with the application's opening screen:

The "Register now to get started" dialog wants your Amazon account information, but it is not necessary to fill this in as there is a "continue without registering" option. I went ahead and filled in my Amazon account information and clicked "Register".

Here's the application resized for better viewing:

The interface is simple almost to the point of being plain. But then it has a fairly narrow, specific purpose: to view Kindle-formatted e-books. Since I registered the software with my Amazon account, Kindle for PC went through a quick sync cycle to see what Kindle e-books I had already purchased. Of course, I don't own a Kindle and therefore have not purchased any e-books from the Kindle store, so nothing showed up.

Fortunately, Amazon makes it easy to add Kindle e-books to my collection by placing a button at the top of the app that says, "Shop in Kindle Store":

That, of course, brings you to the Kindle storefront where, with a quick search, I can find my e-book, The Hall of the Wood.

If you're curious about how the buying process works, click on the "How buying works" link beneath the "Buy" button at the right. This will bring up the following dialog with the new Kindle for PC option listed alongside the more traditional ones:

You'll also see the Kindle for PC device already selected if you registered when the app came up:

For demonstration purposes, and because I've never actually seen my e-book other than in DTP preview mode, I went ahead and purchased my own e-book. Chalk up another sale for me. Once I went through the payment method, etc., I get this:

After clicking "Go to Kindle for PC", I'm brought back to the Kindle for PC app:

A quick double-click on my e-book and it brings it up in all its glory:

 

Now that's cool.

I can't say I'm real keen on reading e-books on my PC (or Mac if I had one). In other words, I still want an e-reader. But Amazon is addressing a void in the Kindle's feature set. One less thing for someone on the fence about purchasing one e-reader over another to concern themselves with. Plus, who knows, for people who want to buy e-books from Amazon but don't have an iPhone or Kindle, now they can.

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Barnes & Noble has released for pre-order their Kindle-killer: the nook (lowercase 'n' on purpose).

'Kindle-killer' is perhaps a bit of an overstatement given that the Kindle owns the e-book reader market right now. But the Nook's imminent arrival is what caused Amazon to preemptively drop the price of the Kindle, so its impact has already been felt.

And make no mistake: e-book reading devices are important not only to Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but especially to book/e-book publishers.

Why?

Because, since the arrival of Kindle and the Sony Reader, reading is up:

Amazon […] says that people with Kindles now buy 3.1 times as many books as they did before owning the device. That factor is up from 2.7 in December 2008. So a reader who had previously bought eight books from Amazon would now purchase, on average, 24.8 books, a rise from 21.6 books.

Sony adds this:

Sony […] says that its e-book customers, on average, download about eight books a month from its online library. That is far more than the approximately 6.7 books than the average American book buyer purchased for the entire year in 2008, according to Bowker, a publishing industry tracking firm.

More reading by consumers means more profit for the publishers. With a price war being waged between Amazon and Wal Mart (and now Target), there is real concern by the publishers over margins and profit.

There will no doubt be an exhaustive series of technical articles detailing the differences between the nook and the Kindle (here's one, from B&N's perspective). For now, though, we can take a look at this feature set from Barnes & Noble's eReading Blog:

• Download eBooks, magazines and newspapers in seconds flat
• Enjoy eBooks on an incredibly readable E Ink® reading screen
• Navigate your eBooks and other content on a color touchscreen
• Sync your eBooks to your iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Mac or PC
• Share eBooks with friends using one of our eReader clients
• Read any eBook for free in a Barnes & Noble store
• Get special content and promotions in any Barnes & Noble store

The one thing I really like about Barnes & Noble selling an e-reader is that I expect I'll be able to visit my local store and demo the reader. That's something you can't do with the Kindle. I would keep in mind, though, that the nook is a first generation product. Even the Kindle has gone through one iteration now, and I think in many cases people who bought the initial model wished they had waited. This may or may not be the case with the nook.

As far as e-book formats go, the nook supports EPUB, the open e-book format. This is huge. Most of the new readers post-Kindle support this format. Kindle, by comparison, only supports their own proprietary format (the DX model also supports PDF). People do not want to be locked into proprietary formats. They want open formats, which allows them to view any content on any device. Kindle-formatted e-books are viewable only on the Kindle and it's associated applications (like the iPhone Kindle app).

I'll leave you with possibly one of the most tantalizing features of the nook:

The Nook also has software that will detect when a consumer walks into a store so that it can push out coupons and other promotions like excerpts from forthcoming books or suggestions for new reading. While in stores, Nook owners will be able to read any e-book through streaming software.

In my opinion, it's this sort of interactivity which eventually will lead to the demise of the printed book.

The nook is available now for pre-order, will be available for purchase Nov. 30, and be in stores Nov. 28.

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