Amazon have had a very good year in 2009 - and a lot of the credit for that must go to their Kindle Wireless Reading Device
. The original Kindle was released in November of 2007. It sold out in less than six hours and no new stock was available until April of 2008.
The Kindle 2 was released in February of 2009 and it incorporated a number of improvements over the first model. Amazon followed up with the large display Kindle DX just a few months later in June. Amazon now had a Kindle "family" and, assisted by a huge amount of free publicity from bestselling authors such as Stephen King, partnerships with educational establishments and open discussion by political entities, the Kindle very rapidly became almost synonymous with e-book readers.
Unsurprisingly, a number of other manufacturers were casting their eyes over the developing e-book reader market and considering how best to get their share. Right now, the list of manufacturers who have their own e-book readers under development is impressive and includes such names as Microsoft, Apple, Asus, Barnes and Noble, Sony and Plastic Logic.
Any e-book reader which displays potential is instantly dubbed the "Kindle Killer". The technical features of each new reader are scrutinised and reported upon, especially when it incorporates a feature lacking from the current Kindle - the touch screen control of the Sony Daily Edition reader for example.
Nevertheless, as important as the technical features of e-book readers are, they are only part of the story. Some of the most important factors in the success of the Kindle were the enormous choice of titles available on Amazon's website, the abiltiy to quickly download e-books - without any monthly fees - and Amazon's brand recognition.
Some of the new readers will have wireless connectivity included, and the Nook reader from Barnes and Noble will offer users the choice of over 1,000,000 titles from Barnes and Noble's website. However, one theme which seems to be common among the competing e-book readers is the format of the e-books to be used.
The majority of the new readers in development seem to be going for a format known as ePub. However, the Kindle format is proprietary, which means that Kindle books can only be used on the Kindle reader.
Right now, considering that the Kindle is pretty much the only show in town, that's not too much of a problem. However, in the near future, the ability to lend e-books to friends and family may become an important feature.
The Kindle is now Amazon's top selling product. It currently has a 60% share of the U.S. market and has recently been launched internationally. Amazon won't be giving up their top position without a struggle. Perhaps 2010 will see the release of the Kindle 4? It will certainly include a number of functional improvements - but might it also adopt the ePub format?
. The original Kindle was released in November of 2007. It sold out in less than six hours and no new stock was available until April of 2008.The Kindle 2 was released in February of 2009 and it incorporated a number of improvements over the first model. Amazon followed up with the large display Kindle DX just a few months later in June. Amazon now had a Kindle "family" and, assisted by a huge amount of free publicity from bestselling authors such as Stephen King, partnerships with educational establishments and open discussion by political entities, the Kindle very rapidly became almost synonymous with e-book readers.
Unsurprisingly, a number of other manufacturers were casting their eyes over the developing e-book reader market and considering how best to get their share. Right now, the list of manufacturers who have their own e-book readers under development is impressive and includes such names as Microsoft, Apple, Asus, Barnes and Noble, Sony and Plastic Logic.
Any e-book reader which displays potential is instantly dubbed the "Kindle Killer". The technical features of each new reader are scrutinised and reported upon, especially when it incorporates a feature lacking from the current Kindle - the touch screen control of the Sony Daily Edition reader for example.
Nevertheless, as important as the technical features of e-book readers are, they are only part of the story. Some of the most important factors in the success of the Kindle were the enormous choice of titles available on Amazon's website, the abiltiy to quickly download e-books - without any monthly fees - and Amazon's brand recognition.
Some of the new readers will have wireless connectivity included, and the Nook reader from Barnes and Noble will offer users the choice of over 1,000,000 titles from Barnes and Noble's website. However, one theme which seems to be common among the competing e-book readers is the format of the e-books to be used.
The majority of the new readers in development seem to be going for a format known as ePub. However, the Kindle format is proprietary, which means that Kindle books can only be used on the Kindle reader.
Right now, considering that the Kindle is pretty much the only show in town, that's not too much of a problem. However, in the near future, the ability to lend e-books to friends and family may become an important feature.
The Kindle is now Amazon's top selling product. It currently has a 60% share of the U.S. market and has recently been launched internationally. Amazon won't be giving up their top position without a struggle. Perhaps 2010 will see the release of the Kindle 4? It will certainly include a number of functional improvements - but might it also adopt the ePub format?
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Learn more about the Kindle reader and discover how you can save money by getting free Kindle ebooks direct from Amazon's Kindle store.
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