How Much Should An Ebook Reader Cost Today?
Ebook reader prices have fallen dramatically over the last few months. Right now, less than $ 100 will get you a very good ebook reader. The entry level Amazon Kindle 4 is on sale for just $79. Even the Nook Simple Touch and Kindle Touch are selling for just $99 these days.
Things have changed a great deal since the launch of the first Amazon Kindle in 2007. It's almost incredible to think that it sold for $399 at that time. Obviously things have changed quite a bit and competition has driven prices downwards.
And it's not just that prices have fallen. Today's readers are considerably better than the original Kindle. E-ink displays are much better, with better contrast, faster page turns and considerably extended battery life.
Whilst falling prices are obviously a big factor in the growth of ebook reader popularity, there are other influences at work also. Storing and carrying thousands of books on a highly portable device that is smaller and lighter than the average paperback book is something that will appeal to many bibliophiles.
Reading on an e-ink display is a much more pleasant experience than reading on a back-lit LCD display. They produce less eye strain and are as near to reading text printed on paper as makes no difference. After you've been reading on an ebook reader for as little as an hour or so, you will be totally unaware that you're using an electronic gadget rather than flicking through the pages of a traditional book.
The other advantage that e-ink displays have is the fact that they only draw power when the screen is being refreshed - when you’re “turning the page” in other words. That means that ebook readers can go for weeks between battery charges rather than a few hours like a laptop or a tablet computer.
These are just a few of the factors that have combined to ensure the rapid growth of the ebook reader market. It's probably worth mentioning that Amazon currently sells more Kindle books than paperback and hard cover books combined. That should serve as an illustration of just how popular ebook readers and ebooks are right now. It's a sign of the times.
Pretty soon, ebooks will be the norm. Printed books will be around for a long time yet, but ebooks are going to be many people's first choice in the near future. It's not too melodramatic to suggest that ebook readers are the biggest change in the world of publishing and reading since Gutenberg invented the printing press.
The Kindle Tablet Is Here At Last
The worst kept secret in the personal electronics market was confirmed at a press conference in New York recently when Amazon announced the launch of the Kindle Fire, their new tablet computer. The new Amazon tablet computer will sell for just $ 199 and is scheduled to start shipping on the fifteenth of November. Based upon previous experience with Amazon Kindle reader launches, it will be surprising if Amazon don't run out of stock before the Fire starts shipping.
The Fire has a 7" color, LCD touch screen and may very well do for downloadable video what the Kindle did for ebooks. Fire users will be able to go for seven and a half hours between battery charges when watching video and eight hours when reading books.
In addition to the Fire, Amazon also announced the launch of a whole new series of Kindle readers, which will start shipping on the twenty first of November. A new entry level Kindle, priced at just $ 79, will be available. There will also be a range of Kindle Touch readers, priced between $ 99 and $ 189 depending on which version you select. And for those who don't want a touch screen, the Kindle 3 will still be available - but it will now be renamed the "Kindle Keyboard".
The Ebook Reader Market Continues To Develop Apace
Competition in the ebook reader market has always been fierce, but recently released readers could see Amazon's Kindle 3 reader challenged for the top slot even more strongly in the coming weeks and months. Barnes and Noble updated the Nook reader, and the new Nook Touch looks to be more than capable of giving the Kindle a run for its money.
The new Nook, as the name suggests, incorporates touch screen controls, which is what most of us have become accustomed to in our personal electronic gadgets these days. As a result, many people will find the new Nook more intuitive, and easier, to use. Touch screen functionality also means that there is no need for a QWERTY keypad. The end result is that the Nook can be made smaller and lighter. In fact, it's roughly an inch shorter and an ounce lighter than the current Kindle.
Even more competition comes in the form of iRiver's Story HD reader, which launched recently. It has the first XGA e-ink display in the world. This has a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels, beating the 800 x 600 of both the Kindle and the Nook. But the really interesting thing about the Story HD, and the thing that makes it a real threat to other readers on the market, is the fact that it is fully integrated with Google's eBookstore. That will certainly appeal to many potential buyers.