The History of eBook Readers
An eBook reader is an electronic device that allows you to download and read eBooks on. While portable eBook readers or “e-readers” have been developed as early as the 1970s, it wasn’t until 2007 until when the launch of Amazon’s Kindle propagated the eBook reader market to mass consumers.
The first all-purpose consumer eBook reader (the Softbook and Gemstars Rocket eBook Reader) was developed in 1998. The problem with eBooks at this time were that most public libraries failed to digitalise their stock and make fictional books for download.
The first fictional eBook (Ride the Bullet) was written by Stephen King and was the first book to be released as an eBook only during its launch. After this book was released online, US libraries (and Google) aided in the digitalisation of fictional books which could be downloaded from the internet.
In 2003, dwindling demand from eBook sales caused eBook stores such as Barnes and Noble and Gemstars to close down. The biggest problem with eBook readers at the time was the glossy, LCD displays which made a poor reading experience for users.
Sony’s Librie eBook Reader revolutionised the eReader market by becoming the first eReader device to utilise eInk (electronic ink) technology. eInk improved user experiences by mimicking the look and contrast of electronic screens to that of regular books and newspapers. Text fonts appeared crisper, with better contrast and reduced glare (the new 2011 Amazon Kindle 3G uses the same E Ink Pearl technology).
In 2007, with consumer tastes on the eReader slowly changing, Amazon took the bull by the horns by launching their own Kindle eReader, made exclusively for the US market. The first Kindles sold out within five and a half hours.
In 2009, Amazon released the Kindle 2 to over 100 countries, which was lighter, smaller and had a longer battery life than the original Kindle. Users could read books for more than 1 week before the battery ran out, while Amazon increased their selection of downloadable eBooks to more than 250,000 titles.
By the end of 2009, dozens of new eReader manufactures appeared on the market including Barnes and Nobles Nook, Sony and Samsung. The world’s leading bookstore Blackstone has also stated that they will be launching their own eBook reading device by the end of 2011.
With regards to distribution rights in 2010/11, a number of competitors have emerged on the market to launch their own eBook stores. In 2009, publishers such as Conde Nast, Hearst, News Corp and Time Inc announced that would be launching their own independent eBook store to compete with Amazon.com’s leadership of the eBook market, while Apple have also agreed distribution rights with 5/6 of the world’s leading printing press publishers to sell their eBooks at the Apple iBookStore.
In 2011, Amazon launched their brand new Kindle 3G eReading device. This is the first Kindle to support both Wifi and 3G Internet services. It weights 50% less than the original Kindle plus has the storage capacity for up to 3,500 books.
