Apple iPad News

eBook Readers: A Market Comparison

In the year 2020 we might well look back ten years and pinpoint Wednesday 27th January 2010 as the moment in time when publishing changed forever.

Sensationalist?  Perhaps, but given the impact of Apple’s iPod and iPhone, you would be forgiven for thinking that the launch of the Apple iSlate could have a similar impact on the book, newspaper and magazine industry.

Today’s unveiling, amidst the usual fanfare and geek hysteria normally associated with an Apple product launch certainly didn’t disappoint.  The Apple iSlate has simply taken eReader technology by the throat and in one swift go hurled it forward by a decade.

E-publishing ‘lift off’

First generation eReaders, especially those that came before the launch of Amazon’s Kindle  in November 2007, were perceived as clunky and one dimensional.  With consumers used to working on multi-media laptops, the eReaders’ monochrome displays were seen as a step backwards, not forwards.

Despite the rapid evolution of these devices, this perception has stuck, even though the  second generation of eReaders have high resolution displays, buttons to customise how the text is showed, and even Internet connectivity. 

Will Apple’s iSlate change consumer perceptions of eReaders?  In our view, yes.  Most certainly.

Already the US market has seen a strong shift in ebook popularity spurred on by Amazon’s Kindle which accounts for 32% of all digital books viewed in the country.  Indeed, according to the US Book Industry Study Group (BISG),every fifth book in the US is now sold as an ebook, citing ‘affordability’ as the primary factor.

The Apple iSlate will see this trend reach ‘lift off’ phase – across not just books but newspapers and magazines as well.

Robert Elding, Marketing Director of YUDU Media, says: “the future has arrived with the Apple iPad and in very small order you can expect rapid developments in how media is consumed.” Elding continues, “publishers will simply wi-fi their content to the latest generation of eReaders and with print costs erased you can expect content to be significantly cheaper than newsstand prices.” 

Elding cites France’s Le Monde as a key example of a publisher allowing its content to be accessed at vastly reduced digital rates (6 Euros a month) yet still achieving significant revenue with its 100,000 subscribers.

eReader market observations

This comparison whitepaper compares all the major eReader devices on the market as of 27th January 2010.

Firstly, a few further observations about the market in general:

#1. The prices of various eReaders are on a downward curve, ensuring that a significant number of consumers will be able to afford these devices in the near future.

#2 eReaders encourage paperless reading, thereby curbing the need to cut down trees for making paper. This way, it can be argued, the devices help in the preservation of forests and our environment through the non-use of ink etc.  The eco-friendly nature of eReaders will be a key driver in their future growth.

#3 Government backing of eReaders, particularly in education, will add significant ‘push’ to their popularity.  Governor Schwarzenegger’s choice to place all Californian text books online last year is simply the first go of many in this sector.

 

Technical Commentary

Most current eReaders make use of electronic ink show technology (also known as e-paper), which mimics the appearance of pages of paperback books.

The technology is different from mainstream flat panel PC show technology, which uses backlighting in order to illuminate the show screen. Because electronic paper displays use no backlighting, the show can therefore be comfortably used in bright conditions.

Electronic paper displays also use considerably less power in order to keep the show active.

There has been a recent spate of new eReaders before the launch of Apple’s iSlate, with a rapidly growing number of manufacturers like IRiver (Tale), Samsung (Papyrus), Foxit (eSlick), and Jinke (Hanlin V3) launching their own devices. The specifications of many of these eReaders are similar, including monochrome screen, fully functional keyboard, and high performance power supply.

 eReader Comparison

Apple iPad

Apple has chosen to release their new device, the iPad, aiming it at many different potential user markets.  This clearly sends out a message in the publishing world as a Kindle killer.  With its’ new built in iBook store (similar to iTunes store for books), it is signing up with five partners initially – Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, Hachett book group.  Running on a new quicker processor, it has a 9.7 inch screen and weighs 1.5 pounds, putting it into the same size level as the Kindle DX, leading to a potentially worrying time for Amazon. 

Unlike the Kindle but, the iPad has to deal with WiFi-only internet access on the basic models, being priced between $499-699 depending on storage options (16,32 and 64 GB).  The Kindle’s built in WhisperNet works anywhere there is a mobile signal, for free (having been paid for by Amazon).  Apple will offer a version including 3G mobile access, for an extra $129 per model, plus another $14-30 per month for a data plot from AT&T (in the U.S.).

Steve Jobs commented that it will be able to run iPhone applications, and developers will be able to work to the new screen size using the updated iPhone Operating System OS SDK, from the launch day.Apple believes that the new device will sit neatly between the smart phone and the laptop, and that it has to be better at tasks like browsing, email, photos, e-books, and videos than both. 

 It has an interface that’s very reminiscent of the iPhone, although it’s significantly expanded and altered. The built-in apps are much more like the Apple Mac experience, rather than the iPhone.  It has versions of iPhoto and iTunes for the iPad. Location services that lets the Map app auto-locate, are also built in to the device.

 Amazon Kindle 2: Having debuted in US on November 19, 2007, Amazon’s Kindle has gained a growing cult of fans by virtue of its sleek looks, high-contrast show, simple to use controls and respectable battery life. The second avatar of the reader, Kindle 2, went on sale on February 23, 2009. An improved version of the original Kindle, the Kindle DX, was also launched on May 6, 2009, which supported PDF files natively, as opposed to the first version.

All versions of Kindle feature an “electronic paper” monochrome show, which has a high contrast to facilitate reading in varied intensities of lighting, and sport a resolution of 600 x 800. Kindle has an internal memory of of 2 GB (4 GB in select models), which allows the user to store 1,500+ eBooks in the device at any given time.

 Barnes and Noble Nook: The Android-driven eReader from B&N has made quite a name for itself, owing to its colour touchscreen which sets it apart from the monochrome crop of eReaders typically available. The reader, with dimensions of 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches and with just 11.2 oz weight is superbly portable, and also sports a rechargeable battery that the user can replace in case of a malfunction. The inbuilt 2 GB of storage memory, which is expandable up to 16 GB via Micro SD card is another huge plus point.

 Sony Reader: Manufactured by the electronics giant from Japan, the Sony Reader uses a 600 x 800 pixel electronic paper show. In some models the show is also touch sensitive, facilitating simple operation. The device is also lightweight, weighing a mere 10 oz which allows for hours of strain-free reading. As an added bonus, the device can also play MP3 and AAC (unencrypted) audio files.

 The recent Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show 2010 showcased some of the very latest eReaders on the market, which brought into focus the way these devices are evolving to match consumers’ requirements. Most of these models were not commercially available at the time of writing, but are due to come to market in 2010. The three star products of the show included:

 Skiff Reader: The new eReader from Skiff made quite a buzz due to its most radical feature – the world’s first touchscreen made of a flexible sheet of stainless steel covered with plastic. The screen not only looks slick, but is also shatterproof, ensuring that it will stay in one piece even if the device is accidentally dropped on the floor. The screen supports operation via both fingers and stylus, ensuring that users can operate the reader based on their preferences. Other noteworthy specifications of the reader:

Skiff Reader, powered by Sprint Networks, is expected to hit the market later in 2010.

 EnTourage eDGe: The groundbreaking new eReader from Virginia-based EnTourage consists of two devices packed into a single body. The left side of the device has the eReader, while the right side features a fully functional netbook. The two screens are synchronized with one another as well, which means that if the user comes across an unfamiliar word while reading an eBook, he can simply highlight it and look it up on Google via the netbook. The netbook runs on Google’s Android operating system, resulting in an simple to use interface that is easily accessible even for novice users. Other features include:

 

Plastic Logic Que: This upcoming eReader from Plastic Logic features a shatter-proof plastic touchscreen and is nearly the size and thickness of a regular notepad. The show is monochrome, but sports a high contrast to facilitate simple reading under varying light conditions. The inbuilt 4 GB memory allows the user to store as many as 35,000 documents and eBooks. Plastic Logic has not revealed much information about its reader, and instead has chosen to do so at the time of launch, scheduled for April 2010.

 These apart, some of the other anticipated eReaders due for release in 2010 include Bookeen Orizon eReader, Copia eReader, Fujitsu FLEPia, Hanvon WISEreaders, RCA/Audiovox Lexi eReader, Samsung E6 & E10 eReaders, and Spring Design Alex eReader. Some of these eReaders have made use of electronic ink technology, while others utilize full-color, backlit LCD show screens.

 2010 will also witness the release of a number of tablet PCs, which can be used as eReaders. The keyboard-less HP Slate is the most anticipated, as presented by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at CES 2010. Other’s include Cydle’s M7 Tablet, Dell “Streak” Slate, Freescale Tablet, HP TM2, Levono IdeaPad, MSI Dualscreen Ultramobile PC Prototype, an unnamed tablet from Nvidia and Verizon, Paradigm Shift EMT-10AB/W tablet, and Viliv S10 Blade Netvertible.

 

Conclusion

The Apple iSlate is a quantum leap, not just for eReaders but for electronic publishing in general.

 The device takes eReader technology to a whole new level and will no doubt capture the public’s imagination in the same way that the iPod and iPhone have done in their respective markets.

 2010 is the year the eReader will finally enter the mainstream. And stay there.

 

eReader Pros and Cons – Comparison

 

Apple iPad

 

Pros:

Cons:

 

Amazon Kindle 2

 

Pros:

 

Cons:

 

Barnes and Noble Nook

Pros:

Cons:

 

Sony Reader

Pros:

Cons:

 

Skiff Reader

Pros:

Cons:

No information about the cons is available, as the device is not yet on sale.

EnTourage eDGe.

Pros:

Cons:

No information about the cons will be available until the device is released in February 2010.

Plastic Logic Que

Pros:

Cons:

About YUDU Media:  YUDU Media is an award winning provider of innovative online publishing solutions for digital magazines, newspapers, catalogues and books, helping companies and individuals all over the world benefit from the growth in online publishing and reading.  With offices in London, Lancashire and Boston, MA, YUDU offers advanced professional publishing with YUDU Proand free publishing at www.yudu.com, the eLibrary and marketplace that also allows publishers to promote, share and sell their publications and other digital content with the world.