The written word seems poised to rapidly take on a new form and trees could never be happier. Forrester Research just increased its eReader holiday sales outlook by 50% and expects that in 2010 that number to be doubled.
At the moment we have the newly (and cheaper) priced Amazon Kindle which is now available outside the U.S. But, if rumors are true, it’s looking like 2010 will wow us with a splash of disruptive options.
- Plastic Logic which I blogged about last February leverages E Ink technology and is aimed at the business user (newspapers, periodicals, magazines, etc.) as an alternative to printing business documents while you’re on-the-go. It was recently announced that Barnes and Noble will power the device’s eBookstore. Plastic Logic’s eReader is set to go to market in “early 2010”.
Photo Credit: HK Gadget Man
- Apple's rumored tablet device might launch in Q1, 2010 and if it does, the speculation that Foxconn Electronics (manufacturer of the iPhone) is behind it coupled with the patent Apple recently filed, could make this devices a category killer. (Apple’s marketing budgets certainly don’t hurt its chances, either).
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
- Microsoft’s not-that-secret anymore Courier project aims to launch in “mid-2010” and takes a bit of a different approach with its dual folding screen design. There was a supposed leaked video of the Courier’s user interface that admittedly made my jaw drop but it has since been removed from the web.
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
And of course there are others in the works including a Barnes & Noble branded color eReader set to launch in a month and U.K.-based Interead is leveraging QVC to debut its Cool-er device in the U.S. just in time for the holidays.
As a result of rapid advances in eReader technology, the real question is what effect with this have on what we’ve traditionally called the “print industry”? A few humble thoughts:
- Print is simply a medium to deliver content. This is a great opportunity for publishers to aggressively redefine how they’re delivering their content as technology continues to advance how we consume media.
- The potential differences in capabilities between the Kindle and rumored Apple tablet are astounding and begin to open possibilities for how publishers and advertisers produce content from flat magazines and newspapers to portable rich interactive experiences.
- As the world continues to become more “green conscious”, eReader adoption may speed up while reaching eco-friendly consumers looking to reduce paper-waste.
In the end, I think we’ll see a whole lot more trees as our reliance on paper for publishing will start to taper as eReaders help give new life and definition to publishing industry.
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