eReaders and eBooks : An update.

The eBook and eReader market continues to grow, but publishers are yet to resolve the issues which dog the lending of eBooks by public libraries.

Looking at dedicated eReaders,  (As opposed to iPad's, tablets, etc.) for the last quarter of 2011, when added together Amazon's collection of Kindle eReader devices sold 10.8 million units. They outsold any other manufacturers eReaders by a factor of ten to one. In the same period Apple sold 15.4 million iPads.

 Colour eReaders such as the Amazon Kindle Fire have sold well apparently because the colour screen is more versatile than the monochrome one. But a monochrome e-ink screen still provides a more book like reading experience. That may be about to change. The dedicated  monochrome eReader could be on the way out as real advances are made in the area of colour screens for eReaders.

The eBook related problems facing libraries are well covered here:

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/05/changing-policies-on-digital-books-wreak-havoc-on-libraries/

The link is to a US article but many of the problems are the same in libraries in other developed countries.

Its well worth a read.


Max