2009 Year of Ebook Reader

Ebook Readers - 2009 the Year of the Portable Ebook Reader

Amazon Kindle Portable Ebook Reader

Chris Andrews over at Gutenberg.com has written an excellent article on why 2009 will be not only the Chinese Year of the Ox but also the year of the Ebook, and consequently of the Ebook Reader.

In the US the average weight of the textbooks carried by high school students in their backpacks is 20 pounds. A Portable Ebook Reader such as the Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader on the other hand can contain hundreds of books and allow instant access to hundreds of thousands more, and weighs less than one pound.

(Sony Ebook Reader)

Backpacks will not disappear overnight but the writing is on the ebook wall for heavy backpacks.

Chris Andrews gives 20 reasons why 2009 will be the Year of the Ebook, in no particular order.

1. " NEW EBOOK READER WILL MAKE LAPTOPS AND IPHONES LOOK OLD"
   In 2009, the Ebook Reades will be more durable, lighter and versatile, They will be mobile, office-friendly, home-friendly, and café-friendly.
2. "CRITICAL MASS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED, NOW ITS ABOUT GROWTH "
   (Papyrus Ebook Reader)
   
   
3. "MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WILL EXPERIENCE DIGITAL INK FOR THE FIRST TIME AND THEY WILL LOVE IT "



4. "IF THERE’S ONE THING EVERYONE WANTS NOW, IT’S COMFORT "


5. "WHAT YOU WANT, WHEN YOU WANT IT? – NOW THAT’S PRACTICAL "


6. "DO YOU WANT TO DOWNLOAD 1 MOVIE OR 1,000 EBOOKS? "


7. "THE MONEY PEOPLE: COST OF ENTRY IS STILL LOW, POTENTIAL HIGH"


8. "A MILLION EBOOKS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS: IT’S THE “OTHER INTERNET""


9. "THE BOOK IS JUST A FORMAT, NO DIFFERENT THAN A CD, VHS, OR DVD"


10. "ONE WORD: POWER"


11. "AUTHORS, PUBLISHERS, AND DISTRIBUTORS BENEFIT FINANCIALLY"


12. "PLAYING AROUND WITH BOOKS IS OK, READING THEM IS BETTER"


13. "A TRULY GREEN TECHNOLOGY – WITHOUT EVEN TRYING"


14. "WITH A CHALLENGING ECONOMY, COMPANIES WILL LOOK TO ENTER EBOOK BUSINESS"


15. "TRY IT ONCE, YOU’RE HOOKED FOR GOOD"


16. "THE IPHONE, NINTENDO DS WILL INSTANTLY EXPOSE AND PROMOTE EBOOKS"


17. "RIGHTS FIGHTS: IT’S ALL-GOOD WITH EBOOKS"


18. "THE HUGE NUMBER OF FREE EBOOKS AVAILABLE"


19. "A NEW GENERATION OF INDEPENDENT AUTHORS WILL NOW COME FORWARD"


20. "IT’S THE CONTENT, STUPID"
    
    Let us not forget also that there are lots of countries where some digital book readers, such as the Amazon Kindle are still not available. Eventually of course they will be a worldwide phenomenon not just a US phenomenon. Chris Andrews also failed to mentioned the Oprah effect! The Amazon Kindle is after all Oprah's favorite gadget.
    He also forgot to say that an Ebook Reader makes a great gift. Useful and intriguing and valuable. I predict that girlfriends will love it, I'm not so sure about boyfriends however, you need to tread carefully. Boys will still prefer video games I suspect, unless there are naked women inside the Ebook Reader of course.

One final point - the price needs to come down ! At the moment it may be cool to spend a big wodge of cash on an Ebook Reader, and they can always be sold on for more than they cost, but sooner or later price is going to become an issue.

Finally it may be worth buying a few shares in Amazon see - Is the Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader the New iPod?