July 22, 2010
By the ZippyCart Ecommerce Software Reviews Content Team
The ereader market has been heating up as manufactures like Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Sony recently reduced the prices on their ereaders making them more accessible to a wider audience. There are now multiple ereader options for consumers under $200, and new models keep coming out which is helping to drive down the prices. Consumers also have the options to read ebooks on their smart phones or Apple iPad, which makes the market even more competitive. Now Japan based Sharp Corp wants to enter the ereader market by debuting two different devices later this year. Not only does Sharp want to get into the ereader market, they also want to make a dent in ebook distribution when they launch their two devices. Ebooks are becoming increasingly popular, as Amazon recently reported that sales of ebooks have finally started to surpass hardcover books. This is why Sharp has already partnered with publishers in Japan and overseas, so that they can be positioned to have a great selection of digital content when the devices launch later this year.
Sharp ereaders will come in two display sizes, at 5.5 inches and 10.8 inches, but the devices are still in prototype stage. No pricing as been announced yet, but we do know that they will both have color touch screens and read the popular XMDF format. This format is very popular in Japan, and will allow Sharp to compete with Google on their home turf, as they plan to launch Google Editions ebook service in Japan later this year. Consumers will have a variety of choices for the 2010 holiday shopping season, but it is unclear if any of the ereader or ebook distribution services will give Amazon serious competition. Amazon is expected to release a new Kindle ereader next month, which could help them to stay atop the market for 2010.
Nick was born and raised in California, but has been working the dot com scene in Seattle for many years. He co-founded ZippyCart back in 2009, and now works here full-time. Nick wears many hats at ZippyCart, including producing content for our Ecommerce News blog. Nick loves photography and the outdoors, so when not working on ZippyCart you can find him out and about in Seattle.
eBooks will become mainstream when Ms. Rowling allows the Harry Potter books to go digital.
That event will create an entire new generation of digital readers who may never go back to dead tree products.
Hopefully, all the texting that kids do nowadays will help them develop an interest in reading what people who can create thoughts in excess of 140 characters have to say… and thereby discover the importance of plot, character arc, dialogue, and all the other stuff that up to now they have no knowledge of.