What’s next for e-readers in 2010?

by John Einar Sandvand on October 2, 2009 · 6 comments

bookeenLauren Picard, cofounder of Bookeen, is one of the veterans in the fast growing e-reader industry.
Here are some of his predictions of the major developments for e-readers in 2010.

Newspaper managers have been gathered in Paris for the second European E-reading conference. The conference was organized by the news industry organization WAN-IFRA, and focused on the opportunities for newspapers on the e-paper platform.

One interesting presentation was given by one of the founders of the French e-reader company Bookeen, Lauren Picard, who has been in the business for more than 10 years.

As many others Picard pointed out that e-paper technology now is moving fast. He expected that many major developments will take place during next year as e-reader devices are becoming a mass product.

Here is Picard’s useful list of the major expected changes that will happen in 2010:

The market will expand

  • Many book stores have been selling e-reader devices. So far they have mainly been mixed with other type of goods – now we will see e-readers as a separate category of goods in the stores, making them easier to find for customres
  • There will be a consolidation of content, both with regard to e-books and newspapers
  • Traditional manufacturers (like Samsung or Asus) of electronic devices for other purposes will try to launch their own e-reader devices as well.
  • More and more e-reader clones and white label branded devices will appear from Asia

Wireless is becoming the standard in new devices

  • Most new devices will be provided with 3G connection, wi-fi or bluetooth
  • Users will be able to buy and download content directly from the reader, rather than having to use an USB cable
  • There will be synergies with existing hardware, for instance by applications for iPhone.
  • Mobile operators will launch their own e-reader offers with their own 3G connection and subsidized hardware. Some of these operators will also launch their own content portals
  • Many new devices will offer touch screen

E-paper technologies improve

  • E-ink technology and the Taiwanese manufacturer Prime View International will see new competitors. So far there has been more or less a technological monopoly with the same factory producing almost all displays on the market. But by early next year we will see other plants presenting competitive technologies. This new competition will contribute to bringing down the prices of e-reader devices.
  • Devices will become flexible and unbreakable.  New devices will have displays built either on plastic or by removing the glass part of the device, like Plastic Logic will be doing.
  • Devices with color screen probably will not be in production until 2011.
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  • First

    Stop wasting time with speculation, get the firmware update for the Gen III published already!!!

  • Anonymouse

    As the person above said, less time talking about the future, more time release the ultra late update D:

  • http://amccright.blogspot.com Alan McCright

    And will Bookeen/Cybook be sitting on the sidelines watching all this happen? I feel they are in grave danger of losing a large portion of their customer-base.

    They have yet to release online the firmware upgrades they gave to walk-in Cybook Gen3 owners at an exhibition months ago. There have been many firmware upgrades to Cybooks out-of-the-factory which have never been posted for download, and I–one of many–am tired of having to set bookmarks every few pages due to the frequent lockups I experience no matter what file, format or font I use; lockups which require punching the "reset" button thus losing my place in whatever eBook I am reading.

    I would certainly like to see if one of the more recent firmware versions–there are a bunch–would solve this lockup annoyance for myself and others, but I am denied this opportunity for no reason I can fathom. There *may* be a reason, though I doubt it, but if so, Bookeen has not seen fit to so inform its customers–each of whom spends hundreds of dollars on Bookeen's products.

    Why? Why not make *all* current firmware releases available online? Sheesh!

    If and when the long-long-promised firmware upgrades are finally released they will *still* not support such formats as LIT, FB2, DOC, RTF, DJVU, WOL, PPT, MBP, CHM, BMP, TIF, RAR or ZIP–all of which BeBook has supported for a long time, (BeBook, alas, recently removed *all* support for DRM Mobi):.

    The new firmware will *still* not have the user-friendly folder system Bebook has: Page numbers will not be available in the Mobipocket version which will retain the nearly useless progress bar: Bookmarks will not be available in the PDF version: You will not be allowed to read DRM PDF files or *any* ePub files–DRM or non-DRM–on the Mobi firmware version: You will not be allowed to read *any* Mobi files–DRM or non-DRM–on the PDF firmware version: If you own both Mobi files (DRM or not) and DRM Adobe files you will have to install–that's right, *install*–different firmware each-any-every time you need to read the "other" format.

    ARRGH!

    Of course Mobipocket says they won't allow their DRM-enabled software on a machine that supports Adobe DRM-enabled software and Adobe spouts the same "it's *my* ball, so we play by *my* rules" drivel. This is tantamount to Barnes and Noble saying "If you buy this book from us you won't be allowed to buy one from Amazon," and is simply what drops out of the south-end of a north-bound bull. Bookeen, indeed, *all* eReader manufacturers, should fight this greedy, childish nonsense.

    Money is the bottom line and, in pursuit of dollars, neither Mobipocket, Adobe or Bookeen seem to give a levitating rodent's patootie about the consumers–without whom, said companies would cease to exist faster than a lawyer tossed into an active volcano.

    Perhaps the above interview should, instead, have involved someone from a more efficient company: One that has better communication with, understanding of and compassion for their customers. And better programmers.

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