Rapid Technological Changes Trigger Growth in the North American E-Readers Market

In just a span of a few years, e-Ink technology has created an exciting new market for e-reader devices, pushing adoption throughout North America at a rapid rate. Within a short period, this market has introduced a number of unique devices, with an impressive level of support from book publishers. The North American e-reader market is still in the early stages of adoption, as e-ink screen technology was introduced only recently. Due to the infancy of the market, e-readers are in a rapid state of growth and are poised to grow around 90 percent in 2010. “Touch screen technology has been a driver in the cell phone market and is making an impact in mobile computing, owing to the current popularity of tablet PCs,” notes the analyst of this research service. “By improving the interaction between user and e-reader, many customers will be willing to pay a larger premium for the device.” Touch screen technology will play an important role in E-reader/tablet convergence due to the lack of space on a keyboard. Larger form factor devices are growing in popularity as larger form factor media can be supported on these devices. This boosts e-reader appeal for students (due to their ability to display textbooks) and professionals (due to their ability to display newspapers, magazines, and research material). The larger screen also makes viewing text less of a strain on the eyes for users with poor eyesight. Color screens will undoubtedly have a significant effect on the market, as the inclusion of pictures and graphics will enhance the attraction quotient for e- readers.

Although the prospects for the market look bright, there are some challenges curtailing forward momentum. Current screens are not only limited to shades of gray, but the number of shades displayed as well (16 being the current maximum). This detracts from the quality of picture rich media and has restrained the uptake of these devices. A color screen will become a necessity, not only to support new features but also to combat the growing threat of tablet PCs. At present, the ability to install additional software and capabilities on an e-reader is not available, creating a device that is static in its abilities, offering little scope to incorporate anything new. “The ability to install new capabilities to e- readers will become a necessity as tablet PCs become competitive,” says the analyst. “It may take some time before software development on these historically closed devices yields a significant amount of applications.” Many e-reader devices may find it difficult to justify their price as the market becomes more saturated and tablet PCs, smart phones, and Netbooks offer more versatile competition.

To remain competitive in the long run, e-readers must incorporate new features or lower the price for devices, which will remain limited to only e-reader applications. Going forward, sales of pure-play e-readers will begin to decline once convergence devices that combine the capabilities of both e-readers and tablet PCs emerge. The arrival of converged devices will likely be a positive overall effect and account for many additional devices due to the subsequent increase in the addressable market. The low-end/low-cost e-reader market will be preferred to high-cost convergence devices due to their high value and low initial cost. This will make it difficult for convergence devices to offer enough incentive for users who desire a single-purpose device.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Market Definitions and Overview                                                                         
E-readers Forecasts and Analysis                                                                 
Pure Play Hardware E-Readers Forecasts and Analysis
Technology and Device Analysis                       
E-Book Technology and Media Analysis
Competitive Analysis                                 
Competitors Profiles                                 
Key Conclusions
About Frost & Sullivan

LIST OF CHARTS

E-readers Market: Market Engineering Measurements (North America), 2009-2016 
E-readers Market: Unit Shipments (North America), 2009-2016                             
E-Book Market: Revenue Forecasts (North America), 2008-2016
E-readers Market: Forecast by Unit Shipments (North America), 2009-2016
E-readers Market: Driver Impact - Integration of Touch Screen Technology (North America), 2009-2016               
E-readers Market: Driver Impact - Emergence of Large Form Factor (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Driver Impact - Emergence of Color E-Ink/E-Paper Screen Technology (North America), 2009- 2016 
E-readers Market: Driver Impact - Emergence of New E-Books and Publishers (North America), 2009-2016           
E-readers Market: Driver Impact - More Advanced Hardware (North America), 2009-2016
E-readers Market: Driver Impact - Emergence of New Applications (North America), 2009-2016
E-readers Market: Restraint Impact - Gray Scale Screens Limit Content (North America), 2009-2016                  
E-readers Market: Restraint Impact - Limited Native Applications (North America), 2009-2016
E-readers Market: Restraint Impact - High Cost for Features (North America), 2009-2016
E-readers Market: Restraint Impact - Low Screen Response Time (North America), 2009-2016    
E-readers Market: Restraint Impact - No Universal E-Book Format (North America), 2009-2016
E-readers Market: Unweighted Screen Resolution Breakout (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Weighted Screen Resolution Breakout (North America), 2009    
E-readers Market: Unweighted Physical Screen Size Breakout (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Weighted Physical Screen Size Breakout (North America), 2009              
E-readers Market: Unweighted Shades of Gray Breakout (North America), 2009     
E-readers Market: Weighted Shades of Gray Breakout (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Unweighted Operating System Breakout (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Weighted Operating System Breakout (North America), 2009    
E-readers Market: Unweighted Touch screen Inclusion Breakout (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Weighted Touch screen Inclusion Breakout (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Unweighted WiFi Presence Breakout (North America), 2009      
E-readers Market: Weighted WiFi Presence Breakout (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Unweighted Format Breakout (1 of 4) (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Weighted Format Breakout (1 of 4) (North America), 2009         
E-readers Market: Unit Shipment Format Support Breakout (1 of 4) (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Unweighted Format Breakout (2 of 4) (North America), 2009      
E-readers Market: Weighted Format Breakout (2 of 4) (North America), 2009   
E-readers Market: Unit Shipment Shades of Gray Breakout (2 of 4) (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Unweighted Format Breakout (3 of 4) (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Weighted Format Breakout (3 of 4) (North America), 2009         
E-readers Market: Unit Shipment Shades of Gray Breakout (3 of 4) (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Unweighted Format Breakout (4 of 4) (North America), 2009
E-readers Market: Weighted Format Breakout (4 of 4) (North America), 2009         
E-readers Market: Unit Shipment Shades of Gray Breakout (4 of 4) (North America), 2009                                                                                          
E-book Media Market: Forecast by Revenues (North America), (2009-2016
E-readers Market: Market Share by Unit Shipments (North America), 2009           


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