As Amazon releases a second-generation Kindle and the Kindle DX, the e-tailer is preparing for a fierce challenge to its market dominance. Barnes & Noble, Sony and others are refocusing on the e-book market after years of half-hearted interest, fueled by new technologies and growing consumer enthusiasm, according to a new report from GigaOM Pro.
“Amazon took a market that had largely been ignored by publishers, booksellers and device makers and reshaped it into one of the fastest-growing categories in digital media,” said Paul Sweeting, an analyst with GigaOM Pro. “They were able to do so by essentially offering an Apple-like experience for readers with a seamlessly integrated device and marketplace experience where purchasing an e-books was as simple as buying a song on iTunes.”
Where Amazon saw an hole in the market two years ago, others now also see opportunity. Book giant Barnes & Noble recently announced a partnership with e-book specialist Plastic Logic, while Sony and others look to release a new hardware device and online giant Google plans to make thousands of public domain and out-of-print titles available in e-book formats.
“While Amazon owned the first-generation e-book market, it’s still early days,” said Sweeting. “With new types of displays and new, cross-platform strategies by e-booksellers coming online, the business is poised to get much more dynamic and competitive over the next 18 months.”
The report, entitled "Evolution of the e-Book Market" is an in-depth 66 page report looking at how technology trends and disruptive moves by large players such as Amazon, Google and Apple will change the e-book market in coming years. The report looks at strategies by current players and anticipates moves by new entrants, as well as examines how the market for e-books will impact book publishers and booksellers in the future. The report
can be found here at GigaOM Pro.
About GigaOM Pro
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About Paul Sweeting
Paul Sweeting has been covering the intersecting worlds of media, entertainment, technology and public policy for more than 15 years. In 2007 he developed and launched Content Agenda, a web site owned by Reed Business Information, publisher of Daily Variety, Broadcasting & Cable, Video Business, Publishers Weekly and other media-related properties. He left RBI in 2009 and launched The Media Wonk blog, which examines the impact of digital technology on the way cultural products are created, communicated and perceived, both in commercial terms as as a cultural and political phenomenon