The Ereader big four

[jbcohen]

Last week I was talking to my pop, he is semi-computer literate, when I characterized the Ereader industry as composed of what I refered to as the Ereader big four: Amazon, Barns and Nobels, Sony and Kobo. I did not see anyone company as "leading the way" in terms of innovations. I think that Kobo came out with the integrated reading light first. We had a bit of a disagreement about including Kobo as one of the big four and we did not see Apple as much of a player in the ereading market. We did not see the tablets replacing ereaders any time soon more of a chocolate vs vanilla sort of difference, more of a personal preference choice. Some like the tablet's ability to do ereading amoung other functions however others do not want to be distracted by the other functions and concentrate on the book at hand. I would like to get forum members take on this discussion.

[fjtorres]

That is a tricky one.
Are you talking US, NorthAmerica, transatlantic, or global?
There are a few Nook and Sony-scale players that don't have the visibility of those two.
And if by ereader you mean eink devices only you are discounting a good 50% or more of the ebook market.

[jbcohen]

You are exploring things I did not think of, which is why I wrote this to begin with. Let's take this in two pieces, one in US and the other global. I have no idea who the major players are on a global scale.

[Dr. Drib]

I thought that B&N came out with the first integrated reading light....

[Heim]

The Belgian libraries will soon be offering ebooks. They will however only be available on iOS and Android tablets, through a dedicated application.
The official website of this initiative states that ereaders will not be supported because Belgian publishers deem them insecure.
In Belgium, ebooks never gained much popularity, but with the popularity of tablets, this might change.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Aer

The Belgian libraries will soon be offering ebooks. They will however only be available on iOS and Android tablets, through a dedicated application.
The official website of this initiative states that ereaders will not be supported because Belgian publishers deem them insecure.
In Belgium, ebooks never gained much popularity, but with the popularity of tablets, this might change.

Yup. They definitely are insecure.
Only problem is, so is everything else, including pbooks.
The only way to truly secure their "precious" is to not publish

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by Aer

, through a dedicated application.

Security by obscurity?

[Heim]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

Security by obscurity?

And the fee is 5 EUR for three books.

Here's the website, for anyone who understands Dutch.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I thought that B&N came out with the first integrated reading light....

The Sony PRS-700 was the first IIRC. The Nook Glow was the first using an earlier version of the light guide tech used now.

[FacebookVirus]

Sony is no longer in the US market by their own choice, but they're still a global player.

[soulfuldog]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

The Sony PRS-700 was the first IIRC. The Nook Glow was the first using an earlier version of the light guide tech used now.

Which makes it a bit of a pity that Sony's early innovation has resulted in them choosing to stay off the integrated light bandwagon now that the tech works a lot better (although I appreciate some people might be happy with their decision).

You do wonder if the 'big 4' will continue for much longer. Sony have given up a little on the US market, B&N are only big in the US and appear to be struggling there too (& they've only made the smallest of inroads in the UK with selling Nooks at a big loss). Kobo & Amazon look the best long term bets at the moment, but maybe Kobo have to do more in the US market?

Are the number of people browsing the forums here on Mobile Read any indication of the big players (albeit English language dominated, I presume MR is fairly global)?

Kindle - 221
Android - 42
Apple - 26
Nook - 29
Kobo - 109
Sony - 37

[FacebookVirus]

Originally Posted by l_macd

Sony have given up a little on the US market...

They're given up on the US market more than just a little. They're still selling books to the US through their store, but that's all.

The only way to purchase a Sony reader here now is to buy used or go through a third party in another country. That's putting your current users on notice.

They've ceded market share to their competitors here, and I doubt there's anything they can do to get it back.

Kobo's a rising star, and they probably had more than just a little to do with Sony's exit.

In 2007, there was no Amazon or B&N in the US; Sony was tops here. Seven years later, they're behind Amazon, B&N, and now Kobo. Quitting looks like a smart move for them.

[Heim]

Originally Posted by l_macd

Are the number of people browsing the forums here on Mobile Read any indication of the big players (albeit English language dominated, I presume MR is fairly global)?

Kindle - 221
Android - 42
Apple - 26
Nook - 29
Kobo - 109
Sony - 37

Amazon also sells ebooks in French, German, Spanish and Italian. And if I'm not mistaken also in Japanese.
However, for the Dutch-speaking market, you'll find Kobo and Sony are the dominant players.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Aer

Amazon also sells ebooks in French, German, Spanish and Italian. And if I'm not mistaken also in Japanese.

And German, of course.

[DrNefario]

Originally Posted by l_macd

Are the number of people browsing the forums here on Mobile Read any indication of the big players (albeit English language dominated, I presume MR is fairly global)?

Kindle - 221
Android - 42
Apple - 26
Nook - 29
Kobo - 109
Sony - 37

I only go into the device forums when I have a problem, and my Kobo has been much more trouble than my Kindle or my Nook. In fact it's the reason I found MR at all.