E Ink Claims E-reader Sales Increasing

[SteveEisenberg]

E Ink unveils capacity expansion plans

The shipments of e-reader modules could be 10 percent lower than E Ink’s estimates for this year, but they would still grow over last year, the company said. . . .

The company said it has seen a significant annual growth in e-reader shipments in the first half of this year.

I wonder what countries are seeing the most growth in eReading.

[kyôdai]

Yeah, I don't know.
They don't name any actual numbers and only talk about "annual" growth. Which might be a bit misleading, given the situation in the last couple of years.

You have to keep in mind, that for the first time in 10 years most of the big players (Amazon, Kobo, etc.) did not release any new devices in 2020, because of the pandemic and the supply shortage.

So yeah, it would make sense that there were lower sales in 2020 and much higher sales in 2021/2022, when the new Paperwhite and Kobo devices were released.

It would be interesting to see a comparison with numbers from before the pandemic.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by kyôdai

It would be interesting to see a comparison with numbers from before the pandemic.

I wondered too if the pandemic itself might have caused a bump - in many places it became much easier to buy 1 device then download books onto it rather than making repeated trips to a physical bookstore

[rantanplan]

People don't go to bookstores. They go to amazon.

[JSWolf]

During lockdown, the use of Overdrive shot up considerably.

[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

People don't go to bookstores. They go to amazon.

If that was 100% correct, there would be no bookstores. Granted, the number has dropped in recent years, but plenty of people still buy and read print books that are not purchased from Amazon. This site alone is home to many users who won't buy anything from Amazon, digital or tangible.

Thrift stores are wildly popular sources of used print books, and while not a "book store" still a popular source of books.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

If that was 100% correct, there would be no bookstores. Granted, the number has dropped in recent years, but plenty of people still buy and read print books that are not purchased from Amazon. This site alone is home to many users who won't buy anything from Amazon, digital or tangible.

Thrift stores are wildly popular sources of used print books, and while not a "book store" still a popular source of books.

When I was reading pBooks, it was a lot more enjoyable to go browsing a bookstore then it has even been browsing Amazon for books.

[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

When I was reading pBooks, it was a lot more enjoyable to go browsing a bookstore then it has even been browsing Amazon for books.

I loved good used book stores. Back in 2002-2003, our sons went to college in Louisville KY. That city had the best used book stores I've ever shopped in. I could even shop in them online via ABE Books. I always looked forward to browsing them when we visited there.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by kyôdai

Yeah, I don't know.
They don't name any actual numbers and only talk about "annual" growth. Which might be a bit misleading, given the situation in the last couple of years.

The article also mentions “…offsetting weakening demand for e-reader and e-note products, E Ink said.” The trend is definitely downward for e-readers.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

E Ink unveils capacity expansion plans



I wonder what countries are seeing the most growth in eReading.

It's the electronic shelf labels (ESL) that are selling well.

[spacepope]

I admit I got more into e-readers during COVID. I wasn't aware you could send library books to your kindle - but once libraries REALLY pushed the feature I became aware, and then ended up buying 2 e-readers...

My first kindle was a kindle keyboard, but it was just a dusty device I only used for the intention of reading fanfiction, as I was not aware ebooks existed (my roommate at the time used one for the same reason, hence me getting a kindle)

Note, I have been using Overdrive way back in 2014 for audiobooks - yet somehow, I never knew you could get ebooks? I feel so terribly out of the loop now that I'm confessing all this lol

[Quoth]

I bought my first to read ebooks from gutenberg (i'd read a few on the laptop since 2002) and realised it would also save a fortune in printer consumables and time doing proofing.
Ebooks have existed 30 years approx before the first eink based dedicated ereader (Sony in 2005). People used PDAs, then phones as well as CRTs on PCs and terminals! Amazon bought Mobipocket (ebook seller) two years before they sold a Kindle!

[Sirtel]

I was aware that ebooks existed since 2005 or so, and bought some even back then, which I read on my laptop. But I preferred paper books until 2011, when I bought my first ereader. Never looked back since.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I was aware that ebooks existed since 2005 or so, and bought some even back then, which I read on my laptop. But I preferred paper books until 2011, when I bought my first ereader. Never looked back since.

The first eBook was created in 1971. The first dedicated eBook Reader was released.

https://govbooktalk.gpo.gov/2014/03/...ebook-services

[Quoth]

That article mentions the iphone (2007), but ebooks read on PDAs before phones and the iPhone was about NINE years after the first smart phones. Mobipocket was selling ebooks for PDAs and phones more than 6 years before the iPhone.

Otherwise good article.

The first Gutenberg PD ebook may have been 1971 but the first actual ebook was probably much earlier than 1971. But I don't remember. The first ebooks were just plain text.