Which came first - the E-book or the E-Reader? If the question is serious, it's the e-Book, which has been around for decades in various forms. But from a diffusion of innovations perspective, it's a serious "critical mass" question - when will there be enough content available to convince consumers to buy readers - or conversely, when will there be enough people with the technology to read Ebooks to convince content owners to make their books available in online formats. According to some recent data, there was a huge spike in Ebook sales around last Christmas, suggesting that critical mass has been reached.
Certainly, a range of new E-readers launched during the last year has helped. With the Kindle 3, Amazon remains the undisputed leader, accounting for 59% of devices shipped. With the Nook, Barnes & Noble follows with 11%, with Sony's share shrinking to 5%, and newcomers BenQ and Hanvon at 4% each. Sales of E-readers boomed in the last quarter of 2010, with over 5 million sold worldwide (up 90% from the previous quarter). And that's not counting the non-dedicated apps turning computers, tablets, and smartphones into E-Readers.
Source: "Kindle, Nook Gain in E-Reader Race," Online Media Daily
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