The Amazon Kindle e-book reader has clearly secured a market leadership position for itself. It has a 60% share of America's growing e-book reader market - Sony's PRS reader trails in second place with a 35% share - and both the Kindle 2.0 and its larger sibling, the DX, are now being sold worldwide. The fact that every new e-book reader which is unveiled is dubbed the "Kindle Killer" only serves to confirm that, not only is the Kindle the dominant market player, it is the standard which any new competing readers will be measured against.
Considering the dominance of the Kindle, it's easy to forget just what a recent addition it is to the e-book reader scene. The first e-book reader - the Franklin eBookman - launched in 1999, more than a decade ago. The Sony PRS hit the market in 2006. It wasn't until November 2007 that we saw the launch of the original Kindle. The upgraded Kindle 2.0 was released in February of 2009 and the DX followed in June of the same year.
In the meantime, Amazon's competition have been busy. The Sony Daily Edition reader was launched as was the Nook reader from Barnes and Noble. Even the new iPad from Apple is perceived by many to be a threat to the Kindle. There are plenty of other new e-book readers available and the newer ones incorporate features which are lacking from the current Kindle - touch screen controls, color screen etc.
How will Amazon respond? Thus far, apart from some firmware updates, Amazon's main response to higher levels of competition has been to cut the price of the Kindle 2.0 by $ 100 to $ 259. However, there are rumors aplenty that the next Kindle version will be released in the first six months of 2010. Which prompts the question - what enhancements will the new Kindle incorporate?
A very important factor in the success of the Kindle reader to date is the fact that it provides a very good end user experience. It's easy to operate with one hand, the controls are well laid out and easy to use and understand and the e-ink technology display is excellent to read on in a variety of different types of ambient lighting. In fact, it would be a pity were Amazon to adopt a touch screen similar to the Sony Daily Edition reader. If your primary requirement is to read books then, although the technology is more impressive (perhaps), then this probably doesn't represent a great leap forward. One handed operation may become more difficult - and since touch screen technology necessitates the use of a more reflective screen, it may well be more difficult to read in certain lighting conditions.
The introduction of color would certainly be a step forward but, were it to be achieved in a similar manner to Barnes and Noble's Nook - which features color navigation only with the main reader screen still in monochrome - it would be pretty pointless. Reading black text on a white background is probably normal for around 90% of books - so although color would be nice, it's not going to be a high priority for many readers.
What Amazon may decide to do, and what they have done better than all of their competitors to date, is to provide a superior user experience. Instead of concentrating on gimmicky hardware enhancements, Amazon may decide to introduce options which will be genuinely useful for their customers. Faster page turns with less screen flicker and prolonged battery life may be enhancements which users would find desirable. Similarly, greater choice of e-books, quicker downloads and the potential to share Kindle books may be more important to some users than major hardware mods.
Amazon's ability to satisfy the requirements of its customers has helped it achieve the current leadership position. It's no surprise that Amazon understands what people who read books want and are willing to pay for. The Kindle is now their top selling product and, up to now, they have not only led the market but shaped it and helped it to develop. The next generation Kindle will clearly signal the way in which the e-book reader market is going to develop in future. On the balance of probabilities, it seems likely that Amazon will be a major force in the e-book reader market for the foreseeable future.
Have a look at the Amazon Kindle reader - and the various Kindle accessories available to help you customise and enhance it.
