IEEE Spectrum October, 2010 - 22

The IPad,
The kIndle,
and The
ImmuTable
laWs Of The
markeTPlace
A culling of the
herd of e-readers is
already under way,
as prices plummet

I

f you've considered
buying an e-reader but
haven't yet taken the
plunge, there's no longer a
need to wait. It's only been
three years since Amazon
jump-started the market
with its Kindle [above], but
the technology has improved
greatly since then. And as
this summer's price wars in
the United States carry over
to the holiday season and the
rest of the world, e-readers
are finally ready for a
mainstream audience.
Back in January, at the
annual Consumer Electronics Show, it seemed like
every company wanted to
ride in the wake of Amazon's
22

success. Although the many
e-readers introduced there
all shared the same E Ink
screen technology, each
offered its own combination
of trade-offs, and it seemed as
if there might be a different
ideal e-reader for each user.
But after months of wild
proliferation, the list of viable
e-reader manufacturers
is now shrinking, even
as the market expands.
It's largely a matter of
price. When the Apple's iPad
hit the market in an explosion
of hype and hysteria for just
US $500, it suddenly seemed
ludicrous that anyone would
pay more for a dedicated
reader with a monochrome
display. To stay viable,
manufacturers needed to
slash their e-reader prices. At
the end of June, the Barnes &
Noble Nook went from $259 to
$149 for a Wi-Fi version ($199
for the 3G model). Amazon
countered by announcing
that the next version of the
Kindle would start at $139.
The price drops are partly
due to more sophisticated
chip sets that integrate the

NA * iEEE SpEctrum * octobEr 2010

applications processor and
activate unintentionally.
the display controller, and
And what about Sony,
partly due to scale: Reportedly, the company that pioneered
large manufacturers have
the e-reader? Although
reached quotas that qualify
many Spectrum readers
them for discounts. But both
have vouched their love
Barnes & Noble and Amazon
for the Sony e-readers in
have the added advantage
online comments, it's hard
of being in the book
to recommend them now.
business. Just as Microsoft
Sony has announced a new
lost money on Xboxes and
line of readers but says it
made it up in game sales,
doesn't intend to compete
these two booksellers can
on price. In this market,
survive, and thrive, even
that's a lot like giving up.
if they have to offer their
To the extent that the
hardware below cost.
price wars remain limited to
In fact, the race to control
the United States, there's still
the biggest slice of
room for lesserthe e-book-buying
known companies.
public may bring
PocketBook's
even greater price
tiny, strippedcuts. It's not hard
down e-reader
to imagine a future
made a positive
where you get an
impression on
e-reader free with
Spectrum testers,
a pledge to buy a
and the company
book every month.
currently has
But now is still
a commanding
the time to buy. The
hold on the
current Kindle
Russian market.
and Nook greatly
The next
improve on their
big change for
initial designs. Our
e-readers will be
recommendation
the addition of
is to stick with
color displays that
one of these major
can be viewed in
models, if only for
direct sunlight.
E-SURVIVORS:
their vast, easyBut don't let that
the $139 Nook
[top] and the
to-use bookstores.
keep your wallet in
lightweight
The convenience
your pocket: Mass
pocketbook
of shopping for
production of color
[bottom] may
books directly
displays has only
be rare survivors
on your device
recently begun,
in the harsh
e-reader market.
only becomes
so there's plenty
clear when you're
of time to enjoy a
forced to try the frustrating
black-and-white e-reader
alternative. The IEEE
that doesn't break the bank.
Spectrum staff generally
-Joshua J. Romero
prefers the Kindle, finding the
Nook's separate navigation
A version of this article appeared
screen an inefficient use of
on IEEE Spectrum Online
space and a little too easy to
in August.
spectrum.ieee.org

FRom top: amazon; baRneS & noble; Randi SilbeRman Klett

tools & toys
http://spectrum.ieee.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum October, 2010
