Monday, June 21, 2010

What's The Next Chapter For E-Readers?

Since it's Monday I thought I'd look at what's going on in the world of technology, and one story in particular stood out to me. Barnes & Noble dropped the price of their Nook e-reader and released an even-cheaper Wi-Fi Nook as well.

Some people are saying this is the beginning of a heated e-reader war, but I'm not convinced.

The major theme in technology over the last couple of years has been devices with multiple capabilities. I mentioned it in a post last week about the gaming industry, and it holds true here.

I think it's a good move on B&N's part that will hopefully push other e-readers to innovate, but I don't know if it's enough to keep the market afloat long term. Tablets have been hailed as an e-reader killer since before their release, and the early success they've had points to that being the case.

I do think that the Nook has the best chance of success versus the Sony Pocket Reader or the Amazon Kindle, because it's being marketed and sold in the stores themselves. That's a smart move because it's capitalizing on their existing demographic that's already passionate about reading and loyal to the brand.

Only time will tell if this move will lead to continued success, or if newer multi-function mobile devices will close the book on the e-reader market.