Reading habits are changing – while consumers will never tire of reading, the way they read has undergone massive change in the past few years. How will you be reading in 2013?
Technology website slashdot.org reports a research note from IHS iSuppli suggesting that, after years of solid growth, the e-book reader market was ‘on an alarmingly precipitous decline’ thanks to the rise of tablets. The firm suggested that e-reader sales had declined from 23.2 million units in 2011 to 14.9 million in 2012 — around 36 percent. The note blames tablets: ‘Single-task devices like the ebook are being replaced without remorse in the lives of consumers by their multifunction equivalents, in this case by media tablets.’
The sales of eReaders are still huge, and several High Street retailers in Ireland have now entered into this market. In December 2012, Hughes and Hughessigned a deal with ebook retailer Kobo which saw the bookseller selling ereaders in their bookstores this Christmas. Hughes offered two devices in-store, the Kobo Glo ereader which features an LED lit screen for €135.95 and the Kobo Mini which has a 5 inch touch-screen for €89.95. Hughes and Hughes said, “Just like us, Kobo is passionate about books. What’s more, unlike its online competitors, the company is a firm friend to the high street bookseller. Set up your Kobo account through our link, download your next great read instantly from a choice of over 3 million eBook titles – including best sellers, hidden gems, Indie picks and personalised recommendations – from the Kobo website and continue to support your local H&H with every purchase.”
As Irish Publishing News reports the move came “as Eason prepares to launch its new Leaf eReader and marks a distinct increase in the competition among booksellers and ebook sellers to reach readers. Waterstones stores in Ireland and the UK, including Hodges Figgis, are now selling Kindle in stores.
For those of you unfamiliar with Kobo, they are a Canadian company, and Irish Publishing News reports that “Jemery Greenfield [Editorial Director of Digital Book World] has a good piece of background on Kobo which will give those looking for more information a tasty dose:
This little upstart from Canada is trying to compete with the likes of Amazon, Google, Apple and Barnes & Noble.
Like those other companies, Kobo has its own set of devices that have been positively reviewed. Unlike Amazon, Google and Apple, it’s primarily focused on ebooks and e-reading. And, unlike Barnes & Noble, which is extremely U.S.-centric at this early stage of the game, it has international in its DNA. The company has been figuring out how to launch its business in other countries since early on when it expanded to the U.S. And Kobo has inked deals with the American Booksellers Association, a trade group for independent bookstores, and its equivalent in the UK to have indie bookshops sell its devices and ebooks.”
Eason’s eReading product, the Leaf, has a 6-inch E ink touchscreen featuring wi-fi but not 3G connectivity, and retails at €99. Purchasers are able to browse and buy ebooks directly from the Eason ebookstore on the device.
However, as consumers become more familiar with eReader devices and take a step away from physical books, they are very likely to seek out other options. Developments in mobile technology and tablets provide readers with more useful, multi functional devices that offer greater flexibility than a standard eReader, as Slashdot.org suggest. The iPad Mini for instance allows you to browse the web, check email, make FaceTime calls, and has the same built-in apps as an iPad. And the iBookstore features over 1.5 million books including Multi‑Touch textbooks. The books you buy download right to your iPad mini, and iCloud makes them available on your other iOS devices.
Many readers pale at the thought of reading anything on a smart phone, but the Kindle App, for instance, allows you to change the size of the font, the brightness of the screen, the colour of your ‘page’ to suit your personal preference, making reading easier. It’s a handy extra for those moments when your train is delayed.
We recently conducted a survey on writing.ie, and one of the questions we asked related to reading habits. You’ll be pleased to learn that 100% of those who took the survey still read books, 46% of you read on Kindle, 2.9% of you use a Sony eReader, and only 1% of you have a Nook. Interestingly, 81% of you choose what to read next by recommendation, 71% are influenced by reviews, and 45% by author interviews. Twitter and Facebook both came in as influencing just under 25% of you in your next reading choice.
