What will 2010 bring for ereaders?

[jerry limonta]

As we begin another year and another decade it's amazing to see how far technology in the ebook reader arena has come and exciting to guess what's in store for 2010.

In just a few years ebook readers have gone from dull, black & white, single screen plug in devices to color, dual touch screen, internet surfing devices for roughly the same price. What this technology will probably do is break the ereader market into two camps. The first camp being those who are looking for light, cheap, easy to use, no frills dedicated ebook readers and the second being the group who loves technology as much as they do reading and want the coolest, flashiest device that offers the greatest UI capabilities for the best price. As much as we hear that the Apple tablet is going to be a Kindle killer I just dont see that happening.

For every die hard techie like me who wants every device on the market just because it's new or can do more things there are plenty of people who don't want to be bothered with the frills. So what will all of this mean in 2010?

I think that 2010 will see a tremendous increase in the number of ereader users as prices for the dedicated readers continue to fall and the Wow factor for the higher end / tablet devices bring the techies to the table. The implications of this increased reader base will have a major impact on book and magazine publishers, the educational system and hopefully one day literacy rates.

Let's face it with all the technology available today it's become increasingly difficult to get young people to enjoy reading but when they can download their favorite title in seconds and read it on a color dual screen reader I think and hope that will change. Will future books combine text and color video together? Will ereaders become as ubiquitous as cell phones? I guess we'll have to wait and see but I have a strong suspicion we are approaching a paperless world much faster than most people think is possible.

Join the World's Largest ereader community @ http://www.ereaderuniverse.com

[Jules Mihm]

Hey Jerry
I had originally posted that a world without book stores would be a world with air , but I am not ignorant. I have been reading the ereaderuniverse.com site top to bottom and gotta say I'm curious. You are right 2010 is an exciting time for technology in general, not just e-reading devices, but as someone that goes to the local library twice as much as they purchase books- what can the ereader do for me? I read close to a book a week and dont know If i want to spend that kinda cashola.......advice ? rebuttle? feed me info Jerry. : )

[jerry limonta]

I think you hit it right on the head. With technology our relationships are definitely wider but the depth is gone.

[April Smith]

Hi Jerry. I don't necessarily think I need the fastest flashy technology, but I like the small, compact convenience of my Kindle. I enjoy reading before bed, and to "get away" from a crazy household. I am not a fast reader. New hardcopies are too expensive for my budget and my library is very out of date. I like the discounted e-book rate I get at Amazon, and I can get the book I want NOW. I think my Kindle is perfect for me. I am always hopping from book to book, reading 3-4 at once - (reading A.D.D.?).
I know the more we become "connected" with the help of our technology the more we disconnect from the people in our community, and that makes me worry. I might enjoy blogging or discussing a book online with a stranger in a distant place, but I am missing out on developing a friendship with other readers in my town. I guess it's the trend, but I hope we don't loose our libraries because of it.