Digital Lifescapes

According to the latest market study by Juniper Research , they found that continued strong growth in the eReader market, combined with an upsurge in usage across media tablets, will push annual revenues from eBooks delivered to portable devices to $9.7 billion by 2016 -- that's up from $3.2 billion this year. The study found that the increasing demand for media tablets means that these devices will account for nearly 30 percent of all eBook downloads by 2016. In addition to the higher rate of tablet penetration, eBook access on these devices has already been boosted by the launch of leading brand bookstore applications, such as Apple's iBookStore and Amazon's Kindle. While mobile handsets currently account for the largest share of eBook downloads, the majority of these are comprised by the Japanese manga market. Elsewhere, smartphones are not -- and are unlikely to become -- a primary reading device. However, bookstores are increasingly seeking to enable synchronis...

Some people believe that multifaceted media tablets are a more desirable choice than single-purpose e-readers. That said, the U.S. installed base of e-reader devices has more than quadrupled since 2009 and demand remains strong. eMarketer now estimates more than 20 million e-readers will be in use by the end of 2011 -- reaching 8.7 percent of the U.S. adult population. By 2012, 12 percent of adults will have a Kindle , Sony Reader, NOOK or similar portable e-reader device. "Two recent developments illustrate the broad reach of e-readers," said eMarketer senior analyst Paul Verna. First, the Amazon announcement that its lowest-priced Kindle is its best-selling product supports the view that their customers are eager for affordable, no-frills mobile devices that easily enable e-book purchase and consumption. Second, Liberty Media's $1 billion offer for Barnes & Noble was predicated largely on the book retailer's success with the NOOK Color -- whose list pr...

According to the latest market study by IDC , more than 1.9 million eReader units were shipped in the EMEA region during 2010, with most of these distributed in Western European markets. Although EMEA accounts for just over 15 percent of the worldwide market, IDC forecasts sales to reach 9.6 million units by 2015 -- generating a 37.9 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Since their first appearance in 2007, eReaders have experienced much higher growth in North America than in EMEA, mainly as a result of the rapid uptake of Amazon Kindle devices by consumers in the U.S. market. However, as many European markets experience double-digit growth rates, the EMEA region is now set to expand, roughly matching the size of the North American market by 2015. Many factors are contributing to this growing trend. Firstly, e-ink technology and long-lasting battery charge have proven to offer an appealing reading experience for avid readers in EMEA -- which justifies the purchase of a sp...

Demand for e-books and e-readers is still strong, according to the latest market study by Futuresource Consulting . Both are supported by the increased global availability of e-book services and the recent launch of new multimedia tablet devices. "In 2010, the global e-book market grew by more than 200 percent to exceed 90 million paid-for units," says Fiona Hoy, Market Analyst at Futuresource Consulting. This equates to a value of more $900 million and was largely attributable to growth in the U.S. region, which represented more than 80 percent of global revenues in 2010. Rapid U.S. e-book market growth and consumer adoption was predominantly driven by Amazon's loss-leading strategy on key e-book titles purchased through their Kindle store and related application. A similar strategy was temporarily adopted in the UK. "Moving forward, the global balance will begin to shift -- with the USA contributing just over half of global revenues by 2014," says Hoy...

The growing market for eBook readers has been somewhat limited to the United States, and has been led by the affordable Amazon Kindle , Barnes & Noble Nook, and Sony Reader. But according to the latest market study by ABI Research , starting in 2013 eBook reader markets will start to expand globally. ABI forecasts that more than 30 million readers will ship during 2013, almost double the 2012 total. "Digitized content is the key," says ABI principal analyst Jeff Orr. "It has been in the United States that the most content has been translated to digital form. The companies that provide the devices maintain tightly-integrated content stores that make access easy." In two or three years we will enter a period in which much more digital printed matter will become available in other countries and regions. Western Europe will be first, followed by Eastern Europe and Asia, especially China. While North American eBook consumers may now own more than one reader s...

Cellular wireless network connectivity isn't just for mobile phones and notebook computers. More and more consumer electronics devices incorporate Wi-Fi connectivity, but some applications may require an Internet connection in places where Wi-Fi hotspots are typically not available. Based upon this growing demand, a number of portable entertainment devices (PEDs) now incorporate cellular connectivity. They provide a growing revenue opportunity for mobile service providers, multimedia content owners, and device manufacturers, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . There will be significant growth across all categories of 3G or 4G-enabled PEDs over the next five years. WCDMA will be the dominant enabling technology across the majority of shipments -- with the exception of digital photo frames, where GSM will be dominant. "Standalone e-readers represent the brightest spot in 3G/4G-enabled PEDs with unit shipments expected to grow significantly across all regions ...

According to Informa Telecoms & Media , sales of smartbooks are expected to rapidly grow from 3.65 million in 2010 to nearly 50 million in 2014, representing over 50 percent of all embedded device sales. This growth will be driven by a shift away from dedicated devices like e-readers, towards multifunctional portable devices like the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab. These smartbooks merge the best features of both smartphones and netbooks -- plus they include always-on connectivity. "There has been a resurgence of smartbooks particularly in the tablet form, fueled by the launch of the iPad, and we are seeing the same kind of proliferation and interest in tablets now, that we saw two years ago for e-readers" said David McQueen, principal analyst at Informa. E-readers on the other hand are under threat. Electronic book (e-book) content is now available on most multifunctional devices -- such as mobile phones, tablet computers, netbooks and other portable consumer electron...

Creating 3D video content is gaining momentum in Hollywood. The excitement over 3D has also found its way to the U.S. consumer electronics market. By 2013, one in five new televisions sold in America will be 3D, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . Year-over-year shipment growth will be 231 percent between 2010 and 2011 -- resulting in a doubling of the U.S. installed base of units for 3D TVs from 2010 to 2011. "High definition (HD) did create a wave of activity in the U.S. market, not seen since the introduction of color," says Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst. "3DTV promises to be the next significant innovation wave for living room entertainment." Despite many bright spots in the U.S. consumer electronics (CE) market, there will be losers in the market. Maturing segments like MP3 audio players, handheld video games and desktop PCs will show declining growth rates in 2012 and 2013. According to the In-Stat assessment, products with broader f...

According to the latest market study by Informa Telecoms & Media, e-reader sales are expected to peak at 14 million units in 2013, before falling by 7 percent in 2014 as the device category faces increased competition from other consumer electronics (CE) devices. This decline will be driven by a shift away from dedicated e-readers, such as the Amazon Kindle , towards other multifunction device types -- notably mobile smartphones and tablet form-factor computing devices. Informa believes that this transition may lead to a segmentation of the e-reader market into two distinct groups -- low price, low feature models and higher price devices with more advanced features. The current e-reader offers a good reading experience, high levels of portability and extended battery life. However, it is under threat from the availability of electronic book (e-book) content on multifunctional devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers, netbooks and other portable CE devices. "Mobi...

The Amazon Kindle e-reader and online e-bookstore has spawned a paid e-publishing content marketplace that has grown in the past two years. But, is this truly the profitability salvation that print publishers had hoped for? Competition from other device makers -- such as Apple -- promises to further stimulate what is already one of the most dynamic areas of the digital content ecosystem. Sales of e-books have grown steadily since the format first appeared in the early 2000 time frame. The Association of American Publishers (AAP) estimated that U.S. net sales to its 85 member publishers totaled $169.5 million in 2009 -- up 176.5 percent from the 2008 figure of $61.3 million. In fact, revenue for 2009 was the highest ever, and the percentage gain was the greatest since e-books started producing a profit. "Currently, most e-book volume comes from Amazon.com's  Kindle Wireless Reading Device sales," said Paul Verna, eMarketer senior analyst. "But it is unlikel...