It comes as to no surprise that the iPad is targeting the EBook market. No doubt that the large screened 1024 x 768 pixel device is capable of displaying high resolution graphics alongside text, making a far better device than the usual black and white readers that people are more familiar with.
At this point in time, it would not be surprising to see people predict that the Kindle would slowly lose market ground. No doubt that the new Apple Tablet is a far superior device in terms of hardware capabilities, and if you are the kind of person who prefers to read an EBook instead of reading a physical book, then you are probably more tech-inclined as well, making iPad’s spec advantage an even bigger deal.
While the Kindle is not the only e-reader available (there is also Sony’s e-reader device and a couple of others), Amazon’s little gadget is the most well known. The current success of the kindle is thanks mostly to the already large library of digital content offered by Amazon as compared to its actual hardware. With McGraw-Hill already having contributed plenty to Apple’s library and the iPads growing number of users, Amazon’s EBook sales would certainly lose a major market if they locked out the iPad.
So who will keep using the Kindle? -The people who already bought one. After all, there is no point in getting rid of a perfectly decent and functional gadget, but should existing users also purchase an iPad, then the Kindle would definitely be seeing the retired accessories bin pretty soon.
For now, the Kindle is financially safe; Amazon’s reader has been selling well despite the unveiling of the iPad; though we certainly expect e-readers to start selling less once tablets become more and more mainstream.
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Tags: Apple-iPad