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World on Fire

Posted on 2012-Aug-23

by Paul Salvette

Kindle Fire

Introduced almost a year ago was the tablet that changed the eBook industry significantly. The market was on fire when the most affordable tablet from Amazon merely cost $199 comparing to the hefty price tag of other competitors, such as the iPad. Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, extensively discussed the specification how the Wi-Fi connectivity and open-source Android market would lead the way for the Kindle Fire to become known among hardcore bibliophiles.

Dethroning Competitors

Floating Books

Fast-forward to the Q1 report of 2012, Amazon has seized this opportunity to become the third biggest tablet maker, defeating RIM and Asus. Both the companies are competitive tablet manufacturer that established their reputation through smartphones and computers respectively. Kindle’s sales have also outperformed its biggest rival in the eBook market, Barnes & Noble’s Nook.

Nationwide Distribution

So far, most of the Amazon tablets are sold in the United States, unlike the international market which is led by Apple and Samsung. However, Amazon will sell more of their flagship products as soon as they reach more global citizens, and their recent expansion into India will only improve their brand name.

eBooks Have Healthy Growth

Money Tree

Even though Barnes & Noble suffers loss from poor sales of Nook devices, their digital content sales are doing very well. 46% increase is the hard number according to the company’s 2012 fiscal year report. With the combination of tablets and digital content sold, U.S. trade publishers see 7.2% increase of their print and eBook export sales of 2011. eBook revenue alone in 2011 has gained 332.6% increase comparing to 2010 whereas the paperback only enjoys a tiny 2.3% increase. Elsewhere in Europe, Latin American, and Africa, eBook growth trend soars into the similar fashion. However, the net gain of 1,316.8% in UK marks the ever-increasing popularity of the electronic format.

Label: eBook Industry News

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