Even while Apple prepares to start selling the Wi-Fi model of the iPad starting this weekend – which some might consider an eReader killer – experts on a Webinar panel today see nothing but growth for the eBook and eReader market at large.
Moderated by In-Stat analyst Stephanie Ethier, the panel included representatives from AT&T, Texas Instruments (TI), E-Ink and Mentor Graphics.
In-Stat projects worldwide eReader shipments will reach 28.6 million in 2013, up from 924,000 in 2008.
E-Ink is seeing a lot of the growth coming from China, its fastest growing market, where both business and educational markets are driving demand, according to Matt Aprea, product manager. More than 50 eReaders are on the market today from 20 different manufacturers and 48 of the eReaders use an E-Ink display, he said.
eNewspapers represent a new emerging market for larger displays that also need to be rugged, thin and lightweight as people carry them around in briefcases, and similarly, the market potential for eTextbooks is “tremendous,” he said.
Of course, eReaders aren’t much good if the battery doesn’t last long, which is, in part, where chip provider TI comes into play. Gregg Burke, director of the eBook Business Line at TI, said the objective is to build a development platform that affords the longest battery life with the highest performance. TI also has developed an algorithm to speed up the performance of eReaders.
The company has designed its architecture such that OEMs and ODMs can choose any level of wireless connectivity they want to include, whether it be 2G, 3G or 4G. TI is working with Linux and Android platforms today and is adaptable to support telephony as well as data, he said.
Aprea said the next generation of displays that are going to be color will have zero impact on power. The displays are reflective and not backlit.
The panel also touched on who’s responsible for fixing problems when they crop up. Dana Tardelli, associate vice president of Strategy and Pricing for AT&T’s Emerging Devices & Partnership organization, said executives there think about the “Where’s my Wall Street Journal” question in the sense that a fictitious customer with an eReader and annual subscription expects to get their content. What happens when that doesn’t get delivered? Any number of things can go wrong along the way, whether it’s the publisher not publishing on a certain holiday, whether the device is in 3G coverage, whether it has Wi-Fi or there’s a billing issue – all those things need to be considered.
AT&T’s value beyond the pipe includes experience with unpredictable usage models and expertise in wireless and radio selection and placement, among other things, he said. AT&T provides connectivity for the Amazon Kindle2, Sony Daily Edition, the upcoming Apple iPad and others.
