When I started The eBook Reader.com 15 years ago, the dedicated ereader market was still in its early stages, and there were several different brands entering the market on a regular basis.
Sony was a big player back then, and Kindles were just starting to take off. Kobo ereaders didn’t exist yet; the company was still called Shortcovers instead of Kobo. Then they changed their name and the first Kobo ereader was released in 2010, and it was just a rebrand of an existing device that had been available for a few years.
Back then there were a number of smaller brands, like BeBook, Cool-er, Foxit, iRiver, JetBook, Hanlin, and new models were getting released on a regular basis. Then even more smaller brands started coming along, releasing devices with half-finished software and iffy hardware that never really had much a chance of succeeding, but at least companies were willing to try back then.
Only a few ereader companies have stuck around through the years: Kindle, Kobo, PocketBook, and Onyx.
Now the market is pretty much set, and you rarely ever see any new smaller brands of ereaders coming out, except maybe some obscure pieces of junk from China.
It’s very unlikely any major changes are going to happen to the dedicated ereader market at this point. There aren’t any major companies willing to take on Amazon and the Kindle. Smaller companies don’t even try anymore.
Things were a lot more interesting 15 years ago. Now we’re lucky to get a new Kindle every few years, and it’s usually just a remake of a previous model with a few minor changes.
Kobos and PocketBooks are good alternatives to Kindles, but neither has a retail presence in the US, they do very little advertising, and most people still don’t know either exists.
Onyx has been gaining ground with their versatile Android-powered ereaders for some time now, and they aren’t afraid to try new things and release different kinds of new products, but overall the ebook reader market has really stagnated over the past several years, and it’s hard to see that changing any time soon. At this point the odds of a new brand coming along and shaking things up is slim to nil.
It seems that now it is coming up with ways to implement eink displays in other settings.
I agree. Amazon has cornered the market and other business are purely now a more niche/specialised e-reader manufacturers, Not a lot of money to be made from domestic use.
Amazon are so comfortable in this market that it gives them no incentive to innovate and push forward.
Beauty of monopoly! Amazon and some toddlers.
Worst case scenario: Amazon will keep launching small increments and price will keep going up.
Good case scenario: Amazon or someone else will have decide to launch an even better Voyage and shake up the market from clinical death.
I would love to have the opportunity to chat with whomever pulls the strings at Amazon to ask why Scribe and not Voyage? With Paperwhite as a slightly more accessible option…
This is how I feel about phones nowadays. Everything looks the same and works the same. All those interesting designs from the 00’s are gone and what’s left is a candy bar in your hand. You have both Samsung and Apple at the top though so maybe one or the other will do something to set itself apart.
I agree. Heck, once I switched to an iPhone, I barely see the need to upgrade my phone. I used to love getting Android phones so I could hack them and do whatever. The novelty wore off after a while. Granted, I started with an iPhone 8 and only upgraded when the iPhone SE 2020 came out. My mom is still using my iPhone 8 with her Tracfone account. We both had new batteries installed before the price increase. My SE is working just fine. I like the smaller size to fit in my small purse or pockets. (Plus the iOS is still updated and most of the new features are on my phone.)
My first eReader was Nook.
I still use my Sony PRS-T1.
I started with a Nook at the end of 2009. Later I switched to Kobos. Tried a couple Kindles. Now my main ereader is a Nook again. But I still get my books from Kobo.
I purchased a Kindle Keyboard and a Nook at about the same time…2008 or 9, I guess. I actually abandoned the Nook because I quickly figured Amazon was the Way to go for content. Before Amazon was the big, bad monopoly it is now-sorry Barnes and Noble.
I have owned most of the Kindles, except the basic models.
Although the market may be dead, stuck in mud, etcetera…I tend to like the offerings from Kobo and may take another look at Onyx(purchased a Boox tab and returned it due a bad front light…roughly a third of screen would sometimes light up)…; it was a little too much of a learning curve for a device that I purchased mainly as a reader.
I prefer the more customizable devices!
Unfortunately Monopolyzon does not like to take risks and will let the smaller players gamble.
I still expect innovation, especially in color…the challenge for device developers is most of the avid readers already have a device that is Good Enough.
I wish that Apple would d turn its attention to layering its iPads with e-ink technology. Maybe they could buy ONYX and use their software. After all, isn’t this right out of Apple’s playbook – buy an existing tech solution and implement it ala Siri?
I never understood why Apple never made a dedicated eInk ereader. Sure, they have the iPad. And I read ebooks on an iPad for a little while, before getting a Kobo. It’s so much better.
I don’t think there was ever enough money in the eBook market for Apple, and very hard to differentiate in the eBook market as well.
You can say the same thing about Samsung. Why didn’t they do eBook readers? Same reason. and Sony pulled out of the market. Same reason.
With Amazon dominant it would just be a rough market for everyone to include Apple.
Exactly! And it would be so easy. Just take iPad Mini (7.9″ screen), give it colour eink display and call it Apple Book… I’m 100% sure it would take a huge piece Amazon’s ebook market. But it seems they unfortunately don’t care so they let Amazon have it all.
I still really miss the ease of use of my first (Sony) ereader. I now use a Kindle app on an (Samsung) android tablet, but it’s just not the same…
… oh, and “get off my lawn” 🙂
I really miss those aluminium Sony eBook readers. I moved to Kobo when Sony pulled out of the market as that was the easiest transition, but despite them making innovative devices and having more customisable displays than Amazon – they just don’t have the sleek elegance Sony put into their readers.
Agreed! Still own and use my Sony PRS-T1. Incredible device. Battery is starting to go — after 13 years – but plan on doing a battery replacement on it soon.
I love my Paperwhite, but I think the ereader makers have accepted that most people who bother to read at all are reading on their phones or maybe their laptops and tablets. The number of reader apps at low(ish) prices and the customizations available in them may beat out what a Kindle or such can provide, especially with color and resolution. I hate reading on my phone (and don’t) and my Fire is too heavy, but majority rules, right? If Amazon would either sell epub or allow their own format to be read by non-Amazon apps, they’d still get the ebook sales and probably be able to track whatever they need for their algorithms and sales figures and stop producing Kindles altogether. The other manufacturers offer nothing but their ereaders, so they’ll fold eventuallly.
If you are oriented toward Amazon, then Kindle device is a way to go. However, there are a number of other book applications that are not implemented in Kindle subsystem and Android (i.e. Onyx) is preferred choice. So, until Amazon decide to open Kindle software toward other applications or book sources there will be some competition.
I really like Kindle Scribe but, with its limitations toward Kindle books and uploaded documents this cannot be my only device. So, for the time being Onyx Lumi 2, Kindle Scribe and Onyx Nova.
However, I really would like to see the inside of Amazon brain to get the grasp of their planning in the area of eink devices.
Is it my imagination or long gone Borders was selling Kobo at retail locations?
That was my recollection.
Yes, Borders did sell Kobo devices.
Yep, Kobos used to be sold at Borders (reluctantly) before they went out of business, and then Kobo took over their ebook accounts.
Chalid Raqami did a recent video that covers E-ink’s investor report and some speculations from Ming-Chi Kuo (not sure if he cited it properly, but the articles are on Medium) about how the company is making a big push for color and some of the ereader companies seem to want to phase out B&W screens in favor of future gen ACeP screens. So that might shake things up a little bit.
I wonder if any company will try to make foldable ereaders a thing in the future. A Kindle fold would be interesting, with the appropriate software tweaks. The inevitable crease would be a feature that makes it more book-like. They could put a cover screen on the front and sell expensive bumper cases.
If you want to try and recapture that feeling of earlier ereader days, try following the RLCD market! Hannsnote and Daylight Computer have some interesting upcoming products,
Hannsnote looked quite interesting, but seems impossible to order. Their “shop now” link goes to https://pdp.lazada.sg/products/i1189632828.html?spm=a1zawe.20038917.content_wrap.9.63064edfQsdWwl which states “Sorry! This product is no longer available.”
eColor will be a niche market because of cost. The problem is you are also competing against large phones and tablets — some readers love e ink — but some don’t care when it comes to color.
I think color and the ability to write on eReaders has expanded the market option — but it is still a small market segment.
Both Apple and Google have their own ecosystems and bookstores but don’t sell a dedicated eReader and that is the problem.
For french people in quebec we need a kobo because we cant use kindle to borrow french books from our libraries. I love my kobo libra for having view problems we can adjust the police to suit our needs.
What about the brands you rarely ever talk about? Bigme, Hisense, Meebook. It’s hard for me to take a post like this seriously when you only mention the largest brands. These other technologies may not sell as well as kindle, or maybe don’t offer diversity of products like Onyx, but I feel like this post is not accurately representing the competition on the market.
Yeah, there are some smaller Chinese brands like the ones you mention, but they aren’t real contenders in the ebook reader market and never will be, especially since they don’t have their own ebook stores like Kobo and Amazon, and support is pretty much nonexistent outside of China, and none are likely to unseat Onyx at the top of the Android-based E Ink market. If they would partner with Google or some other ebook store and rollout some proper customer support, then they might stand a chance of at least competing, but most people outside of China would never even consider those brands when purchasing a new dedicated ebook reader.
Sad that the Barnes & Noble NOOK doesn’t even receive a mention in your article… guess it goes to show how the mighty have fallen. I use and support NOOK (mainly because I’m located in the U.S., have a premium membership at the store, and am trying to get away from using Amazon). If they positioned things correctly and did some incentives, they could try to gobble up some market share domestically. Problem is, they seem unable and willing to do so…. Guessing they do not see the investment leading to profitability.
I’d like to support Barnes & Noble to, but reliability and durability of Nooks are bad as evidenced by the reviews on B&N’s website. I don’t understand why it is hard to get an ereader right, but it appears that it must be given that B&N and others have struggled for years to produce good products.
im still waiting on new kindles, im beginning to feel there won’t be a new one in 2024
Since 2009 smartphones became mainstream and social platforms are so distracting that the younger gens fry their brains with the phone so nothing left for reading. The “reading gen” probably already have at least one ereader, so no reason to buy another one. And if you take care about your device, they endure. I have an old Kobo Touch, I don’t use it anymore, but it’s still working even as an over-a-decade-old machine.
Nooks were a good competition to Kobos and Kindles here in the EU, but since an EU law they moved out from Europe completely. RIP
And the other two (Kobo and Amazon) have so good devices and services that a smaller company doesn’t stand a chance against them. Especially an already full market…
Also probably E-ink is not a company anymore who really supports smaller e-reader manufacturers at all, but this is just a guessing. Would be nice though a fully open device or even a modular one with user customazible software, but oh well.
Would love to see B&N bring back an updated Nook HD+ (8.9 inch screen) that is lightweight and focuses on primarily an excellent reader. For now my Lenovo M9 with its multitude of visual reading settings works well for me.
Started out with Nook Color and tried several e-ink units over the years. The Lenovo fits my needs so well I am no longer sure I would be interested in a higher resolution, color e-ink.
BTW, my HD+ (fully converted to Android) still works and still has one of the best lcd screens ever. Downside is it weighs a ton and is no longer recognized by Windows 11.
I have started with Nook Glowlight, because it was amazing:
1. It had revolutionary Glowlight – Oh boy how good this feature is. Reading in poor light conditions, while traveling, or just being home, getting ready to go to bed.
2. It had SD Card, you could put enormous amounts of books.
3. You could hack it and access the Android underneath and install or good utilities and other eBook Readers.
4. It had page turning button.
It had one downside:
Turn On button was in the front and got turned on very easily while in my backpack. It drained battery very fast.
Since then these are the features + warm light that I am asking and I can get it in Onyx Readers.
However Onyx delivers these only in one model.
Since then the only thing that I want is:
Gallery type of color reading on a 13 inch for magazines. With that I would be complete.