E-readers
Barely into the new year, we've already identified a front-runner for most overhyped technology of 2010: The electronic reader. Can the reality live up to the expectations? Publishers have a great opportunity to capture new customers and new revenue. But they also face significant risk entering a market with so many competing players and so much uncertainty. The following articles should give you a better sense of direction as you navigate the e-reader landscape.
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3 keys to a successful e-reader content strategy
With a multitude of new e-readers launching this year, there will be plenty of experimentation and plenty of uncertainty over which platform to choose. Publishers should be planning for the onslaught of new devices – and anticipating the tough choices they’ll need to make – by focusing on three key areas: distribution, design and revenue.
Are e-readers worth the investment? A lifeline for digital publishers? New life – and revenue opportunities – for digital magazines Color commentary on E-Ink and e-readers Prepare now for widespread e-reader use … … but temper your expectations for the near term Your e-reader cheat sheet For publishers, mobile is the new black
Some publishers deem e-readers too risky to devote significant resources to, adopting more of a wait-and-see approach toward a technology that has yet to reach mass adoption. We spoke with two who have found value in jumping into the fray and were willing to share their early insights.
Year of the e-reader: Gadgets grab spotlight at CES
E-readers will be big news at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, with new devices on display from multiple manufacturers, including heavily hyped readers from Hearst-backed Skiff and Plastic Logic.
When Amazon released the first Kindle in November 2007, the "e-book" finally had a worthy platform. Now, the rising popularity of electronic readers is giving newspaper and magazine publishers hope for new digital revenue streams as well.
The rapid erosion of print circulation, combined with the increasing popularity of electronic readers and the cultural embrace of green-friendly solutions, are convincing many publishers to re-think their approach to digital publications – those historically maligned print/web hybrids – as a potential revenue driver.
The problem with e-readers such as Amazon's gray-scale E-Ink Kindle is that the audience loses the impact of a magazine’s beautiful rich color images.　But fear not—the race is on to provide color e-readers.
Now is the time for publishers to consider their future advertising options on e-readers.
The e-reader market is heating up. So how come I don’t feel all warm and fuzzy? For all the promise of the e-reader market, there is just as much uncertainty.
A look at the key elements of three high-profile e-readers: The Nook, the Kindle, and the Sony Reader.
As the smart phone and advanced 3G services went mainstream in 2009, content publishers and brand marketers were licking their chops over the possibilities of mobile as a way to engage users, increase traffic, and generate new revenues.
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Does every publisher really need its own e-reader?
The author attempts to unwrap the decision by Hearst, Time Inc., and surely others to build their own e-readers. Why should publishers go to such great expense—and take such enormous risks—to launch their own devices when they could easily wait for one to emerge as the industry standard?
E-reader sales will double again this year, CEA says
Just weeks after Amazon announced its Kindle e-reader was the most gifted item ever from its Web site, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) predicted the good times will continue in 2010 as e-reader sales double again. Shipments of the popular devices are expected to continue their momentum after doubling last year, according to researchers from the CEA.
E-paper technologies reference guide
The production structure of electronic paper is fairly complex. This guide is designed to provide a background in both e-paper frontplane technologies and the current backplane technologies used to manufacture such displays.
Time Inc. tries to get ahead of the color e-reader curve
The current e-readers being sold lack the magic ingredient for magazine publishers: full color. They don’t all have touch technology, either. That’s why the prototype device Sports Illustrated has been demonstrating is so innovative and visually engaging – it looks to be far from shovel ware. But it also isn’t a magazine of the future imagined for years from now.
Will e-readers help spread knowledge, or wall it off?
E-book sales will disrupt not just the publishing industry and the act of reading – it will dramatically alter the availability to knowledge in our society. Will this disruption be for better or worse?
Magazines get ready for tablets
After letting the Internet slip away from them and watching electronic readers like the Kindle develop without their input, publishers are trying again with Apple iPhones and, especially, tablet computers.
Nook e-reader has potential, but needs work
At launch, the Barnes & Noble Nook has the feel of a product with great potential that was rushed to market before it was fully ready.
