E-Readers US Market

E-readers in the United States for the first time overtook sales of paperback books. They are more convenient and light. Hardcover books and textbooks are beyond e-readers.

E-readers for the first time overtook paper publications in the United States. According to the Association of American Publishers, revenue from the sale of electronic books in February 2011 rose to $90.3 million, which is almost 170% higher than the same indicator a year earlier. Sales of their “paper competitors” continue to decline rapidly. Revenues from the sale of paper cover books fell to $81.2 million, which is 24.8% less than a year earlier. Publishers blame holidays on New Year’s Eve paper failure. Many consumers received e-readers as a gift for the New Year or Valentine’s Day and began to actively fill them with necessary or fashionable books.

However, publishers recognize revenue from the sale of paper books has been falling throughout the past year. People have made e-books a constant complement to their lifestyle.

According to one of Amazon’s largest online bookstores, 115 e-books are currently sold per 100 traditional paperback books.

According to experts, in 2011, Electronic Literature Market will again see double growth. Experts predict paper books will continue to lose readership. The Forrester research group believes that by 2015 the market for e-books will increase to $3 billion.

Advantages and disadvantages of e-readers

Any specialized device has both a number of advantages over more universal ones and a number of disadvantages. So what is better for reading books: a smartphone (or tablet) or an e-book?

The unlimited reading pleasure of e-readers

Keep several thousand books in your pocket and request new reading materials anytime you need it. Despite smartphones and tablets, the digital books on the e-book reader are still the finest.

There are several reasons for this:

• e-books are much lighter than tablets and offer a larger screen than smartphones;
• their high-resolution electronic displays provide a font that does not need to be hidden from this book.
• built-in lighting is now standard on almost all models, so you can read comfortably even in low light.
• the batteries of modern e-readers last for several weeks, while the smartphone or tablet should be charged in a few hours.

Benefits of e-books:

• electronic “paper” that does not require a backlightLong battery life;
• special reading software;
• quick start (clicked, read).

As a rule, the life cycle of such devices is longer than that of a smartphone or tablet (less often it charges, there is no need for frequent software updates).

The main disadvantages

• Due to the limitations of the display manufacturing technology, it is impossible to either watch videos or play games on the reader in a comfortable manner.
• The user is limited to the reading software set up by the manufacturer (you can’t read Google books anymore).
• E Ink screens are rather fragile, it is advisable to buy a hardcover.

Top 5 e-readers

Kindle Paperwhite 2018

Amazon e-reader industry gold standard

The world leader in the production of e-readers subsidizes them during the sale, hoping to offset the costs of income from book sales, making this process as easy as possible for device users. This makes Amazon Kindle the most tech device at a reasonable price. Amazon uses the latest generation of E Ink touchscreens, equips them with a backlight built into the display itself. The latest version of the Kindle is also protected from water.

PocketBook 627 Touch Lux 4

An omnivorous e-book that supports all popular book formats

This book is suitable for those who do not want for some reason to convert files to the desired format (it supports 18 formats). In addition to the backlit touch screen, it has control keys, which makes it easier to use for those who do not like touch interfaces. It also supports the PocketBook Cloud branded service for synchronizing books, bookmarks and memorizing reading positions with smartphones and tablets. This model has a browser, simple games, a calculator and a calendar.

PocketBook 641 Aqua 2

Backlit electronic book with dust and water protection

An improved version of the PocketBook 627 Touch Lux 4 e-book with protection against dust and moisture penetration according to IP57 class, which gives it the ability to endure such troubles as spilled drinks on the table or raindrops in bad weather. It has the same “omnivorous” and the support of numerous formats of digital books, as well as a touch screen with backlight.

PocketBook 740 InkPad 3 Pro

The best e-book for the student

The main feature of this e-book is its display, the diagonal of which is equal to 7.8 inches, which allows you to comfortably not just read but look at large diagrams and illustrations from PDF files. Therefore, it can replace a student’s whole portfolio with all textbooks, which will not need to be put in a pack every day. It weighs only 225 grams and is equipped with a backlit touch screen. It has water protection.

AirOn AirBook City Base

The Most Affordable E-Book with E Carta Screen

Despite the lowest price, this e-reader uses the E Ink Carta screen. It has a 6-inch screen with a resolution of 800×600 and 16 shades of gray, 4 gigabytes of internal memory, which can be expanded with microSD cards. But you need to understand that this is a compromise solution, you should not expect miracles and high performance. In addition, this is the only book on our list that does not have a touch screen or backlight.