Ebook Reader Marketplace Heats Up

Link to October 11 time.com post, "Kindle Killers? The Boom in New E-Readers".

Excerpt: Success breeds imitators. Amazon is about to be attacked by a squadron of would-be Kindle killers that are being brought to market by some of the biggest names in consumer electronics and publishing. To complicate the increasingly competitive landscape even further, Apple and, according to rumor, Microsoft are working on tablet computers that could prove to be handy e-readers but with more functions and features, such as video-display capability and full Web browsers. The year "2009 is a breakout year for e-readers," says Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst with Forrester Research. "But we're still in the early stages."

Will consumers embrace this technology in a big way or end up confused by the increasing number of choices?

According to retrevo, Survey Says "All Signs Point to Strong Holiday Season for eBook Readers".

Will you buy an e-Reader this year?

21% yes

79% no

26% male

17% female

Brand name

62% Amazon Kindle

32% Sony Reader

6% other

Age

29% under 25

40% 25-34

22% 35-44

10% 45 and older (RG increasingly inclined to purchase)

Income

16% $50,000-$100,000

33% $100,000-$200,000

Geography

29% Northeast

22% South

20% Midwest

14% West