The battle over e-readers is heating up rapidly, thanks to new hardware entries from the world’s two leading e-book manufacturers and the surprising popularity of e-book software on Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch. Although the total number of e-books is still well short of a single Steven King press run, the next-generation devices point to a steadily maturing market for digital literature.
On Friday, Sony announced the latest version of its e-reader, the Sony PRS-700 Reader. The device will be released next month and will cost approximately $400.
The many gadget blogs on the Web are also speculating that Amazon is about to announce the release an updated Kindle, and a few purported photos of the device have even been posted on sites like Engadget and Boy Genius Report. However, there is no word from Amazon about when a Kindle 2.0 might hit the market.
Cost continues to be one of the main impediments to widespread adoption of e-readers. According to Ross Rubin, an analyst with the NPD Group, the cost of the new Sony device will prevent any dramatic surge in sales.
“Right now,” Rubin said, “the e-reader market is a fairly small one, focusing primarily on the avid readers of New York Times best sellers and frequent travelers. Any big plans for dramatic market expansion will require a substantial reduction in price.”
The Sony PRS-700 offers a number of new features, but seems unlikely to get over the cost hurdle. The new reader will keep a slim profile and low weight (10 ounces, about the weight of a paperback book). However, the company is adding a reading light and the ability to turn pages by simply touching the screen, a feature that may have been inspired by the e-reader programs for the iPhone and iPod touch.
“Readers now have another choice…