Amazon Kindle is a boon to e-book market, all $0.12 of it

The AP has a story out on the Amazon Kindle's impact on the teensy tiny e-book market. It hasn't been insubstantial, with some reporting double digit increases in e-book sales since the Kindle's release, and it hasn't hurt the competition either -- Sony numbers were apparently doubled or tripled from what they were before the Kindle arrived. Opinions are still torn as to whether the Kindle is really the right device for the job, but the press buzz around the device has certainly impacted the struggling e-book market, which is hovering around $33 million of the $35 billion publishing business. Some analysts are fairly certain e-books will remain a small niche, similar to audiobooks, but we think everybody's missing the big picture here: direct-to-brain downloads. Get on it, people.

[rxse7en @ Apr 4th 2008 10:13AM]

If cell phone makers promoted the ebook functionality of their phones the likes of Kindle and other ebook readers would be in trouble. I've been reading ebooks since I owned my first Handspring Visor, through my Nokia phones with Symbian and now my iPhone.

[Lowest Ranked @ Apr 4th 2008 12:09PM]

I see what you did here.

You just had to squeeze that in there didn't ya?

[Zman @ Apr 4th 2008 10:14AM]

"which is hovering around $33 million of the $35 billion"

I believe you mean 35 million, not billion, correct?

[IT-Accountant @ Apr 4th 2008 10:17AM]

No, he doesn't. i work for a company that does legal publishing and believe me, the publishing industry is measured in billions, not millions. And yes, E-books make up less than .01% (that's 1/1000) of that market.

[nh @ Apr 4th 2008 11:43AM]

IT-Accountant? You should be more careful with your decimal points...

[dvsbstrd @ Apr 4th 2008 10:14AM]

It plays Doom? O_O

Reading just got more fun.

[Mark @ Apr 4th 2008 10:14AM]

ha! a screenshot of doom on it ... LOVE IT!

[Vesh @ Apr 4th 2008 10:15AM]

I'm sure some "Analysts" believed the PC would be a niche product back in the day. Give eBooks a few more years (probably more) to come around. I'll hold out until I can get full color e-ink displays.

[x3qt0r @ Apr 4th 2008 10:15AM]

direct to brain downloads.Sweet.
Can that happen in 5 days.
I have got exams around and too much to study.
spent too much time here on engadget.

[EricR @ Apr 4th 2008 10:18AM]

the publishing market is 35 billion

the e-book portion (of the publishing market) is 33 million

[Vesh @ Apr 4th 2008 10:20AM]

@Zman

Nope, they mean the e-book business makes up only $33 million of the $35 billion publishing business (i.e. less than 0.1% of the total publishing business).

Quite insignificant for now, but gotta start somewhere.

[aardvark sandwich @ Apr 4th 2008 10:21AM]

I did the intentionally misleading doom picture.

[aardvark sandwich @ Apr 4th 2008 10:21AM]

oops, thats 'dig'.

[Anthony @ Apr 4th 2008 10:22AM]

I'd say I loved my Sony Reader @ the start, but the new & interesting books available leave me cold- hence my Reader's been on the nightstand for a couple months now.

Sony- get on it- new books sell both books & Readers (& *r*eaders).

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Apr 4th 2008 10:27AM]

When I saw the photoshopped Kindle, I had to laugh.

I'm pretty sure it'll be hacked sooner or later! ;)

[Mike S. @ Apr 4th 2008 10:28AM]

Actually, .01 is the hundredths place... But whatever.

[Mike S. @ Apr 4th 2008 10:30AM]

Oops, The above was @ IT-Accountant... Wow.. An accountant doesn't know his decimals, scary.

[Mike S. @ Apr 4th 2008 10:31AM]

And the final one.. I'm an idiot, and .01% is .0001. So... I retract it all and move back to my abacus-based technology.

[ieko @ Apr 4th 2008 10:34AM]

Okay so I've thought about getting one of these, but the only reason I didn't is because I couldn't get my college textbooks from the kindle store. That's all I want Amazon! Give me college textbooks and I'm yours!

[Chebwa @ Apr 4th 2008 10:37AM]

The primary culprit is DRM, I think. Throw on a better display and manufacture tiny little flash cards (Micro SD?) to hold the e-books so people can feel like they *own* what they've purchased. Even I would buy one then.

[Acerguy @ Apr 4th 2008 10:40AM]

Acerguy approves this....you sir have gotten me wet.

[Chuckles McGee @ Apr 4th 2008 10:41AM]

Transfer Error: Capacity Full on Target Brain. Please forget something and try again.

[Brandon @ Apr 4th 2008 10:42AM]

Direct to brain download...
if it's good enough for the Matrix, it's good enough for me

[phanbouy @ Apr 4th 2008 1:48PM]

"like... whoa".

"would you like some more?"

"hell yeah. by the way... ya tellin me i can dodge bullets and the next two sequals will suck geometrically larger?"

(yes i know... Keanu would never use a 5 syllable word)

[Mark @ Apr 4th 2008 10:59AM]

Amazon should make a Kindle client for smartphones, net books, laptops, etc. that has all the automatic download convenience of their store on the hardware we already have.

[AG @ Apr 4th 2008 11:01AM]

Isn't the idea they control everything, like the iPod/iTunes model?

[robogeek @ Apr 4th 2008 11:08AM]

But some people can't stare at a Small LCD screen for reading a book, they would prefer the contrast of the E-paper

[CorpusBypassus @ Apr 4th 2008 11:12AM]

"Direct to brain downloads"? Actually that's available today and has proven quite popular. It's called TV. Download, no processing required.

[duffman @ Apr 4th 2008 11:13AM]

Yes, it plays doom, blends.

[Zeus.:God @ Apr 4th 2008 11:17AM]

But can it play Doom 3?

[robogeek @ Apr 4th 2008 11:18AM]

My coworker and I laughed for 5 mins on this one. Thanks

[Jesse S @ Apr 4th 2008 11:18AM]

They should sell combo e/audio books at a price less than that of buying it together.

Sometimes naration is nice when reading a book.

[analyzewithin @ Apr 4th 2008 11:27AM]

Total Yawn.
I got my first Palm in 2001 - and even then Palm offered ebooks and free ereader software for the Palm OS.
And my Palm did more stuff than the bulky Kindle.
What's the point of this again? ;)

[deedeedee @ Apr 4th 2008 11:34AM]

I used to read ebooks way back on my Nokia 6230, which btw, is the best phone EVER besides the iphone. Now I'm reading ebooks on my iPhone with the homebrewed Book application, iPhone is perfect for it, bright screen, big font, flicking through the pages is never easier. No love for Kindle, its too big.

I'm waiting for Apple to release yet another store of ebooks. for iphone and touch. they have audio books already so its possible, maybe iphone 1.3(or 3.0)

[Mark @ Apr 4th 2008 11:35AM]

They could still sell the Kindle hardware.

[Zak @ Apr 4th 2008 11:37AM]

I assume that the point is to read ebooks on a screen larger than a palm. Doesn't make any difference to me though, I wouldn't buy a Kindle either.

[nathan.wong @ Apr 4th 2008 11:38AM]

I don't think the makers of the Kindle or the Sony Reader have anything to worry about if cellphones can be advertised as ereaders. The screens are far too small, the battery life would basically suck, eye strain would be terrible and the overall reading experience will be very, very poor.

[Mugsy @ Apr 4th 2008 11:39AM]

"direct-to-brain downloads"

Woah, I know Kung Fu.

[Anthony @ Apr 4th 2008 11:46AM]

So you're saying that you don't own one based on semantics? You don't *own* the music you've bought, you don't *own* the TV recorded on your tivo, you don't *own* the DVDs in you collection.

Books make you feel you own them because they're physical, but take a look @ the first three pages of any book some time & remind yourself that you don't own them.

Rights management has been built into books for hundreds of years- one copy, one person at a time.

[rxse7en @ Apr 4th 2008 11:55AM]

Battery life is a non-issue on the cell phones--and the capability of just turning off wifi, bluetooth or cell radio while reading makes them last even longer. The ability to adjust between landscape and portrait, white on black or black on white text, font and font size makes for easy reading. The fact that the cell phones are backlit and you can have white text on an easy-to-read black background negates any eyestrain. The iPhone is a perfect book reader. Only complaints with Books.app is that I cannot choose landscape orientation and there is no option for autoscroll which was available on Mobireader for my Nokia phones or my Blackjack.

[Maze @ Apr 4th 2008 11:59AM]

Playing doom with Kindle do not prove that it is a nice e book at all. Even my mandowich can play doom while I am eating them. Hmmm, mandowich

[Mike @ Apr 4th 2008 12:02PM]

You're right that you don't own the rights to the IP in the music, book, DVD etc. However, you do own the physical media that they came on, and have the right to re-sell the item to someone else. You can sell your used books, DVDs, CDs etc. Dispite the fact that companies have tried to shut down these types of sales for a long time they are still legal (no matter what they might print on the case, cover).

With an e-book download, you can't (legally) sell the material to someone else, but with distribution on a physical media (cd, memory card etc) you would be able to re-sell the media when you were done with it. So an electronic download is less valuable then a physical sale because you loose the ability to re-sell the item.

THIS is a very important destinction that the distribution companies are very aware of.

[Dan Davis @ Apr 4th 2008 12:04PM]

I've been seriously considering getting one of these. I like the Sony reader better, but I'm afraid that Amazon will have wayyyy more ebooks available and eventually pull a Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD move on Sony.

To the people who own the Sony -- what's it looking like out there?

[hugoliva @ Apr 4th 2008 12:07PM]

My thoughts exactly. I've read 3 of Chuck Palahniuk's books in my N95-3 since December last year. Nothing beats it in terms of convenience and portability.

[Nuclear Fire @ Apr 4th 2008 12:10PM]

I'm not sure how the Kindle is supposed to impact the market when Amazon can't get the devices to the customers that ordered them. The Amazon Kindle Forums are full of people expressing frustration that the device they ordered 4-6 weeks ago hasn't arrived. They'll need to get a good number of devices to the people themselves before any kind of impact will be seen and if there will be any kind true change in the market it will only be after enough early adopters are seen with their devices and the gen public are exposed and maybe decide to sign up.

[Christian @ Apr 4th 2008 12:26PM]

Direct to brain downloads would be so awesome

[RYANGee @ Apr 4th 2008 12:30PM]

I would disagree. E-ink tech battery usage is based on page changes. No way a phone's battery would last anywhere near that of an reader. And reflective light reading is much better for your eyes than a cell display, regardless of the font scheme used.

[RYANGee @ Apr 4th 2008 12:31PM]

^ @rxse7en

[emailtabs @ Apr 4th 2008 12:36PM]

Hmmmmm, "I hack my brain!" comes to mind.

Engadget 2020,

Poll: What OS are you running on your Brain?

The native OS, God wrote this in Perl dontcha know?

XP sp15, its retro chic, Baby!

Linux, a bit commercialised but best!.

DOS, Old school but who makes hacks for DOS, eh?

Windows 12, vista reloaded.

Something else entirely.. well thats what they tell me.

[emailtabs @ Apr 4th 2008 12:36PM]

Hmmmmm, "I hack my brain!" comes to mind.

Engadget 2020,

Poll: What OS are you running on your Brain?

The native OS, God wrote this in Perl dontcha know?

XP sp15, its retro chic, Baby!

Linux, a bit commercialised but best!.

DOS, Old school but who makes hacks for DOS, eh?

Windows 12, vista reloaded.

Something else entirely.. well thats what they tell me.