Amazon has had a fantastic year in 2009. Most of the credit for that must go to the Kindle ebook reader family. The Kindle 2.0 and its larger sibling, the DX, have been a runaway success for Amazon. The Kindle is now Amazon’s top selling product.

Right now the Kindle accounts for 60% of the US ebook reader market. The Kindle 2.0 recently launched internationally. Even if Amazon don’t achieve the same high level of success globally – although it’s difficult to see why they wouldn’t – the enlarged volume of the market is going to help Amazon to even better results in 2010.

Some industry watchers seem to feel that much of the Kindle’s success up to this point has been down to a dearth of genuine competition. Whilst it may be true that there weren’t many e-book readers around to go head to head with the Kindle in the early stages, it would perhaps be nearer the truth to say that the Kindle’s success was mainly due to the fact that it was an innovative, market changing product.

There are certainly enough alternative readers available today – or due for launch in the near future. The long list of companies which either already have their own readers on the market or planned for imminent release is a strong sign of the level of expansion which can be predicted in the e-book reader market. Whilst it is true that the market for ebook readers is still nascent, it has received support from a variety of different sources – including the world of academic publishing and various political bodies. Rapid growth looks inevitable.

A further strong indicator of the predicted level of growth in this sector is the high volume of third party goods on offer to customise, protect and accessorise ebook readers. Currently the majority of these items are intended for Amazon’s Kindle reader. If you need a Kindle cover, Kindle reading light or a spare charger then there are any number of independent manufacturers ready and willing to cater to your needs. The choice for alternative readers, such as Sony’s Daily Edition and the Nook reader from Barnes and Noble will begin to expand as their popularity increases.

Just as 2009 was a good year for Amazon, it seems reasonable to expect 2010 to see ebook readers become generally more popular. Amazon’s dominance will be challenged and higher levels of competition will tend to force prices downwards – quite possibly to the point where ebook readers are considered to be a mainstream consumer item rather than a high technology gadget.

Market analysts predict that a price of around $ 150 is what is required for this to happen. Bearing in mind the amount of competition in the sector, it’s not too fanciful to suppose that this price point may be reached during 2010.

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Technology and Gadgets