Over the course of 2015 there was a lot of notable new e-readers which have hit the market. Barnes and Noble launched their first new mannequin in virtually three years with the Nook Glowlight Plus, whereas Kobo launched two totally different models. All eyes are on Amazon proper now for his or her Kindle Voyage 2, Kindle Paperwhite 4 and entry stage Kindle Fundamental, which ought to be introduced within the subsequent few weeks. With so many fashions to select from, what options is the typical buyer on the lookout for? We search to deal with this query with new analysis report, from Good e-Reader.
Two weeks in the past we requested the query What do you search for in an e-reader. 1724 folks took half within the survey and so they weighed in on all the pieces from the dimensions of the display, to model identify recognition.
The primary function that’s most essential to folks seeking to purchase a brand new e-reader is decision. Within the final two years with the appearance of e-Ink Carta e-readers have dramatically elevated in readability and 300 PPI is the norm. This leads to crisper textual content and having the ability to precisely learn a greater variety of digital content material, comparable to manga, newspapers and PDF recordsdata. 314 folks, which amounted to 18%, mentioned this was most essential.
252 folks or 14.62% of the vote mentioned that an e-reader that supported a number of e-book codecs was most essential to them. This isn’t shocking as a result of there are a variety of codecs on the market, every with their very own virtues. Amazon has their very own proprietary e-book format, which makes their whole line of e-readers not very viable if you wish to borrow e-book from the library or store round on-line for offers. Most different gadgets in the marketplace assist EPUB, which is suitable with most e-readers.
242 folks, which represented 14% of the general vote mentioned that display dimension was probably the most essential function they regarded for in a brand new e-reader. Nearly the entire e-readers at present out there within the North American market are six inches in dimension, which is pretty pocket pleasant and low cost to fabricate. In the meantime, in Europe there are a variety of corporations making bigger display e-readers, such because the Icarus XL and Onyx Boox i86, however they endure from viability points and model consciousness.
Different notable options that folks search for, is PDF compatibility and a great rendering engine (12.65%) and an SD Card, to boost inside storage (11.48%). The typical person additionally thinks operating Android is essential, to allow them to set up their very own e-reading apps and never be locked into anyone particular ecosystem (7.37%)
What shocked me about this knowledge is that among the options that I assumed had been essential to the present technology of e-readers didn’t resonate effectively with our viewers. Solely 5.74% mentioned audio was essential, whereas 2.67% mentioned Bluetooth was essential for his or her shopping for choices. Lastly, 4.81% talked about that model identify recognition was most essential, a Kindle for Kindles sake.
That is nice knowledge, and ought to be significantly thought-about by any firm seeking to enter the e-reader house or are within the technique of designing one.
Hearken to the audio model of this report, with expanded commentary.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the previous fifteen years. Newspapers and web sites such because the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Publish and the New York Instances have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
