IHS iSuppli has reported unit sales of pure-play ebook
reader in 2011to reach 27.1 million units, up a resounding
108 percent from 13.0 million in 2010. The vast majority
of these displays are monochrome.
The other findings reported include:
The strong growth this year arises from a relentless marketing
push and attractive pricing by ebook reader brands in order
to promote sales of the devices. However, in the face of
stiff competition from color-display tablets like Apple
Inc.'s iPad, sales growth of ebook readers and displays
will slow in the coming years. Display shipment growth next
year, for instance, will drop by two-thirds to 37 percent
based on projected shipments of 37.1 million units, as shown
in the figure below. In 2015, the market will suffer a decline
in shipments. This will prompt ebook reader makers to seek
new markets and adopt color display alternatives to freshen
up their product offerings.
Ebook readers long have employed a type of electronic paper
known as the electrophoretic display (EPD). However, an
alternative microelectromechanical system (MEMS) color display
technology known as Mirasol has been introduced by San Diego-based
Qualcomm Inc.
The Mirasol display technology has been implemented in
a non-English ebook reader called Kyobo, developed in tandem
with the biggest bookseller of South Korea. The Kyobo ebook
reader features a 5.6-inch, 1024 by 768-pixel Mirasol display,
with a pixel density of 225 ppi.
Mirasol matches typical EPD characteristics, such as wide
viewing angles and readability in sunlight. But what sets
the Qualcomm technology apart is its capability to exhibit
full color and deliver fast response speeds, without compromising
the low-power benefits provided by traditional monochrome
ebook readers. A charge on the Kyobo ebook reader can last
for weeks, based on 30 minutes of reading per day on the
device.
The Mirasol-based Kyobo is not cheap, coming at a price
tag of 349,000 Korean won, equivalent to $319. This is even
more expensive than a tablet device such as the Amazon Kindle
Fire or the Barnes & Noble Nook Color, and nearly four
times as much as the cheapest monochrome Amazon Kindle ebook
reader at $79. What will be required for Mirasol to gain
share will be improved cost competitiveness, deployment
in large-volume products and an aggressive strategy to help
create devices for attractive markets.
The road ahead, however, is uncertain. Even though Mirasol
technology has the potential to become a game-changer in
the ebook market, the years ahead could prove challenging,
IHS believes, given the current limited manufacturing capacity
and associated higher costs for producing the color display.
Future growth in the ebook reader space likely will come
from vertical markets such as education, where a single
use case may be preferred over the multiple features and
functionalities supported by a converged device like a tablet.
The challenge here is that the ebook reader devices for
possible use in these markets have not yet been defined
or designed. Nonetheless, pure-play ebook readers have a
number of built-in advantages, including light weight and
a battery life lasting weeks on a single charge.
"Ebook readers have made great inroads among consumers
following their introduction a few years ago, exemplified
by the success of the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes &
Noble Nook," said Vinita Jakhanwal, senior manager
for small and medium displays at IHS. "However, ebook
readers' monochrome displays are being challenged today
by the vibrant color displays of tablet devices like the
iPad. Ebook readers can increase their appeal by adding
color displays and by focusing on vertical markets like
education.
