The future of eBooks: A perfect storm product

Various eBooks on the market

Forty years ago, Michael Hart laid the groundwork for eBooks with Project Guttenberg¹. What began as a small non-profit endeavor to provide books to the masses has since blossomed into a multibillion dollar industry. While eBook technology has made great strides in its brief history, it should be noted that eBooks are still in their infancy compared to other technologies.

Where do eBooks stand today?

Current eBooks are still trying to find that perfect combination of looks, inner-workings and functionality. This search has lead to two very different sets of technology: eBooks based on electronic ink, seen in devices like Amazon’s Kindle; or LCD-based readers in the vein of Apple’s iPad.

There are more eBooks on the market using electronic ink than LCD technology. As previously mentioned, this technology differs from your laptop or desktop in a number of ways.

Flexible display in action

Flexible Displays

The first difference is noticed in its casing. eBooks use what is called a flexible display, which is similar to paper in a variety of ways. Flexible displays are thin, light-weight and extremely durable. The display also presents content differently in that it relies electronic ink to form words and images instead of pixels².

Electronic Ink

Electronic ink can be applied to the same materials that regular ink can be printed on. In the form of a digital book, the ink is within the millions of microcapsules of the flexible display³. Each microcapsule is wired to microelectronics that apply either a positive or negative charge to the microcapsule to create the desired text or image³.

Alternate technical illustration of electronic ink. First one can be found in "What makes eBooks so darn special?" blog.

Compared to LCD screens, electronic ink allows for roughly twice the resolution, better visibility in sunlight, and requires much less energy². However, there are some downsides to this technology.

LCD-based displays are known for their vivid use of color and ability to display motion graphics. Despite explorations in the world of color⁴, electronic ink is currently only able to show content in blue and white³. And due to the slow refresh rate of electronic ink, it’s unable to present quality motion graphics⁴.

The video above is an example of how motion graphics currently display using electronic ink.

Implications of eBooks in the book industry

As eBooks become more affordable and accessible, many publishers share a growing concern that the book industry may be in jeopardy. But there are some publishers that welcome the change.

While newspaper and magazine publishers may wait around for the technology to standardize, publishers like Penguin Books can shape the industry to their liking by participating in the development of eBooks⁵.

Penguin Books sees this new technology as an opportunity rather than a constraint. John Makinson, CEO of Penguin Books, has recently been quoted as saying, “The definition of the book itself is up for grabs⁵.” Aside from willingly publishing digital content, Penguin Books is also launching their own applications as supporting content for their products⁵.

eBooks of the future

An idea of what eBooks might look like 10-15 years from today.

While sales for eBooks have been steadily increasing, it was the iPad that has dominated the market – selling over two million devices in 60 days⁷. And while the iPad uses LCD-based technology rather than electronic ink, its popularity indicated that media convergence is a desired, if not necessary, trait in today’s world.

If you look at the marketplace, people are already reading eBooks on their iPhones and listening to music on their eBooks⁶. But current eBook technology limits the media it can distribute. In the future I envision an electronic ink/LCD hybrid that utilizes the best traits of both worlds. This single future device may even replace all other technologies, resulting in a perfect storm product.

The future is on the horizon, and we’re just seeing a glimpse of it.

Sources:

1. ^”eBooks.” Wikipedia, 19 Apr. 2010. Web.
2. ^Woodford, Chris. “Electronic Books.” Explain That Stuff!.” Apr. 09 2010. Web.
3. ^Bonsor, Kevin. “How Electronic Ink Works.” How Stuff Works. Discovery, 2010. Web.
4. ^Springmann, Alessondra. “Color E-ink: Electrowetting Brings Color and Video to E-book Reader Screens.” PC World. PC World Communications, Inc., Apr. 23 2010. Web.
5. ^Weir, David. “How the Future of eBooks is Up for Grabs.” BNET (15 Mar 2010). Web. 24 May 2010.
6. ^Enderle, Rob. “The Future of eBooks: Flexible Screens and Beyond.” Digital Trends (15 Dec 2009): 1-2. Web. 24 May 2010.
7. ^Kumar, Mathew. “iPad Sells Two Million in Sixty Days, Outpacing iPhone’s Launch.” 1UP. UGO Entertainment, 01 Jun 2010. Web. 2 Jun 2010.

Meet the Kobo, Borders first forray into the eBook market

The Kobo reader

While they may be months behind some competitors, and years behind Amazon, Borders has entered the eBook market with the Kobo and the launching of its eBook Store.

Weighing no more than eight ounces and measuring 4.7 inches by 7.2 inches, the Kobo is lighter and smaller than its Kindle rival¹, while matching its 6 inch e-ink display². The reader has 1GB of memory¹ with a bonus SD slot for additional storage². The Kobo supports Epub, PDF and Adobe’s DRM formats¹, and comes preloaded with 100 ‘classic’ books, which is more than any reader on the market³.

Currently available for pre-order, the Kobo retails for $149.99². This makes the Kobo the cheapest reader on the market, roughly $100 cheaper than the Kindle. The only other reader that comes close to this – at a rumored price of  $199.99 – is the Sony Pocket Reader, which has yet to hit stores³.

What makes the Kobo so inexpensive?

The Kobo is a pretty bare bones reader. Most significant to critics is its lack of 3G wireless and WiFi accessibility – meaning that instead of wirelessly purchasing your books, you have to hook the device up directly to your PC, or through Bluetooth, to download them or from the proposed “Area-e ™ boutiques” at Borders locations³.

The trend in mobile devices has been to offer users independence from computers, while this device makes the computer key to its operation¹. But according to the data supplied from Apple’s iBook Store, and interpreted by PaidContent, even the “most passionate early adopters and profligate media spenders […] don’t buy books very often”³. With this information in mind, it seems as though the addition of WiFi and 3G are merely an unnecessary price premium for other devices on the market³.

On a technical level, the Kobo is a good entry-level reader. If anything, the Kobo’s low price point will serve as a means of attracting people originally put off by the high price tag of the many other readers on the market. In a market were all the readers look generally the same, the price will be the most important factor consumers consider, which may result in a ripple effect caused by the Kobo.

While I highly doubt readers such as the Kindle will do away with their wireless capabilities, I do suspect that many eBook companies will lower their prices in an attempt to attract possible audiences. Hopefully these companies won’t lower their prices at the expense of new developments in their field.

Source(s):

1. ^Dickter , Adam. “Borders Enters Hot & Heavy E-Book Market with Kobo.” Wireless News. Top Tech News, 08 May 2010. Web. 11 May 2010.
2. ^Robbins, Kathryn. “Borders hopes the Kobo can cut the Kindle to pieces.” Tainted Green. N.p., 07 May 2010. Web. 11 May 2010.
3. ^Dannen, Chris. “Borders’ Newest E-Book Reader: How the Kobo Could Still Win the Race.” BNET, 10 May 2010. Web. 11 May 2010.

What makes eBooks so darn special?

Will the eBook replace its ancestor?

Of all media, the book is the only format that has provided entertainment for centuries while demanding very little in return. So how can eBook technology compete against a seemingly perfect medium?

LCD Screens Just Don’t Work

Over the past 40 years, eBook technology has grown exponentially, with the most significant developments being its display. In the beginning, the first eReaders used small versions of LCD laptop screens. These displays had a resolution of about 90 pixels per inch (ppi), which led to the unsightly pixilation of content¹.

No need to adjust your speakers. This video has no sound.

Modern eReaders use what is called a flexible display. Flexible displays are actually a plastic similar to paper. It’s super thin, incredibly light in weight, and, compared to an LCD screen, is extremely durable. Flexible displays also differ from LCDs because they do not rely on pixels to create content. Instead, eReaders are currently working with something called ‘electronic ink’.

Understanding Electronic Ink

Shortened to e-ink, this new technology displays words and images by using tiny black and white plastic granules that move about inside microscopic, spherical capsules under precise electronic control. This allows for displays that are twice the resolution of ordinary computer screens, are clearly visible in sunlight, and require much less power consumption – making it the only technology which rivals paper¹.

To fully understand the process of e-ink, imagine that the flexible display is divided into a grid-like layout. Within each square are millions of microcapsules or cavities, measuring 100 microns wide. To give you a better perspective of the size, roughly 100,000 microcapsules can fit into a square inch of paper².

Technical illustration of electronic ink

Inside each microcapsule or cavity float pigmented chips or balls with a negative charge and, depending on the e-ink brand, either an ink or oily substance. Each square is wired to microelectronics embedded into the flexible display and when active, apply a positive or negative charge to the microcapsule to create the desired text or images².

eBooks Experiment with Color Displays

Today’s e-ink works with white chips and blue ink, but multicolor displays and motion graphics are in the works. Aside from more developments in e-ink, other possible technologies include ones based on a type of microelectromechanical system and electrowetting.

The microelectromechanical system, currently being developed by Mirasol, uses tiny mobile reflective surfaces to change the state of colors. This is compared to the iridescence seen in nature, i.e., butterfly wings and peacock feathers³.

Technical illustration of Mirasol display

The electrowetting process is presently only available in Europe, having been developed by a company called LiquiVista and hopes to create displays that are capable of producing color or video. While the Kindle is capable of displaying low quality video, the electrowetting process relies on an electric charge to move colored oil drops to change a display’s color or play video at a higher quality⁴.

eBooks have much more to offer than as a means of allowing users to save space. Its screen technologies are giving traditional books some competition with the development of energy-saving technology and adaptable screens, with seemingly more innovations to come. With the advancement of modern technology, one has to wonder if centuries-old book will measure up to that of eBooks within the next 50 years?

Source(s):

1. ^Woodford, Chris. “Electronic Books.” Explain That Stuff!. Apr. 09 2010. Web.

2. ^Bonsor, Kevin. “How Electronic Ink Works.” How Stuff Works. Discovery, 2010. Web.

3. ^”Mirasol Display: Ebook Reader Technology Takes Flight.” eBook Reader Resource. 2009. Web.

4. ^Springmann, Alessondra. “Color E-ink: Electrowetting Brings Color and Video to E-book Reader Screens.” PC World. PC World Communications, Inc., Apr. 23 2010. Web.

The printing revolution witnesses next step in evolution

The growing technology of eBooks has the potential to break down the barriers of ignorance and illiteracy on a global scale. Poised to be the next phase in the printing revolution, eBooks will allow the proliferation of knowledge that is readily accessible and relatively inexpensive. How do I know this? Because it’s happened before.

Illustration of the Gutenberg Press

The printing press and its social effects

The world’s first printing press was invented over 500 years ago by Johannes Gutenberg and his associates, Andreas Dritzehn and Andreas Heilmann. As an extension of movable type brought west by the Chinese, Gutenberg added his skills as a goldsmith and the invention of the screw press to create a printing press that would lead to the mass production of books.

Prior 1439, books had been printed and illustrated by hand in monasteries. This resulted in expensive books that only went to the upper class. Gutenberg’s invention was able to produce many books at a price the middle class could afford, resulting in better education and higher literacy rates throughout Germany. Due to his success, other printmakers sought to own their own printing presses and soon all of Europe was affected by the invention.

Project Gutenberg

Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, had similar aspirations. In 1971, Hart was allowed access to one of the few supercomputers at that time. Hart was so grateful that he decided he would do something to “give back” to the world, and thus the idea of eBooks came about.

When the concept of eBooks was realized, it had a very limited audience as the digitized materials focused on small interest groups. Lacking commercial appeal, they became an underground movement that spawned many different formats. Because there wasn’t a standard format, the small group of followers were fragmented further. As the Internet grew in popularity, the eBook fanbase was able to publish their own digital catalogs — eventually spreading the concept and building interest in the idea.

A variety of eReaders available today

The potential of eBooks

To consumers, eBooks make it possible to contain a library in the palm of their hand. It can be accessed at any time and in any location. Aside from convenience, eBooks also possess the ability to enlarge text or read back the content for those with poor or non-existing eyesight. And this technology advances still.

Today, we’re witness to a new agent of change, as a myriad of eBook technologies enter the market. Within the past few years, their numbers have grown from Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader, to now include models from Barnes & Noble, Apple, and even some not-so-famous brands like Neophonie.

Like the Gutenberg press, eBooks started as an idea that has since grown to something more. Whole libraries of knowledge will have the capability to spread not just across a country or continent, but across the planet. As technology advances, more eBooks will enter the market (just as more printing presses started in Europe) and the price for such technology will fall. Both of these factors were key to the first printing revolution, and I believe we’re witnessing its next steps.

Source(s):

1. “eBooks.” Wikipedia, 19 Apr. 2010. Web.
2. Hart, Michael. “Gutenberg:The History and Philosophy of Project Gutenberg.” Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg, Aug. 1992. Web. 19 Apr 2010.
3. “Printing Press.” Wikipedia, 19 Ap. 2010. Web.
4. Steiner, Hans-Christoph. “Movable Type: Pi Sheng, 1041.” Nonlinear History of New Media Timeline Spring 2004. Web.