Trevor Dolby always believed the simple e-reader was a passing fad, and so statistics now seem to be demonstrating. If the trend continues, Amazon will begin to lose its grip on power.
"It is the convergent devices that will take over the market. The unannounced but pretty much certain iTablet and its equivalents will be the devices on which we will all read books. In five years the Kindle and Sony ebook will no longer exist. On our wafer-thin computers, like large iPod touches, we will be reading a book while listening to music. The phone will ring or mail will ping, the machine will ask if you want to answer, you will chat, hang up, and the machine will ask if you want to continue reading. As for battery life, these devices will recharge continually via wi-fi... The Kindle will go the way of the Amstrad Displaywriter."
Links of the week May 13 2013 (20)
Our new feature links to interesting blogs or articles posted online, which will help keep you up to date with what's going on in the book world:
20 May 2013
Coupled with the Kindle/iPad switch, at the end of last year there was the "shock news" that ebooks sales were slowing down in the US. The news was accompanied by the singularly unedifying spectacle of consultants and pundits bouncing around like bees in a bottle trying to justify their previous tarot reading that ebook sales would have 80 per cent of the market in short order. The whole situation reminds me of multibillion dollar car companies who sold themselves and governments the idea that electric cars would be the future. How did that happen? Electric cars will never take over the world (fuel cells and hybrids might and a mega leap in battery technology might help). They simply never will, because they will always grind to a halt on the slip road of a motorway, or between the shops and your granny's house - ie. they are not perfect for the job.
National Literacy TrustUK-based organisation which has campaigned since 1993 to improve literacy standards across all age groups. Excellent research information and details of the many initiatives the charity is currently involved in. www.literacytrust.org.uk. It also has a useful page of news stories on UK literacy, which links to newsletter http://www.readitswapit.co.uk/TheLibrary.aspx campaign 'Reading Stars', with Premier League footballers such as Theo Walcott, is a huge success, inspiring more children to read and raising library attendance and literacy.
A reading campaign based around Premier League footballers has been a resounding success, according to the full report released today by the National Literacy TrustUK-based organisation which has campaigned since 1993 to improve literacy standards across all age groups. Excellent research information and details of the many initiatives the charity is currently involved in. www.literacytrust.org.uk. It also has a useful page of news stories on UK literacy, which links to newsletter http://www.readitswapit.co.uk/TheLibrary.aspx. The scheme, which was launched in January 2012 by footballers such as Theo Walcott and backed by The Duchess of Cornwall, the patron of the National Literacy Trust, has had a dramatic effect on the 34,000 participating pupils:
75% of pupils made six months to a year's progress in reading in just 10 weeks
75% of pupils said they now read more because they know footballers read
Pottermore picked up the Digital Strategy of the Year award at The Bookseller Industry Awards, beating an incredibly strong shortlist that included Orion's SF Gateway, Nosy Crow, Kobo, Random House, Harlequin, Penguin and Bloomsbury. I thought it was worth reflecting on the award and why Pottermore won it.
Pottermore did not win the award simply because it had the Harry Potter brand, it won because of the vision, and because of the execution of that vision. Pottermore could have been a disaster. If you want the background here it is: Pottermore, before its launch, was being written off. The strategy, as stated at its slightly premature announcement, looked overly ambitious, and what we had seen of the site up until the launch point, seemed a touch flakey. On the e-book side, all we really knew was that OverDrive was involved, and even that had some shaking their heads. Few could square the circle on how Pottermore would live up to its promise of making the e-books widely available across all devices from one location.