South Africa at the moment has a small fixed line Internet market. A large portion of users rather use a cellphone to connect to Internet services. mXit and facebook for example get more users from mobile phones than from fixed line Internet users in my opinion. It is an estimate but I believe it is the case at the moment. So eReaders and eBooks are for the early adopters in our country. A small amount in comparison to the bigger markets found in America and Europe.
At the moment there are only 2 options. It is either buy an Apple iPad or an Amazon Kindle to be able to enjoy eBooks. Sony , Barnes and Noble and others also manufacture eReaders but they are not as popular.
There are multiple reasons that make these devices outshine physical books:
- The purchasing process for new literature is very convenient and almost instantly available after paying for the new eBook. You need an Internet connection and your device and then the transfer can occur.
- There is a degree of conservation in it as the eBooks are saved on the device and not printed on paper.
- You will also save on space and clutter that books can create. Is one problem not always looking for a place to put that new book for future reference? Your device and eBooks will take a lot less space.
- Your books can be read on multiple platforms. The Kindle application is available for the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android platforms.
- The ability to search within your eBook replaces the need for the long search via the Index. Saving precious time and not finding that text will happen seldom.
I am also aware that some people still want to buy the book and read it. In time though I think eReaders will dominate this section in the print industry. So bookstore owners maybe need to rethink their long term strategy.
