A recent article from Digitimes takes a look into e-reader shipments and market share. According to the article, 1.35 million e-book readers were shipped globally in the second quarter of 2010, falling short of the forecasted 2.02 million units. Digitimes speculates that this is due to several companies’ shipments of new models being pushed back to the third quarter in addition to lower than expected sales in China.
Digitimes research indicates that Barnes & Noble took the leading position in the second quarter with 33% market share, followed by Amazon's 27%. However, Amazon is expected to regain the leading position in the third quarter when the company launches a new product.
Digitimes Research forecasts that the global e-book reader market will reach seven million units in the second half of 2010 and attain the target of 10 million units for the whole year.
Despite not meeting forecasts, the e-reader market is growing rapidly, and this trend is expected to continue as global demand rises. In fact, according to Amazon’s website, the Kindle is currently sold out. Although this is more likely in preparation for a new device or alteration, as it is rumored that Amazon will release an updated Kindle or third generation product in August, it is still an interesting move. Amazon is expected to release a less expensive WiFi only device in response to Barnes and Noble’s plans for the same.
