While Amazon’s Kindle is credited for creating a renewed interest in e-book technology and currently reigning champ in the arena, Indigo Books and Music, the largest book retailer in Canada, is set to launch Shortcovers, its smartphone-based e-book reader.
E-book readers for smartphones have been available for a while now, but it’s Indigo’s close ties to the publishing world that make the new Indigo Shortcovers readers so dangerous to Amazon.
Like Kindle, readers of the Indigo Shortcovers program can preview a chapter of a book for free and then opt to either purchase the book chapter by chapter or the entire book. Indigo promises to have 50,000 titles (many hard to find elsewhere) available for download upon its release. In addition to book content, they plan to offer news articles, magazines, short stories, and blogs.
Indigo Shortcovers will have several Kindle-like abilities as well as a couple of very unique features. Shortcovers is scheduled for a late February release in the United States and is expected to do well.
Smartphone E-Book Readers
Indigo Books to Launch 'Shortcovers' To Challenge the Kindle Reader
Trend Themes
1. E-book Reading Apps - There is an increasing trend in the development of e-book reading apps for smartphones.
2. Competitive E-book Market - The introduction of Indigo Shortcovers poses a challenge to the dominance of Amazon's Kindle in the e-book market.
3. Diversification of E-book Content - Indigo Shortcovers plans to offer various types of content, including magazines, news articles, short stories, and blogs, in addition to books.
Industry Implications
1. Publishing Industry - The publishing industry can benefit from partnering with e-book readers like Indigo Shortcovers to expand their reach and offer a wider range of content.
2. Mobile App Development - The development of e-book reading apps for smartphones presents a growth opportunity for companies in the mobile app development industry.
3. Online Retail Industry - The launch of Indigo Shortcovers creates a competitive landscape for online retailers of e-books, potentially leading to innovative marketing and pricing strategies.