"Cover bubble noodle artifact" almost failed? The e-book reader is not yet at the end of the curtain

"Cover bubble noodle artifact" almost lost? Recently, a "Kindle or withdrawal from the Chinese market" news has not gone away, instantly stirring up thousands of waves. Although the official quickly debunked the rumors, it was only the shortage of chips that led to the shortage of goods, but from the Lack of Performance of Kindle in the market in recent years, it can also be seen that as a pure e-book reader, it has gradually lost the favor of consumers.

Nowadays, how easy the "cover noodle artifact" is, how fragrant the former Kindle is. In that era of smart electronic devices, the Kindle e-book reader may not be the most creative, but it must be an epoch-making electronic product. If you say, Jobs's iPhone let the world see that the original mobile phone can replace the physical keyboard with a whole screen. Kindle, then, lets people see that the original book can also be "read" through a screen. The ink screen that simulates a paper book, the size of a one-handed hand, the closed system of a single function, and the "Wenqing" attribute bonus that people jokingly call it, these distinctive labels have made the Kindle soar in the domestic market. According to official data, since landing in the Chinese market in 2013, as of June 2018, the Kindle e-book reader has sold millions of units in China.

However, there is no eternal "hegemon" in the market. Although kindle still accounts for more than 60% of the global e-book reader market, its fading popularity in the domestic market is visible to the naked eye. First find the reason from itself, Kindle in the follow-up product optimization and upgrade, although it can not be said to be nothing new, but it can also be regarded as lackluster. The product design is backward and trendy, the equipment configuration is low, the function is too monotonous, and the pricing in the Chinese market is "unsatisfactory"... Gradually, consumers began to turn to domestic brands with higher cost performance and better quality and function.

But the bigger impact comes from a shift in consumer habits — e-book readers are no longer exclusive to consumers. Who would have thought that smartphones and e-book readers of the same era of products, the former today, a casual app can take out most of the latter's functions, maybe even better than it did. Moreover, when the reading experience of the ink screen is not enough to erase the portability of smartphones, it is self-evident what choice people will make. In addition, the current mobile phone is not only able to read books, but also long and short videos, listening to live books and other more interesting ways of "reading" than reading text. It is not surprising that e-readers are full of "bubble noodle fragrance".

Rather than saying that e-book readers are not fragrant, it is better to say that under the trend of audio and video reading, text reading and the public are gradually drifting away. However, because of the temporary decline of the reading environment, it is still too early to judge that the e-reader has entered the countdown to exit. In fact, e-book readers have always been an essential tool for deep reading users. According to a survey, China's e-book reader shipments in 2020 will be 2.37 million units, and will grow to 2.75 million units by 2023, which shows its market potential. In the context of the decline in the competitiveness of the head brand, this is an opportunity for domestic brands to catch up. In addition to bold innovation in expanding the functional experience, we should also work content services. After all, content is the lifeblood of reading. When the e-reader wafts out the "fragrance of books", naturally someone will smell the incense.

(Chen Wenjie)

Source: Guangzhou Daily