Analysts predict eReaders to be the next big gadget

The Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and the Sony Reader all had impressive showings during the holiday rush. Many devices were purchased and a lot of revenue was generated. While there are already a few notable big players in the market, many analysts predict that CES 2010 will unveil multiple other eReaders that look to take center stage.

First, let’s see how eReaders fared this holiday season and what kind of predictions there are for upcoming years. eReader sales were about 1 million in 2008, but are predicted to hit 32 million in 2014. The reason being the price will have come down, there will be more devices available, and the general public will be more welcoming towards this new technology. In terms of revenue, Amazon generated about $624 million in 2009, yet the Credit Suisse report predicts revenue to reach an astounding $1.8 billion in 2014. Even Google is getting into the game by building up their online eBook collection.

Since CES 2010 is right around the corner, you can bet some companies will have on display their latest eReader. In fact, Plastic Logic and Spring Design will have their own products called the Que and Alex, respectively. The Que measures at 8.5 x 11 inches, download eBooks from Barnes & Noble, and can display PowerPoints, PDFs, spreadsheets, and other documents. The Alex by Spring Design is a dual screen device, one being a six inch screen for normal, anti-glare text reading, and the other screen runs on Google Android to surf the web and watch YouTube videos.

Lastly, there are many rumors swirling about the possible Apple Tablet. And Yair Reiner from Oppenheimer & Co thinks Apple will produce a 10 inch Tablet priced around $1000, which could be a major player in the eReader department.

Via [Chicago Tribune]