For thousands of years, books were the reserve of the rich, royalty or the priesthood. Books were expensive as they were copied by hand which took many weeks to do. At this time, the masses were unable to read and so the demand for books was very limited.
This was revolutionized with the invention of the Gutenberg Press which made reproducing books much quicker and easier and the distribution of books widened. Over time the unwashed masses started to learn to read and write and literacy slowly became the norm, rather than the exception.
Since the birth of computers, printing has changed again with technologies such as print on demand and electronic books. E-Books haven't really taken off beyond the Internet as most people dislike reading on a computer for any length of time. Most people wouldn't dream of reading a novel on their computer because the screen just isn't suitable and it strains the eyes after a while.
With the introduction of the Kindle, electronic books have changed yet again and become much more socially acceptable. They are no longer the domain of the geek or the Internet savvy. The Kindle has ensured that anyone, no matter how technically competent or incompetent they are can read and access electronic books.
With a nice clear screen and the ability to hold thousands of books, the Kindle has become hugely popular because it is convenient. At the end of the day on this small electronic device you can carry around an entire library in your pocket!
This, and the fact that Kindle books are cheaper than their printed versions, has meant that electronic books are becoming much more popular with readers. There are many free books available and there is even software on the market which will convert an Adobe PDF file in to a Kindle book, making it easy to rear.
With the new version of the Kindle featuring a text to speech function, a basic MP3 playing ability and a wireless / 3G function it is rapidly turning in to a multi function device. Whilst it is focusing on it's core purpose, reading books, the additional functionality is opening up other markets and uses.
Over the coming years we can see the Kindle being developed further and other electronic book readers being released to compete. This is a burgeoning market which is going from strength to strength and means there is a lot of potential.
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