- Thursday, 26 November 2009
- INQ Mobile
- RSS
It's really easy to cheat on the benchmarks - Bob Colwell, former Intel chief architect
Taiwan wants control of the ebook industry
THE TAIWANESE government has decided to roll out a cunning five year plan to see its companies control 80 per cent of the ebook manufacturing industry.
According to DigiTimes Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs will spend $65 million to boost development of digital publication industries in Taiwan.
However its long term plan is to have Taiwanese ebook readers reach a global market share of 80 per cent of sales. The Ministry seems to think that the industry is going to be worth billions by 2013.
Its project includes the development of two to three trading platforms for Chinese-language e-books. It has ordered the creation of 10 "innovative applications" for the ebook platform and wants to see 100,000 Chinese-language e-books published.
Taiwanese analysts believe that ebooks need some form of government help to take off. If the government provides assistance then the industry will make sure that the digital books revolution will be based around local companies who make the hardware. All fairly clever thinking if it works. µ
Share this:
ShareBusiness Intelligence Software
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Enterprise Accounting Software
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Enterprise Systems Management
If Taiwan starts producing a low-cost, high-quality e-reader, that alone could launch the eBook industry. Preferably one with a rapid digital ink display (easier on the eyes). The $250 - $350 units currently available are keeping most people from trying eBooks.
Video tape wasn't much until low-cost equipment entered the scene, then it skyrocketed. Same for DVD which has almost completely replaced VCR's.
eBooks won't replace paper, but it will dent that market severely. Mass market paperbacks have gotten too expensive (I remember when they only cost two-bits). High-quality eBooks can be published and sold for less than $5 for something equivalent to a hefty paperback that might sell for $17 at Barnes and Nobel.
No, it's not a dream. We do just that at AKW Books www.akwbooks.com. So do others.