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At the moment there are an incredible number of manufacturers fighting it out in the emerging, but rapidly growing, e-book reader market. The competition level is a clear signal that high growth is predicted in this sector. This fierce competition is going to be good news for customers as manufacturers fall over themselves to improve specifications and offer better deals.

There is an impressive list of major manufacturers with e-book readers in various stages of development – and in some cases, ready for imminent release. Asus, iRex, Sony, Plastic Logic, Barnes and Noble – not forgetting Microsoft and Apple – are all queuing up and fighting for their share of the market.

There’s little doubt about the current market leader. The Amazon Kindle reader has not only dominated the market, but has been pivotal in its development since it was launched in November 2007. Now into its second generation with the Kindle 2 and the large display Kindle DX, Amazon has a 60% share of the US e-book reader market. The Kindle reader is now their number one product and, on October 19 this year, after what seemed like a long wait, they started shipping the international Kindle 2 to over 100 countries worldwide. In a way, it’s a kind of backhanded compliment to Amazon that almost every new e-book reader that is announced (and there are plenty, the list above is far from exhaustive) and which shows any promise whatsoever, is immediately named the “Kindle Killer”. The Kindle is currently the standard which must be matched, and then bettered, in order to achieve success.

Just in case anyone thinks that the Kindle’s current leadership position is bordering on unassailable, it’s probably worth remembering that Amazon were a late entrant to the market when the Kindle was launched. The original e-book reader is generally agreed to be the Franklin eBookMan which was launched in 1999 – a decade ago. The Sony PRS also hit the market before the Kindle’s 2007 launch.

There were a number of different factors which made the Kindle such a phenomenal succes for Amazon. First of all, Amazon had a strong association with books, being among the largest online retailers. They also had a huge selection of suitable books for download – currently you can choose from over 300,000 titles at the Kindle store. The option of wireless connectivity – with no ongoing fees – was another big selling point.

Just as Amazon came from nowhere to secure the number one position, one of the other contenders could do exactly the same – and in the short term. For example, Barnes and Noble have more than one million titles available for download to their new Nook e-book reader. They will also adopt the ePub format – which many readers under development seem to favor. The Kindle format is proprietary. Purchase a Kindle book – read it on your Kindle.

The Nook will also let you “lend” books to your family and friends for a fortnight. During the loan period, the borrower will be able to read it and the lender will be unable to use their Nook to access it – just like borrowing a “real” book in fact. The only difference is that you will be guaranteed to get it back.

The next generation Sony reader – the Sony Daily Edition – will be a large display format, like the Kindle DX, but unlike the DX it will have touch screen control options. It will also permit users to download e-books on loan from participating public libraries. Again – just like a traditional book.

Most of the other readers in development have a number of features that may make them more appealing to consumers than the Kindle. Amazon certainly have a fight on their hands – and it seems certain that they won’t give up their number one position without a fight. Given their innovating role in the development of the market thus far, and considering the importance of the Kindle ebook reader to their business, it seems reasonable to expect them to have a few new ideas yet to be unleashed.

Considering the high level of activity amongst all of the key manufacturers, it looks like the e-book reader market is about to start expanding even more rapidly. Hopefully the rampant competition that seems about to be unleashed will force prices downwards and take e-book readers out of the high tech domain and into mainstream personal mobile tech market.