Apple iPad took 83% of market in 2010. Look for change in 2011!

Here’s a CMSWire story about Apple iPad commanding 83% of the tablet market in 2010. To be fair, the iPad was the tablet market last year with new devices from other companies trickling in as the clock wound down to 2011.

This year will prove to be a thriller with over a hundred of the devices expected to join the fray, many of them driven by Android. Those full-color multifunction devices are bound to make some waves, especially when considering the iPad’s Flash-phobia and resulting net limitations.

Who knows, some competition might get Apple to rethink its Adobe software ban.

Hands on iPad 2 Review at GoodeReader

It looks like the Apple iPad2 will dominate the market niche its previous incarnation created if the hands-on review at GoodeReader has anything to say about it.

The post goes into great detail on the iPad2’s new features and improvements and as a full color alternative to E Ink eBook Readers, the Apple tablet manages to land on the top shelf.

TechNewsDaily’s 5 Best eBook Readers

For those of you who are ready to take the plunge, TechNewsDaily offers its five best eBook Readers of 2011 to choose from.

Interesting list, though I think it’s optimistic to call them the ‘best’ of 2011 since this year is going to prove a record breaker with a landslide of new eBook reading devices heading to the market.

But it is nice to know who is leading the pack.

iPad 2 Sells Out!

CNNMoney has this report on Apple iPad 2 tablet’s record-breaking first-weekend performance where it outsold the first iPad version, and sold out with 400,000-500,000 iPad 2’s compared to iPad’s 300,000-unit first-weekend sale in 2010.

Will eBooks doom the bookstore?

Thanks Jorgen for a link to The New Republic where writer Nicole Krauss takes a nostalgic look at the history of the bookstore, and makes some predictions about its future.

Industry eReading Leaders Kindle, Nook and iPad Compared.

PhBeta.com offers a detailed comparison of Kindle, Nook and iPad. It’s an excellent look at the three most-wanted eBook Readers on the market. Good time to take a look too, with hundreds of new devices entering the market over the next 18 months.

PRS-650 Sony eReader Shortage – eBook Readers selling like hotcakes!

GoodeReader offers an interesting story on the shortage of PRS-650 Sony eReaders. It’s a good update for Sony fans who like the machine’s sturdy design and are content to travel wireless.

And the post offers an excellent overview of the eBook Reader market as the 2010-2011 holiday season dust settles.

Borders Goes Bankrupt while Amazon and Barnes and Noble chart increases in sales…

It’s not surprising that one of the book giants suffered a major (if not fatal) blow as DailyFinance illustrates with a detailed account of Borders‘ recent declaration of bankruptcy. It’s really a mess with millions owed and publisher and authors left swinging in the breeze.

This while competitors Barnes and Noble, and Amazon register increased sales at the dawn of the eBook Revolution. A Time.com story shows that while it’s possible for B&N to suffer a similar fate since they like Borders, float an army of bricks and mortar locations, their quick action and solid business plan might spare them from the trustee’s noose.

Their wholehearted embrace of the eBook Revolution by way of their Nook and NookColor eBook Readers, and online eBook Sales have allowed them to corner 25% of the exploding eBook market. Indeed, if they can survive these growing pains, their bricks and mortar locations might give them the edge over their entirely virtual competitor Amazon.com.

eBook pricing expectations governed by eBook Reader ownership?

Bookseller.com has more on readers in the eBook Revolution.

It seems that while half of book buyers polled expect lower prices for eBooks, those who already own eBook Readers are more realistic with their eBook pricing expectations. Could the same be true when lower-priced eBook Readers are made available? Perception shifts noticeably, when one owns a device–such individuals are will to pay more for titles. The same is true that older readers have more realistic expectations regarding eBook price. (They’re will to pay, they just don’t want to be robbed.)

The post is well worth the read, and does a good job of breaking down the figures that are starting to come in.

Will Amazon Kindle eBook Reader be FREE by Christmas 2011?

PCWorld posted on a rumor that Amazon.com will soon be giving its Kindle eBook Reader away FREE. While many feel this is a given regarding Amazon Prime customers, there is a trend in Kindle sales that predicts its relative pricing free fall will end at a FREE eBook Reader by November of 2011.

CNN offers more on the topic here.

While there’s still lots of time to debate the reasons why this might make sense to Amazon, the idea of anyone giving away free technology is an alien concept. However, a FREE Kindle loaded with reasonably priced best sellers certainly cools off the discussion about the high price of the eBooks we want to read on it.