One of the hottest trends in electronics right now is digital readers, but no matter how many companies jump on the bandwagon -- and several of them have -- prices will have to come down before the public embraces them, according to Gartner.
"At the moment it appears that $199 will be the lowest price for fully featured e-reading devices for the 2009 shopping season, but prices will need to drop closer to $99 to gain significant traction," Gartner noted.
At the same time, Gartner predicts e-reader "mania" in 2010, though getting to that point won't be without a few hurdles. The market research firm says a wider variety of retail channels is needed, and more publishers need to be seen buying into e-readers.
"It's the perfect time for a trial and to establish relationships with others in the value-chain -- that is service providers and digital warehouses -- that can be positioned to assist in a rapid deployment if the market takes off earlier than anticipated," Gartner added.
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[2] http://www.tgdaily.com/consumer-electronics-features/44619-e-readers-are-way-too-expensive
[3] http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1223841
[4] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/how_justify_a_kindle_2_purchase_your_significant_other_5_case_studies_updated
[5] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/asus_plans_lowcost_full_color_ebook
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