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SINGAPORE : Electronic books, or e-books, are gaining in popularity around the world, thanks to their features which promise convenience and space-saving benefits over traditional books.
But there are mixed views among experts over the market potential for e-books in the Asia Pacific.
While some publishers believe this technology represents the next chapter of growth for the industry, there are lingering doubts over how fast electronic content will catch on.
Some experts said the high cost and limited functions offered by dedicated mobile reading devices, used to read e-books, are hindering their popularity.
From print to screen, the market for e-books is expected to heat up, especially with more new e-readers - which allow consumers to read electronic content - entering the market.
And some publishers have been positioning themselves to tap this sector, which is forecast to hit growth rates of US$4.2 billion a year by 2014. They said electronic content can be at least 40 per cent more profitable than traditional physical books, thanks to savings from warehousing and shipping.
Some publishers have also been exploring their own online platforms to sell their own content.
The best-selling genres so far appear to be travel and business-related titles.
Chris Newson, general manager, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia), said: "Most of the users who are using the e-readers tend to be professionals, so the content that they want would be slightly different from the average customer in the bookstore. So we are in the process of developing our more professional intellectual property.
"The travel books, for instance, will represent a significant market because it is information on the go, delivered to a handheld device. It is the same for business/marketing titles which are very much for the professional community. So it is this professional community who are more tech-savvy and will download content more regularly."
However, before e-books can really take off, experts believe there are issues that need to be fixed. These include the lack of a universal format for electronic content, which means that files may not be interchangeable among devices.
And besides the high start-up cost of owning an e-reader, consumers are also unlikely adopt a gadget with limited functionality.
Ilham Samudera, senior market analyst, IDC, said: "(At) the current stage, the e-reader vendors need to incorporate more features into the e-reader itself. As it is right now, they can only read and jot some notes and it is not a lot.
"And some of the Asia-Pacific countries use English as a second language, so at least some browsing or Internet search capability would be good. Or perhaps another favourable feature such as watching movies, or MP3 player to listen to music."
On a brighter note, observers said telcos may seek to subsidise the devices and promote electronic content, in order to boost bandwidth usage on their networks for downloads.
Another catalyst may come from the government, which may push the technology as a new medium in schools and libraries.
Market watchers believe that with more e-readers expected to enter the market in the next 12 months, prices will also become more attractive. - CNA/ms
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