20
JANUARY 2010
•
COLLEGE STORE EXECUTIVE
POCKET-SIZED READER
Is the eReader the Next
Big Campus Learning Tool?
I
n the past year, the market for eReaders — lowpower, portable reading devices with paper-quality
displays — has risen dramatically. Devices such
as the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Cybook Opus,
Barnes & Noble Nook and many others like them
have pushed these readers to exceed the 3 million unit
sales mark in the U.S.
However, Forrester Research Inc. has found that
although the potential is there, the eReader remains an
emerging technology.
MEDIA CONSUMPTION
In its “How Big Is the eReader Opportunity?”
report (May 27, 2009), Forrester pointed out that as
“on-the-go” media consumption has become even a
larger part of our lives, consumers may be more ready
to embrace eReaders than they were in the past.
In addition, eReaders create a new kind of elec-
tronic transaction, and with the apparent consumer acceptance of online purchasing — 59 percent of U.S.
households purchased items online in 2008 — coupled with this acceptance of mobile media, the time
would seem right for eReaders.
E-TEXTBOOKS
Amazon released the first Kindle unit in late 2007,
and it was an initial hit with “gadget-loving frequent
book buyers,” said Forrester, making the acquiring of
books more convenient.
In May 2009, Amazon announced the release of
the Kindle DX. This eReader comes with a 9.7-inch
screen, supports PDF files, rotates display automatically and has greater storage capacity; but users pay
for all of these improvements, as the retail price is
about $500.
—Continued on page 22
D&H Presidents
Lend a Hand
in Warehouse
D
&H Distributing Co-Presidents Michael
Schwab and Dan Schwab spent the morning of Dec. 15, 2009 out of their typical executive element, helping to literally move product
through the company’s Katie Court warehouse in
Harrisburg, Pa.
The Schwabs helped with stocking, inventory
D&H Co-President Dan Schwab (left) and Co-Owner
and shipping duties during their time at the wareJacoby Scott roll up their sleeves to help with stocking,
house, including box building and “picking” (retrievinventory and shipping duties at the company’s Katie
ing products slated to go into specific orders). They
Court warehouse in Harrisburg, Pa. (PHOTO COURTESY OF D&H)
made the hands-on visit to assist in daily business
and get face time with employees they often work
with via e-mail but do not frequently get to see. Their presence lent two extra sets of hands to warehouse operations during the holiday season.
“Internally, D&H is a very people-oriented company, so we like having the opportunity to get involved in
different departments,” said Michael Schwab. “We do it as much for the personal aspect as we do to help out and
experience other elements of the operation.”
“D&H is a family, and it’s always good to visit ‘relatives,’” Dan Schwab added.
The company is an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) organization, in which employees share a
percentage of the annual profits and are considered part owners. “We value D&H’s team of co-owners, and
since we’ve been growing over the years, it’s now a very large team,” Dan Schwab noted. “As co-presidents,
we want to know about the efforts that are supporting the whole company.”
CSE020,022.indd 20
T
he Bookeen Cybook Opus, distributed by D&H
Distributing to the college market, is a 6-inchhigh pocket-sized reader that can be held in one hand
and fits perfectly in any purse, briefcase or pocket.
More than 1,000 books can be stored in its large
1GB internal storage memory. The Opus boasts an
impressive 200 dpi resolution ePaper screen, which
provides a paper-like high contrast appearance and
ultra-low power consumption on E-Ink technology. With its accelerometer, the screen position can
switch from portrait to landscape mode automatically. It runs on a rechargeable and replaceable internal
battery that has enough power for 8,000 page flips,
akin to two weeks of battery life.
CASES FOR ANY NEED
n
uCourse Distribution Inc. distributes a number
of cases to fit almost any need college students
may have when it comes to protective solutions
for their high-tech gadgets. The company handles
several Lenntek iPhone cases, including the Sonix
Snaps! line of slim cases for the iPhone 3G and 3GS.
Available “neon” colors include yellow, blue, pink
and green. It also distributes the Speck Products line
of SeeThru Satin Hard Cases for MacBooks. These
13-inch white polycarbonate unibody cases come in
a variety of colors, including white, red, purple and
black.
NOTEBOOK KIT
L
ogitech introduces its Notebook Kit MK605,
which makes laptops more versatile to use. The
kit supplies what is needed for a comfortable, organized workspace. Precise cursor control is available
with the wireless laser mouse, and the pivoting riser
enables the laptop to be elevated to one of three angles. Plus, the compact wireless keyboard connects
both the mouse and keyboard through a Logitech
Unifying Receiver.
CUSTOM FLASH DRIVES
P
ure Orange Inc.’s high-quality custom flash
drives can be designed with college logos, colors, lanyard and branded packaging, including the
school’s UPC bar code. In addition, preloaded software can be installed on these flash drives, which are
available in a wide range of styles and storage capacities. According to the company, its most popular
drive is one that has a rubberized coating, giving it a
soft, silky feel. As a branded item, the cap can be colored separately from the body. Other popular drives
include one that has a metal swivel cap and another
that has a brushed metal finish with a colored edge.
Visit www.pureorange.com for more information.
12/29/09 2:52 PM
Visit us at CAMEX booths 1723, 1733, 1823, 1831 and 1843
CSE0110 D&H.indd 1
12/29/09 2:34 PM
22
JANUARY 2010
—Continued from page 20, eReader
According to Forrester, the DX’s features and price point may indicate that
Amazon is targeting the textbook market. However, the research firm said that
even though this is a “smart” move because the market for e-textbooks will eventually surpass the eBook market, the presence of this new device did not immediately
energize the availability of e-textbooks.
One reason is that up until this past summer, there was little textbook content
for these devices. However, as it introduced the Kindle DX, Amazon announced
partnerships with a number of leading textbook providers, including Wiley, Pearson and Cengage Learning, which Forrester said collectively represent 60 percent
of the higher education textbook market.
Forrester acknowledged what was then the pending increase in e-textbook
availability in its May 2009 report, but said that for students to justify the cost
of the device, nearly all the books and course packs they need will have to be
available, and publishers will need time to get all their content on the Kindle DX
platform.
In addition, another impediment to an immediate uptick in eReader use in the
college market has been that colleges and universities have not adopted the technology at a quick rate.
Amazon has reportedly tested the DX at six U.S. universities. Also, Northwest
Missouri State University has been involved in a program that tests approximately
200 Sony Readers in various classrooms, but e-readers proved to not work as a
platform for delivery of e-textbooks. It is now testing netbooks as an e-textbook
platform.
INCREASING FAMILIARITY
But familiarity with the eReaders continues, albeit at a slow pace. According
to a poll found in another Forrester report, “Who Will Buy An eReader” (Aug.
3, 2009), by the second quarter of 2008, 38 percent of respondents said they had
“heard of, but never seen” an electronic book device, while 37 percent said that had
“never heard of ” an electronic book device.
In the second quarter of 2009, the percentage of those that had “heard of, but
never seen” an eReader had jumped to 40 percent, and the percentage of those who
•
COLLEGE STORE EXECUTIVE
had “never heard of ” an electronic book device had dropped to 17 percent.
While in the first quarter of 2008 just 0.6 percent said they currently owned an
electronic book device, respondents in the second quarter of 2009 increased that
percentage to 1.5 percent.
According to the Forrester report, 24 percent of respondents in 2009’s second
quarter said they were “interested in learning more about eReaders”, a jump of
eight percentage points from the 16 percent who said they were interested in the
second quarter of 2008.
Those who said they “intend to buy an eReader in the next six months” rose
from 2 percent during the second quarter of 2008 to 6 percent in the second quarter
of 2009.
To further the reach of electronic books, Amazon recently partnered with Apple to create an iPhone application for Kindle. Those users of an iPhone or iPod
Touch can download an application from the iPhone store and read e-books on
their phones.
For those who already own a Kindle and an iPhone and/or an iPod Touch,
books can be transferred from the Kindle to the other devices for free.
There are plans to also have Kindle books on BlackBerry and Mac computers
in the near future. A program already in place allows the Kindle program to be
downloaded to a Windows PC with a Windows 7, Vista or XP operating system.
Downloads to Macs are coming in the future.
KEY YEARS
With the increasing widespread availability of eReaders to the general public,
Forrester predicts the key years for the marriage of eReaders and college textbooks
would be 2011 to 2013.
However, Forrester said that while students may be drawn to eReaders because
it would cut the price they would have to allot for textbooks, publishers look at the
market with a wary eye. Although publishers would be able to cut their print production and delivery costs, they would lose a major portion of their revenues since
the e-textbook price would not be nearly as high as the print price.
In addition, the availability of e-textbooks heightens publishers’ piracy
—CSE
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800-563-9034
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.connect2one.com
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CSE020,022.indd 22
D&H DISTRIBUTING 800-340-1003
FAX: 717-255-6750
Web site: www.dandh.com
Products/Services: A distributor offering a multi-category product
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MBS TEXTBOOK EXCHANGE INC.
800-325-4138
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.MBSbooks.com
Products/Services: The leading textbook wholesaler and developer of bookstore management systems, MBS offers an innovative
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FAX: 631-435-8018
E-mail: [email protected]
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800-869-0366
Contact: Sue Riedman
FAX: 800-869-0399
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Web site: www.nebook.com
Products/Services: Used college textbooks, college bookstore
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E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.nuCourse.com
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Contact: Jim Carlson
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Web site: www.occassociates.com
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RUSSELL ATHLETIC
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Contact: Lauren Shiman
FAX: 678-742-8307
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.russellathletic.com
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SPECTRUM UNIFORMS
713-645-4433
FAX: 713-645-6818
E-mail: [email protected]
Products/Services: Scrub, lab coats, medical sccessories, stethoscope, promotional Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15
12/29/09 2:52 PM
Visit us at CAMEX booth 2086
CSE1209 Casio.indd 1
12/29/09 4:31 PM