Apple, Korean firms face off over e-readers

A new battleground is emerging between Korean electronics makers and Apple, as the U.S. firm plans to launch the iPad, a tablet PC which doubles as an electronic reader.

Korean firms plan to join the e-reader fray, seeking to take on Apple as well as Amazon, Sony, Barnes & Noble and other firms in the increasingly crowded market.

LG Electronics plans to introduce e-readers here and overseas this year, a spokesperson said yesterday, adding that the device would be either a multi-purpose tablet PC or a standalone e-reader.

Samsung Electronics plans to introduce e-readers, which come in 5-, 6- and 9.7-inches, here and overseas, in a bid to gain foothold in the fast-growing market. The company recently rolled out a 6-inch e-reader in Korea, which features Wi-Fi connectivity.



It remains to be seen whether a tablet-style e-reader or a standalone e-reader will gain ground.

Apple`s iPad is a not only an e-reader, but a multimedia device which allows users to enjoy photos, music, video and games and to download applications.

While a traditional e-reader features a black-and-white e-paper display, Apple`s iPad displays in full color, but the LCD screens it uses can cause eye tiredness, experts said.

"E-readers are more for books and newspapers, while the iPad is for magazines and multimedia," Ahn ha-young, an analyst at Hanhwa Securities, said.

Although it remains to be seen which device will gain the upper hand, the iPad is expected to fuel the growth of the nascent e-reader market, analysts said.

"The iPad has an positive effect on the market in that it arouses consumer interest for e-readers," Kim Min-kyong, an analyst at Hana Daetoo Securities, said.

Market research firms and companies are optimistic about the outlook for the e-reader market. DisplaySearch predicted that the global e-reader market would grow to $850.5 million this year, from $69.9 million last year. This was forecast to expand to $1.7 billion in 2015, according to DisplaySearch.

But some cite high prices, lack of content and single task functionality as major hurdles for the market take-off, although those issues are expected to resolved over time.

Korean electronics makers were hard hit by rollouts of Apple`s sensational products such as the iPod and the iPhone.

The iRiver, once the world`s top maker of MP3 music players, was unseated by Apple following the U.S. firm`s introduction of the iPod MP3 player.

Samsung and LG, which ranks second and third in the global handset market, respectively, are having an uphill battle with Apple`s iPhone in the smartphone market.

(hjjin@heraldm.com)







By Jin Hyun-joo