2010: Apple Tablet vs. Kindle?

2009 is quickly coming to an end with exciting battles ahead of e-book reader manufacturers in 2010. We already know that Barnes & Noble is serious about beating Amazon in its own game. Sony has also introduced a couple of new readers, and the company is expected to hang around. In a matter of weeks, we are finally going to see what Plastic Logic has been up to for these past few months. The company was expected to release its e-book reader in 2009, but the release date was pushed to 2010. But can any of these devices stand a chance against Apple tablet?

Apple tablet rumors have been around for the past few months. We have heard all kinds of stories about what the device will be capable of and what gadgets it’s expected to “kill.” We do know that Apple won’t introduce an e-book reader. Apple tablet is going to be a multi-dimensional device to allow Apple to compete against the netbooks, e-book readers, and mobile entertainment systems. A lot will come down to how Apple goes about pricing such a device. e-book readers’ prices have been falling in the last year, and with the competition intensifying among the players in the market, you can expect more price drops in the future.

Apple is not known for selling “budget-friendly” gadgets. It’s a premium brand, so you can expect to pay at least $600 for such a device. The company is expected to allow developers to enhance its tablet’s functionality with their own apps. Apple iPhone has become hugely popular due to those third party apps, and Apple tablet could follow the same path.

It will be interesting to see whether Amazon decides to put its e-book reader app on Apple tablet. After all, the device could be considered a direct competitor to Kindle, Nook, and Sony Readers. Will Apple even allow Amazon to introduce Kindle on iTablet? There have been rumors that iTunes could become the next big online e-book store. So Apple may want to keep a percentage of those e-book sales for itself. While I don’t foresee Apple and Amazon going at it like Apple and Google have, there is no question that Apple will be coming after top e-book readers and netbooks on the market (especially the ones that run Android). Kindle will remain in a strong position as long as Amazon starts innovating and keeps the prices low. Nonetheless, 2010 will answer a lot of questions about the future of the e-book industry.

Your turn: will Apple tablet be the Kindle killer the experts have been predicting?