Since its original release back in 2007, Amazon's Kindle reader has consistently been the best e-book reader available on the market. That is the reason that it has been so successful to date. Back in 2009, when almost all the electronics manufacturers was rushing to get an e-book reader of their own to market, any new reader which showed the slightest promise was instantly dubbed the "Kindle Killer". This is due to the fact that the Kindle was, and still is, the industry benchmark.

The recent launch of the upgraded third generation Kindle reader has opened the gap between Amazon’s reader and the trailing pack even more. It's probably worth pointing out that the most credible Kindle killer to date is not another e-book reader but the Apple iPad. This is a very different device with a much higher price tag and, when looked at as an e-book reader, one which suffers in a number of areas in comparison with the Kindle.

The new enhancements include extended battery life, a doubling of memory capacity, quicker page turns, an enhanced PDF reader and a higher contrast display. The same 6" display is now housed in a smaller, lighter case - which is now offered in a choice of graphite or white. Amazon has also launched an entry level reader with Wi-Fi only for those who don’t envisage the need for a 3G connection. This is being sold for $ 139 - pretty close to the $ 99 impulse buy level for personal electronics. The 3G plus Wi-Fi model is priced at $ 189.

Almost unnoticed amongst the numerous technical enhancements, Amazon opened an independent Kindle store for UK customers. UK customers can now buy their Kindles locally as opposed to getting the international version shipped across the Atlantic. To be fair, this only took a few days - but for some customers the simple act of dealing in a foreign currency may have been off putting. Amazon has just launched a major television advertising campaign in the United Kingdom and it could be that this, combined with the “local” UK Kindle store could lead to a lot of sales for them. In the event that this proves to be a success, we might see additional local Kindle stores being opened for Germany, France and the other countries with their own Amazon websites.

It wasn't long after the Kindle 3 was released before Amazon had, once again, sold out of Kindles. Customers are waiting for three to four weeks before their Kindles can be shipped and readers are being despatched on a first come first served basis. Based on the current level of sales, there is little evidence that demand for the Kindle is diminishing - hardly surprising considering the quality of the device.

Up until now, reports of the death of the Kindle have always been premature, and that still seems to be very much the case. There’s no point comparing the Kindle with the iPad, they are very different devices. The Kindle is by far the best e-book reader on the market right now. That’s why it will survive and continue to sell well – and also why Amazon will remain a dominant force in the digital publishing market in future. Some people will prefer to continue to read conventional printed books - whether in hardback or paperback format. Others will switch to an e-book reader, in which case the Amazon Kindle will be the first choice (as will Kindle books). Others will be primarily interested in surfing the net, watching videos and playing games when they're out and about, reading only the occasional e-book from time to time - and they will most likely choose an iPad. Whatever your own personal preference is, Amazon will be more than happy to supply your needs.

E-book readers and e-books have been hot topics for some time now. The e-book reader market really took off in 2009, heavily influenced by the launch of Amazon's Kindle 2.0 in February of that year. Amazon followed up with the release of their Kindle DX large display model in the summer of 2009 and, in the last six months of the year, it seemed as if electronics manufacturers were getting in line to launch e-book readers of their own in order to secure a share of the new market. It’s a clear indication of just how influential Amazon were – and remain – to the development of the market that almost every new reader announced was instantly christened the “Kindle Killer”. The Kindle reader was, undoubtedly, the industry standard that required to be equalled and subsequently beaten.

However, there was no sign of any reader which was about to knock the Kindle off the number one spot. It was only with the launch of Apple's iPad - a significantly different type of device - that the Kindle's dominance was in any way threatened. Even then, the widely predicted demise of the Kindle as consumers turned en masse to the iPad doesn’t seem to have materialised. Shortly after the release of the upgraded third generation Kindle in August 2010 Amazon, for the umpteenth time it seems, had sold out of the devices and prospective customers faced a wait of several weeks before their new readers could be shipped.

There can't be much doubt that the Kindle's high sales figures can, to some extent, be explained by the fact that the latest upgrades were also accompanied by a price reduction. Amazon’s new entry level Wi-Fi only Kindle was available for only $ 139. Bearing in mind that the Kindle 2.0 launch price was $ 359 when it launched in February of 2009, that’s a major price cut. It moves the Kindle – and e-book readers in general – much closer to the sub $ 100 impulse buying zone for personal electronic devices. If this was prompted, or possibly hastened, by the release of the iPad is debatable, but ultimately irrelevant. It seems clear that the price reduction would have taken place anyway, but there is still plenty of room for further downward price movement – quite possibly in the not too distant future.

However, whilst Amazon and Apple may be enjoying a good deal of success, the same cannot be said for other e-book reader manufacturers. Several planned e-book readers have either been postponed or cancelled all together. The Plastic Logic Que reader, for example, is pretty well dead in the water. Dutch company Irex, a previously well established business, has gone bankrupt after disappointing US sales of their Irex reader. The Skiff reader, from Sprint and Hearst has been shelved.

Could we be heading towards a strongly polarised market in which Amazon dominate the low cost “pure” e-book reader sector and Apple clean up in the pricier tablet computer that also serves as an e-book reader market? There is a massive difference in the retail prices of the Kindle and even the entry level iPad. Is there room between the two devices, in terms of both price and specification levels, for other players to enter the market?

Recently Amazon confirmed that sales of Kindle books are outstripping the sales of hard cover books. It doesn't seem to outrageous to suggest that e-book sales may very well catch up with paperback sales - quite possibly in the fairly near future. It seems certain that e-books are going to be an important part in the future of reading, but just what type of device will you use to read them on?

The recently upgraded third generation Kindle readers is flying off Amazon's shelves at the moment. An upgrade – which incorporates a new 50% higher contrast e-ink technology display, smaller and lighter casing, faster page turns and a doubling of memory to 4GB – accompanied by a price reduction and the launch of a new Wi-Fi only entry level model, has seen demand for the Kindle reader take off.

At the moment, the third generation Kindles are sold out and potential customers face a wait of three to four weeks before any new ones start shipping. Kindle books are now selling more than conventional hard cover editions on a regular basis. It seems to be just a matter of time before e-book sales will higher than even paperback sales.

Amazon has also launched a dedicated UK Kindle store so that UK customers don’t need to have their Kindles shipped across the Atlantic and can pay for their Kindle purchases in sterling rather than dollars. It seems probable that further “local” Kindle stores will be opened for other Amazon international websites such as Germany, France etc. in the relatively near future.

In short, everything in the garden is pretty rosy for Amazon right now. Suggestions that the launch of the Apple iPad would spell the death of the Kindle seem to be, for the moment at least, unfounded. The Amazon policy of releasing free "apps" which allow Kindle books to be read on a wide variety of different devices seems to be paying dividends. So, bearing in mind the enormous success that they have achieved with their first manufactured product, it’s maybe no great surprise that Amazon is reported to be considering developing prototypes for consumer gadgets over and above the Kindle in their Lab 126 research facility.

Although Amazon has been tight-lipped on the subject, it’s thought that they may be thinking about music/movie players and possibly some kind of mobile phone. However, industry analysts suggest that, were Amazon to enter the market with another gadget, they would need to be sure that they were adding value rather than just releasing another piece of personal electronic tech onto the market.

Much of the success of the Kindle reader must be attributed to Amazon’s strong link with books and reading in general. The massive choice of Kindle books available – over 630,000 and increasing daily – and the fact that these can be read on so many other devices has been a real feather in Amazon’s cap. Any new gadget that Amazon decided to launch would probably need some similar type of support in order to achieve anything approaching the level of success enjoyed by the Kindle.

The recent growth in the popularity of e-books and e-book readers has been heavily influenced by Amazon. The Amazon Kindle reader first appeared on the market during November of 2006 and further updates followed with the launch of the Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009 and the launch of the third generation Kindle in August 2010. The large format Kindle DX was launched in the summer of 2009 and was also updated in August 2010.

A great many industry analysts suggested that, notwithstanding the influential role of Amazon in the development of the e-book reader market, the release of the Apple iPad would signal the demise of the Kindle reader. However, after the third generation launch – accompanied by some price cuts – Amazon sold out of Kindles (yet again). On the face of it, demand seems to remain high for what has now become Amazon’s top selling product.

E-books have been readily accepted by many readers. Others seem to be attached to physical books. However, for the majority of people the ability to carry large quantities of books around with them, coupled with the ease of operation offered by e-book readers, has been a winning combination. Recent cuts in e-book reader prices, prompted by the release of the iPad, have made e-book readers a much more attractive option for many readers.

Amazon recently confirmed that they are now selling more Kindle books than traditional hardback editions. The low selling priced of e-books – they use no paper or ink and have no delivery fees to speak of after all – certainly help. It can only be a matter of time before e-books start to sell more than paperbacks.

Apart from the price, the ease of purchase of e-books is another driving factor. Readers can download a book to their Kindle in less than sixty seconds, at any time of the day or night, just as long as they can connect to Amazon’s Kindle store.

One possible stumbling block for many readers was a reticence to be “tied” to any particular e-book reader. Amazon seem to have overcome this rather nicely by releasing an absolute plethora of free “apps” which allows Kindle books to be read on a variety of different devices. At the moment, Kindle books can be read on the PC, the Mac, the iPhone, the iPad, the Blackberry smart phone and any device which runs the Android operating system. It's actually a clever strategy by Amazon. Not only does it address customer's concerns about being tied to one particular brand of hardware but every new app acts as a separate retail outlet for Amazon’s massive selection of Kindle books. Current figures suggest that around about 20% of all Kindle book sales are read on non-Kindle hardware.

All things considered, it looks like e-books are here to stay and that they will gradually account for a higher and higher percentage of book sales. It also looks as if Amazon are going to be very influential in the world of digital publishing for the foreseeable future.

Whilst it seems certain that the lauch of Apple's iPad has had an impact upon the sales figures for Amazon's Kindle reader, the online retail giant doesn't appear to be unduly worried. Following further price cuts and an upgrade, the 6" version of the Kindle is now out of stock. It seems that it will be several weeks before new supplies start shipping. The larger Kindle DX model is still available at this time.

The latest Kindle release sees a 21% reduction in the physical size of the reader (whilst still maintaining the same display size), a reduction in weight of 15% and faster page turns. Memory is doubled and there is now enough space for 3,500 Kindle books on board. With a battery life of up to one month (with Wi-Fi turned off) and a new high contrast, e-ink technology display, the latest Kindle is the perfect device for reading - on the road or at home.

Customers can now pick either graphite or white body colors and the standard unit comes with both Wi-Fi and free 3G connectivity. A cheaper Wi-Fi only reader is now included as an option for users who don't anticipate the need for a 3G connection.

Amazon will also be marketing the Kindle directly from some of its international sites - starting in the UK. UK customers can now order their Kindle direct from Amazon UK rather than having it shipped from the USA. A dedicated UK Kindle book store will be set up, and no doubt similar arrangements can be anticipated for France and Germany in future.

Amazon recently advised that Kindle books were outselling hard cover editions on their US website . In the last month, Amazon has sold 180 Kindle editions for every 100 conventional hard cover versions. They appear to be very confident that the future of reading is going to be digital - and these figures do seem to support that assertion. E-book readers are, commercially at least, a relatively new innovation. The reading public - based upon these figures - seems to have become accustomed to e-book readers very rapidly.

Recently, e-book reader prices have reduced significantly. The new third generation Kindle with 3G and Wi-Fi price of $ 189 is well below the $ 359 February 2009 launch price of the Kindle 2.0. Priced at just $ 139, the Wi-Fi only reader is getting into mp3 player territory. These prices levels may, or may not, have been forced downwards by the release of Apple's iPad - but the hardware price was always going to fall, and further reductions may be possible.

Although the retail price of e-book readers has been come down, the cost of the e-books themselves seems to have been trending upwards. This means that Amazon enjoys a significant advantage compared with many of its competitors, who are chiefly interested in making and selling hardware. The huge library of Kindle books is a great asset for Amazon - as is the fact that, thanks to Amazon's policy of releasing free Kindle "apps", it's possible to read (and buy) Kindle books on a wide range of different devices. As the still developing e-book market matures and greater emphasis is placed on e-books as opposed to the hardware to read them on, Amazon appear to be very well placed to continue as the dominant player in the new electronic publishing world.