Prime View’s E-Reader Display Outlook Not So Clear In 2010

If the brands behind the Kindle, Nook, and Sony's Reader can agree on one thing, it’s that Prime View International makes the best screens for displaying e-reader text. Unfortunately for Prime View, that may soon change.

Though one rarely notices the paper a book is printed on, the market for “e-paper” is shaping up to be as competitive as the market for the e-readers that use it. Back in June, Taiwan-based Prime View announced its acquisition of E-Ink, whose technology displays that text, in order to corner the nascent e-reader universe.

“Taiwan Firm Positioned for E-Reader Takeoff” headlined the New York Times in a November article that suggested the company would “strengthen its leadership in the next year or two, before anyone else can catch up.”

Yet in a recent Wall Street Journal article, the president of Sony's digital reading division noted (ominously, if you work for Prime View) that “many different companies are approaching us to use their screen technology going forward.” So much for that leadership position.Continue reading...