Sales of digital ebook readers could double over the next year due to the number of new manufacturers entering the market, according to one industry source.
Stuart Miles, owner and editor of independent technology website Picket-lint, made his comments following the exhibition of several new ereaders at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month.
He described it as a "safe bet" that the market will increase, listing the presence of Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Sony as three of the big "players" currently in the industry.
A vital change has been that some companies which were only selling their product in the US have now made them available globally, which opens up a far larger potential customer base, explained Mr Miles.
"If you suddenly have another five or six manufacturers entering the market, then chances are that market is going to double," he said.
In his view, this is not a "crystal ball moment" for companies, since it is a fairly straightforward progression for the device considering the increased number of competitors.