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Right now there are a huge number of manufacturers competing in the nascent, but rapidly growing, e-book reader market. The high level of competition is a clear indication of the level of growth expected in this sector. And this strong competition is going to be good for consumers as manufacturers fall over themselves to improve specifications and offer lower prices.

The list of major players who have e-book readers in various stages of development – and in some cases, ready for imminent release – is impressive. Asus, iRex, Sony, Plastic Logic, Barnes and Noble – not forgetting Microsoft and Apple – are all queuing up and fighting for their share of the market.

There’s not much doubt about the current market leader of course. The Amazon Kindle reader has not only dominated the market, but has been pivotal in its development since it was launched in November 2007. Now into its second iteration with the Kindle 2 and the large screen Kindle DX, Amazon has secured a 60% share of the American e-book reader market. The Kindle reader is now their number one product and, on October 19 this year, after what seemed like a long wait, they started shipping the international Kindle 2 to over 100 countries worldwide. It’s a backhanded compliment to Amazon that every new e-book reader that is announced (and there are plenty, the list above is far from exhaustive) and which shows any promise whatsoever, is immediately dubbed the “Kindle Killer”. The Kindle is currently the standard which must be matched, and then bettered, in order to achieve success.

In case anyone feels that the Kindle’s current dominance is bordering on unassailable, it’s probably worth remembering that Amazon were a pretty late entrant to the market when they first launched the Kindle. The original e-book reader is generally agreed to be the Franklin eBookMan which was launched in 1999 – a decade ago. The Sony PRS also hit the market before the Kindle’s release in 2007.

The Kindle was such a phenomenal success for Amazon due to a number of different factors. In the first place, Amazon had a strong association with books, being one of the biggest online retailers. They also had a huge selection of suitable books for download – currently you can choose from over 300,000 titles at the Kindle store. The option of wireless connectivity – with no ongoing fees – was another big selling point.

However, in exactly the same way that Amazon came from nowhere to take the lead position, any one of the other manufacurers could easily do the same in the near future. Barnes and Noble, for example, have over one million titles which will be available for download to their new Nook e-book reader. They will also adopt the ePub format – which most readers under development seem to be using. Kindle’s format is proprietary. Pick a Kindle book – read it on your Kindle.

The Nook will also allow you to “lend” books to your friends and family for a fourteen day period. During this period, the borrower will be able to read it and the lender won’t have access to it on their Nook – just like lending a “proper” book actually. One important difference is that you will be certain to get it back.

The latest Sony reader – the Sony Daily Edition – is going to have a large display format, just like the Kindle DX, but unlike the DX it will have touch screen control functionality. It will also let users download e-books from participating public libraries on loan. Again – just like a traditional book.

The other readers in development all have a number of individual features that may make them more appealing to users than the Kindle. Amazon certainly have a fight on their hands – and it seems certain that they won’t give up their number one position without a fight. Given their innovating role in the development of the market thus far, and considering the importance of the Kindle ebook reader to their business, it seems reasonable to expect them to have a few new ideas yet to be unleashed.

Considering the high level of activity amongst all of the key manufacturers, it looks like the e-book reader market is about to start expanding even more rapidly. Hopefully the fierce competition that seems about to unfold will drive prices low enough to take e-book readers out of the geek domain and into the mainstream personal mobile tech market.