毫无疑问，电子书是消费电子领域最火热的话题之一，严格地说只有采用电子纸的阅读器才能称其为电子书阅读器。

台湾电子书产业链

　　电子书产业可分5大环节：内容供应商、数字格式制作商、内容流通服务平台、传输平台以及终端阅读器产品。其中，属于硬件的阅读器是最成熟的一环。

　　在这个环节，索尼已经开始销售reader品牌的电子书，并决定于年底推出同样具有无线下载功能但具有触控面板的产品。谷歌也推出了电子书计划。而中国国内除了最早进入的津科翰林，也有汉王、方正、易博士、博朗、易迪欧、onyx科技等企业推出产品。

　　不过，关于终端产品的竞争也许只是一个开始。亚马逊获得成功的真正原因还在于强大的内容服务——用户无需个人电脑，即可通过免费的无线接入（如Sprint 3G手机网络）购买亚马逊上的正版电子书。这对于习惯了“免费服务”的中国电子书市场，将是一个巨大挑战。

　　事实上，将“书本数字化”并不像表面看起来那么简单。从操作流程看，首先书籍的内容得先数字化；接着，为了避免著作版权被盗用，就要透过“数字版权管理（DRM）”机制，利用加密、认证等技术保护数字内容。当数字内容准备就绪后，还必须要有完备的下载与收费机制，消费者才能透过这样的机制与服务平台，将喜爱的书籍与杂志内容下载至电子阅读器。

　　终端硬件方面，目前唯一量产电子纸的是台湾元太。元太在2009年6月2日，2亿美元收购了E-INK。这是目前最成熟最优秀的电子纸技术类型，白度最佳，响应时间短。最接近传统书籍。全球几乎所有电子书阅读器都是采用元太的电子纸，单6寸电子纸显示模组要价60美元。其订单已经排到2010年6月底，产能利用率100%。还有希望的是友达，2009年3月以3000万美元取得电子纸用薄膜厂商SiPix Imaging 31.58％的股权而成为最大股东。不过其微杯（MicroCup）技术最初对应的不是电子纸，而是电子标签；如商店里的价格标签，库存的条目标签，简单的印刷广告等。友达接手后急转电子书阅读器。其白度（Whitness）、分辨率、成熟度、响应速度都不及元太的E-INK。友达声称2009年9月已经量产。

　　再有就是全球第一大轮胎厂家日本石桥（Bridgestone）的电子粉流体，同样委托台湾企业做产业化，全球最大的电源适配器厂家台达电子是其合作伙伴，试产的电子纸偏黄，反应速度非常慢，不过2009年9月石桥声称已经大幅度改善反应速度。

　　下游组装制造方面，台湾厂商近水楼台先得月。元太持股13%的振曜是目前除元太外最大的电子书阅读器厂家，股价已经翻了数倍。就连根本没量产的友达，其关联公司佳士达设计生产电子书阅读器还没有出货，股价都已经翻番。华硕、鸿海、英业达等企业都投入到电子书阅读器中。

　　电子书阅读器价格仍然偏高，友达的SiPix技术成熟度如何还有待考验。以目前的供需状况，元太只会涨价不会降价。显示模组是电子书最昂贵的零组件，其次就是最多使用的高通的3G芯片组与飞思卡尔IMX31应用处理器。价格是阻碍电子书阅读器推广的关键因素，其次是内容。不过在美国市场，内容已经非常好了。

Undoubtedly, e-book has been one of the much-talked-about topics in consumer electrics. Strictly speaking, only the readers with e-paper can be called e-book reader.

Taiwan E-book Industry Chain

E-book industry can be divided into five major components as follows, content provider, digital format producer, content distribution service platform, transmission platforms, and reader. Of the five, the reader, which belongs to hardware, is the most mature.

Sony has sold its own brand of e-book, and decided to launch products with the function of wireless download and touch panel. Google has also issued the e-book plan, and in China, besides Jinke Hanlin, the companies such as Hanwang, Founder, Ebiox, Avoex and Onyx also have launched such products.

However, the competition among the terminal products has just started. The success of Amazon also rests with its powerful content service, and the consumers can buy Amazon genuine e-book via free wireless access such as Sprint 3G mobile phone network. It will be a big challenge for China’s e-book market that has been used to free service.

In fact, to digitalize books is not as simple as it seems. The operation flow begins with the digitalization of book content, and then it should protect digital content via the technologies such as DRM system, encryption and attestation in order to avoid copyright embezzlement. After that, a smooth download & charging system should be required so that the consumers can download their favorite content in books or magazines to e-readers via such system and service platform.

PVI is the only e-paper manufacturer capable of mass production in terminal hardware field in Taiwan. Founded on Jun 2nd, 2009, PVI acquired E-INK at the price of USD200 million. With best whiteness and short response time, it is the most mature and excellent e-paper technology, closest to traditional books. Nearly all global e-book readers adopt PVI e-paper, and the 6-inch e-paper display module is priced at US$60. The order has been scheduled to the end of Jun, 2010, and rate of capacity utilization is up to 100%. In addition, AUO invested US$30 million to get 31.58% shares of SiPix Imaging in Mar, 2009 and became the largest shareholder, while the MicroCup technology originally corresponded to electric tag rather than e-paper. Then AUO changed into e-book reader at once, but the whiteness, resolution and response are not as good as PVI E-INK. AUO also reported that it had employed mass production in Sep, 2009.

The electronic liquid powder, produced by the world's largest tire manufacturer, Bridgestone, has also entrusted Taiwan companies for industrialization. Its partner, Delta Electronics is the global largest adapter manufacture, and the electronic paper in trial production was a bit yellow, and rather slow in response. However, in Sep, 2009, Bridgestone announced that the responsiveness had been greatly improved.

Taiwan manufacturers take the advantages of geographic locations and convenient traffic in the field of downstream assembly manufacturing. Netronix Inc, 13% shares of which are held by PVI, is the second largest e-book reader manufacturer followed by PVI, and its shares have increased several times. AUO has not achieved mass production now, the shares of which have doubled already. Besides, the companies such as ASUS, Foxconn and Inventec all have entered e-book reader sector.

The price of e-book reader is still higher comparatively, and the maturity of AUO SiPix technology is still to be tested. Considering the current supply and demand, what PVI can only do is to increase price. The display module is the most expensive part of e-book, followed by the most used Qualcomm 3G chip set and Freescale IMX31 processor. The price is the key factor to hinder the prevalence of e-book reader, then the content. However, the content provider is substantially excellent in American market.