The Influence Of E-Books On The Publishing Market
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
The relatively sudden increase in the popularity of e-books has some major implications for the future of publishing. Driven by the growing popularity of e-book readers – like the Amazon Kindle for example – e-books have rapidly been accepted by the public. It would be very easy to consider them as no more than another way of delivering written content. However, they may prove to be the most significant change to reading since Gutenberg invented the printing press.
That may sound just a little melodramatic – but the fact is that e-books totally change the traditional printing cycle. Normally publishers release hardback books followed, typically between a few months to a year later, by the paperback version. However, now there is no reason why an e-book edition can’t be released at the same time as the hardback.
Obviously, because e-books don’t use any paper, chemicals or bindings, and because they don’t need to be shipped, they cost a lot less than a printed book. That means that the e-book edition can be on sale at a lower price at the same time as the hardback version. That could make a big difference to the profits of the big publishing companies – especially if you consider that e-book reader owners are probably going to be fairly heavy readers.
There have already been some terse discussions between Amazon – whose plan was to price all e-books at $ 9.99 or less – and the larger publishers. At one point, books by McMillan were (briefly) removed Amazon’s website. Things have quietened down a little at the moment – but it seems probable that e-book prices will fall in future.
However, it’s not all bad news for the publishing houses. Publishers will have lower costs when marketing e-books, so they should still be able to turn a profit. Alternative strategies for marketing books will also become available to them.
Amazon’s library of Kindle books is the far and away the largest available on the web right now. They have more than 700,000 titles to choose from – and there are a further 1.8 million out of copyright books which can be downloaded free from Amazon’s website. The large majority of these were published pre-1923, but there are other examples of more modern books which can be downloaded for free.
You will frequently find some publishers offering modern, recently published, books for free. Often this will be done for a relatively brief period – a couple of weeks or so. It allows them to showcase a new title or author and the increased number of downloads will help the book to move up the best sellers list. Once it has risen up the rankings, publishers may decide to benefit from the added exposure and charge for it. You might also find the first title in a series being made available free of charge. Clearly the idea is that readers will go on to buy other titles in the series if they enjoyed it.
It’s true that both of these marketing techniques could, conceivably, have been used with traditional books. However, it would be a lot more expensive, and therefore a more risky, undertaking. E-books are here to stay. There will be some publishers who will attempt to maintain their profits by using somewhat restrictive measures. It will be the ones that adapt to the new digital publishing landscape by offering value to both readers and authors who survive.
Electronic Book Readers Encourage A Growth In Reading
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
E-book sales during the first six months of 2010 were 183% higher than for the equivalent period in 2009, according to the Association of American Publishers. Forrester Research predicted that 11 million Americans would own some form of digital reading device by the end of September 2010.
It appears that e-book readers are encouraging people to read more. Owners of the Amazon Kindle Reader are reported to buy 3.3 times more books with their Kindle than they did prior to having their reader.
There’s absolutely no doubt that Amazon is the biggest e-book seller right now. They have more than 700,000 Kindle books to choose from on their website – and there are a further 1.8 million books that can be downloaded for free due to the fact that they are now out of copyright. Amazon has, very cleverly, made a whole range of free apps available for a variety of different devices which lets users read Kindle books without a Kindle reader. This could conceivably impact upon Kindle reader hardware sales – but Amazon are clearly happy to accept this in order to secure sales of Kindle books.
The sales of e-book readers grew exponentially during 2009 – heavily influenced by the release of the Amazon Kindle 2.0 during February of that year. They should probably still be regarded as a niche product – but they are starting to spread beyond the early adopters. E-book reader price reductions, provoked by the launch of Apple’s iPad which can be used as an e-book reader (among many other things), have certainly helped to make e-book readers more attractive to potential customers.
The Kindle became Amazon’s most gifted item ever over the 2009 festive season. At the moment it’s their top selling item – and it looks like this could continue for the foreseeable future. The third generation Kindle launch at the start of August has been a very effective counter to the iPad – and the Kindle is now flying off the shelves.
There’s not much doubt that the public have become used to the idea of e-books and e-book readers now. For the moment it looks like there is enough room in the market for both the specialist Kindle and the iPad’s versatility. Whether or not this situation will continue, or whether there will be a move to a more versatile type of e-book reader when Amazon eventually develop color e-ink technology displays, remains to be seen. However, e-books are going to be a permanent feature of the publishing landscape going forward and seem likely to make up an increasing percentage of total book sales in the near future.
Now You Can Play Games On The Amazon Kindle
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
The Amazon Kindle reader has been a massive success for Amazon since it was first released in November of 2007. The upgrade Kindle 2.0, released in February 2009 was a major factor in the rapid growth and development of the e-book reader market and the latest third generation Kindle reader, unveiled at the end of July 2010, has been selling like hot cakes.
Amazon have advised that the new Kindle 3 has been selling faster than any earlier Kindle did during the equivalent post launch time slot. It hardly conforms to the widely predicted death of the Kindle that many industry analysts predicted following the launch of the Apple iPad.
It’s a compliment to the Kindle – albeit a backhanded one – that, until now, its only realistic competition has come in the form of a multi-functional tablet computer which costs over three times the price of the Kindle. Were Amazon to treble the price of the Kindle, it seems reasonable to assume that some extra functionality could possibly be added.
However, that seems to be an unlikely course of events. The Kindle has set its stall out as a specialist e-book reader. The iPad is specifically designed to be a multi-functional device. They are two very different pieces of kit aimed at different market sectors. A blow by blow technical comparison is unlikely to produce anything meaningful.
Notwithstanding that, it’s interesting to note that Kindle games are starting to appear on the market. Apple’s iPad is clearly far and away the better device for playing games on – the Kindle’s e-ink technology display, whilst ideal for an e-book reader, is not suited for any application which requires a rapid screen refresh rate.
So it should come as no great surprise that the types of games appearing for the Kindle are mainly numbers games and word puzzles. Currently, the most popular Kindle game is the timeless classic Scrabble. Crosswords, Sudoku and a variety of word puzzle games are also available. We’re not talking about Grand Theft Auto or Halo Reach here – but, without wanting to stereotype, it makes perfect sense that someone who reads a lot might also enjoy doing crosswords and solving word puzzles.
Scrabble for the Kindle is currently selling for $ 4.99 and is the best selling Kindle game at this time. There are other games available in the price range of $ 0.99 to $ 4.99. There are even some free games appearing, a trend which – if Kindle games develop along the same lines as Kindle Books – will in all probability grow in the near future.
How Does The AmazonKindle Compare With Traditional Books?
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
E-book readers have been growing in popularity for quite some time now. It’s most likely true to say that the Amazon Kindle reader has been a very important factor in the growth of the e-book reader market. Whilst the Kindle wasn’t first to market when it originally launched in November of 2007, it was a significant improvement on other readers available on the market.
Amazon reinforced its market domination even further when it released the Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009. The large format Kindle DX followed in the summer of the same year and August 2010 saw Amazon release the third generation Kindle reader.
The Kindle is the top selling product on Amazon’s website. Just recently Amazon confirmed that Kindle books are outselling hardback editions – 180 Kindle books are sold for every 100 hardbacks. It can only be a matter of time before Kindle books start outselling paperbacks – and they will eventually outsell both paperbacks and hardbacks combined.
It certainly seems that e-book readers and e-books are now a permanent feature on the publishing landscape. The future of reading seems to be digital. Some book lovers may have an attachment to physical books, which is understandable of course. Some people are unsure as to whether or not an e-book reader would be a good option for them. Many worry that they might miss the feel of handling a real book. Others wonder if the display will be okay to read, or if the page turns will annoy them and spoil their enjoyment.
Making a judgement can be difficult. It may soon be available in selected retails stores but, for the moment, the main outlet for the Amazon Kindle is online, so – unless you know someone who owns one – it can be hard to see it working in order to form an opinion. There are numerous reviews available online – but a great many of these concentrate on the technical aspects as opposed to the user experience. For the majority of prospective first time buyers, how an e-book reader compares with reading traditional books will be of more interest than how it stacks up alongside other e-book readers.
So – if you’re considering buying an e-book reader, here are some pointers for you:
1. Due to the fact that they are small and lightweight, e-book readers are well suited for one handed use. This means that reading on a crowded train, bus or plane is easy – as is reading propped up in bed or lounging on the sofa.
2. The e-ink technology display is much better to read on than a computer screen. It really is just like reading printed paper text – although the background is light grey instead of white.
3. Whilst “turning the page”, there is a momentary flicker. The display momentarily goes blank. However, this is really very fast – you will be aware of it at first but after an hour or two of reading on an e-book reader you simply won’t notice it any more.
4. E-books cost less than printed books – due to the fact that they use no paper, ink or bindings. They also don’t require any road transportation.
5. E-books are more environmentally friendly than printed books as they use no paper, ink, bindings – and there’s no physical product to be shipped.
6. The Amazon Kindle store has over 670,000 titles available for you to choose from. It also has over 1.8 million out of copyright Kindle books available for free. If you read one or more books every week. your reader could finance itself in no more than a few months.
7. Battery life, with the Wi-Fi turned off, is three to four weeks.
8. Downloading Kindle books is easy. It genuinely does take less than sixty seconds. No need to worry if you finish your book when the shops are shut, you can buy and download a new book any time you like. You’ll never be stuck without something to read again.
9. You will be able to take a small library of books with you wherever you go. It’s great if you travel a lot.
10. You can download the first chapter of Kindle books for free – so you’ll be able to tell if you like a book before you buy it.
A survey of e-book readers in the USA found that 80% of them preferred reading e-books to reading conventional books. Looking at the list of advantages above, it’s hardly surprising. If you are a book lover, then the Amazon Kindle reader may be the ideal device for you.
Why Apple’s iPad Isn’t A Threat to Amazon’s Kindle
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
The Amazon Kindle has consistently been, since it was originally released back in November of 2007, the best e-book reader available on the market. That is the secret behind its considerable success to date. At the end of 2009, it seemed as if every personal electronics manufacturer was trying to secure a share of the nascent e-book reader market – and any new reader was immediately christened the “Kindle Killer”. The simple reason for this is 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 following pack even more. It’s worthy of note that the latest Kindle killer isn’t even an e-book reader at all, but Apple’s iPad. This is a completely different type of device, with a much higher selling price and – when considered as an e-book reader – a device which suffers in a number of areas compared to the Kindle.
The latest improvements include a doubling of memory from 2 to 4 GB, a higher contrast display, 20% faster page turns and an extended battery life. The device retains the same 6″ display, but in a smaller, lighter case – which now comes in either white or graphite. Amazon has also released an entry level Wi-Fi only model Kindle for customers who do not have need of a 3G connection. This is on sale at just $ 139 – very close to the $ 99 value commonly held to be impulse buy territory 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. This only took a few days to do – but some customers may have been put off by exchange rates and having to use a credit card (debit cards are more common in the UK). Amazon has just launched a major TV advertising campaign in the United Kingdom and it may be that this, together 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.
Reports of the Kindle’s demise have proven to be premature in the past, and that is still the case. The Kindle and the iPad are completely different devices and there’s very little point in trying to compare them with each other. The Kindle is, far and away, the best e-book reader on the market. 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. There will be some people who prefer to keep reading conventional printed books – both hardback and paperback editions. Some people will transfer to an e-book reader, in which case the Amazon Kindle will be the number one choice (as will Kindle books). Others will be more interested in surfing the net on the go, maybe reading the occasional e-book – and they will probably go for an iPad. Whatever your own personal preference is, Amazon will be more than happy to supply your needs.
The Influence of Amazon In The E-Book Arena
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
Amazon have been very influential in the recent growth in popularity of both e-book readers and e-books. Amazon’s 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 display Kindle DX was released in the summer of 2009 and also had an upgrade in August 2010.
Many industry watchers predicted that, despite Amazon’s pivotal role in the development of the e-book reader market, the launch of the versatile Apple iPad would effectively sound the death knell for the Kindle. However, after the launch of the third generation Kindle – accompanied by a reduction in the retail price – Amazon has sold out of their readers again. On the face of it, demand seems to remain high for what has now become Amazon’s top selling product.
For some people, the transition to reading e-books has been easy. Others seem to be attached to physical books. However, for most 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 e-book reader price cuts, prompted or at least hastened by the launch of the iPad, have made e-book readers more attractive to many consumers.
Amazon recently advised that they are now selling more Kindle books than traditional hardback books. The lower sales price of e-books – which use no paper or ink and have no delivery fees to speak of – certainly helps. It can’t be very much longer before e-books begin to sell more than paperbacks.
As well as the price, the ease with which e-books can be bought is another influencing 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 potential area of concern for many prospective customers was a reluctance to be “tied” to one particular brand of e-reader. This issue has been very effectively addressed by Amazon who have released a large number of free “apps” to allow Kindle books to be read on a wide range of different devices. Currently, Kindle books can be read on the Mac, the PC, the iPhone, the iPad, the Blackberry smart phone and any device which uses 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. Currently, approximately 20% of all Kindle book sales are destined to be 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 likely that Amazon will remain as one of the driving forces in the digital publishing arena for some time to come.
The Amazon Kindle Remains In Demand
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
Whilst it seems certain that the release of the Apple iPad has had an impact upon sales of Amazon’s Kindle reader, the internet retail giant doesn’t appear to be overly concerned. Following another price cut and an upgrade, the 6″ version of the Kindle has now sold out. Amazon currently estimate that there will be a four to five week hiatus before any new readers are shipped out. The larger Kindle DX version is currently still available.
The newest Kindle version sees the physical size of the unit shrink (whilst maintaining the same display size), a 15% reduction in weight and quicker page turns. There is now twice as much memory, allowing 3,500 Kindle books to be stored. A new high contrast, low glare, e-ink technology display, coupled with a battery life of up to one month (with Wi-Fi turned off) means that the Kindle the is the ideal reading device, whether at home or whilst travelling.
Customers can now choose from either white or graphite colors and the standard unit comes with both Wi-Fi and free 3G connectivity. A cheaper Wi-Fi only reader is included as an option for the first time 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 consumers can now buy their Kindle direct from Amazon UK rather than having it shipped from the USA. A dedicated UK Kindle book store will be launched, and no doubt similar arrangements can be anticipated for Germany and France at some point in future.
Amazon recently announced that Kindle books were outselling hardback versions on their US web store . In the last month, Amazon has sold 180 Kindle books for every 100 traditional hard cover versions. They seem very confident that the future of reading is going to be digital – and these figures do seem to suggest that this is probable. E-book readers are, on a commercial basis at least, a fairly new development. On the basis of these figures, the reading public appears to have accepted e-book reader technology very rapidly.
Over the past few months, e-book reader prices have fallen significantly. The latest Kindle with 3G and Wi-Fi has a price of $ 189, which is significantly less than the $ 359 February 2009 launch price of the Kindle 2.0. At just $ 139, the price of the Wi-Fi only reader is getting into mp3 player territory. These prices may, or may not, have been driven down by the launch of the Apple iPad – but the hardware price was always going to fall, and it may yet have some way to go.
Whilst the cost of e-book reader hardware has been falling, the cost of the e-books themselves seems to have been edging upwards. This gives Amazon a very real competitive advantage over many of its competitors who are mainly interested in hardware manufacture and marketing. The huge library of Kindle books (over 630,000 at the moment and growing by the day) 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 – such as the PC, the Mac, the Blackberry smart phone, the iPad, the iPhone and any device which runs Android. 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.
E-Book Prices – Enormous Differences Exist
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
The Amazon Kindle e-book reader has proven to be a tremendously successful product for them. It was first released in November of 2007 – but it was the release of the enhanced Kindle 2, in February 2009, which saw e-book readers really become established. Amazon followed up with the large display Kindle DX model in the summer of 2009 and the e-book reader market began to grow at lightning speed.
The Kindle very quickly became Amazon’s best selling product. During the festive period of 2009 it became Amazon’s “most gifted” ever product. Predictabl, a number of other manufacturers either debuted, or upgraded, their own e-book readers. Higher levels of competition produced reduced prices and gave end users additional options – both of these are desirable of course.
With significantly increased choices on offer, potential e-book reader buyers need some method to compare the diverse options available. It’s possible to find many reviews on the web which draw comparisons between the Kindle with Sony’s Daily Edition reader, Barnes and Noble’s Nook reader with the iPad etc. However, a comparison of e-book readers which is focussed upon the hardware only is missing the point of the e-book reader experience. In general, and as is frequently the case with personal electronic equipment, the newer models will tend to include some features which are not included in the older models. However, considerations like ease of use, clarity of the display, how many books are available, the cost of books, how easy it is to buy and download books etc. all need to be taken into consideration.
A number of of these are subjective and a matter of personal preference, others lend themselves to analysis more easily, and can be weighed up before selecting an e-book reader as a purchase. The Amazon Kindle certainly has an advantage when it comes to the number of Kindle books on offer. There are over 420,000 books to choose from on Amazon’s website, and the number is growing on a daily basis. When it comes to the price of books, the Kindle also seems to have a clear advantage.
A recent study conducted by the New York Times examined the cost of ten books – selected from the New York Times 10 Best books of 2009, comprising 5 fiction and 5 non-fiction titles – on the three leading e-book readers, the Kindle, the Nook from Barnes and Noble and Sony’s PRS reader. The total cost of 10 books for the Kindle was $ 136.87 – an average of $ 13.69 per title. The same mini library of ten books sourced from the Sony store produced an average price of $ 15.26 and Barnes and Noble worked out at a markedly higher price per book of $ 19.29.
So it seems that, based on these numbers, anyone who reads one book a week would save to the tune of $300 per annum by going for the Amazon Kindle in preference to the Nook. In effect, the Kindle reader would finance itself and there would still be a few dollars left over to buy books, in less than 12 months. There’s a great deal of discussion taking place between e-book retailers and the big publishing houses at the moment, so it could be that e-book pricing could be subject to modification in the future. Even so, it appears obvious that anyone considering buying an e-book reader would be well advised to study both the availability of books and their cost before making a final selection.
The Advertising Technique Behind The Kindle’s Success
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
What do Stephen King, Hilary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Arnold Schwarzenegger have in common? Apart from being a bit scary of course. The answer is that they have all, in different ways, been the source of good publicity for the Amazon Kindle e-book reader.
Oprah was a fairly early adopter. As far back as 2008 she declared that the original Kindle was her “favorite new gadget”. She also interviewed Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, on her show and gave the Kindle a glowing testimonial. It was a real shot in the arm for Amazon.
Worl best selling author, Stephen King, authored a special novella – “Ur” – to mark the release of Amazon’s second generation reader, the Kindle 2, in February 2009. The plot, without giving the story away, was centred of the Kindle itself and what happened when an English teacher bought a Kindle for himself after breaking up with his girlfriend. King read an extract from the book live on stage at the official launch of the Kindle 2. More good publicity for Amazon.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, in his role as Governor of California, initiated a program to make free digital textbooks available in Californian schools. The program, which has several stages, kicked off in August of 2009. It appeared that, at least as far as electronic textbooks were concerned, the future had arrived somewhat faster than many people expected it to. At the end of the day, if Arnie says that they’re a good idea who’s going to tell him he’s wrong?
Staying with the educational theme, the New Democratic Leadership Council, a Washington think-tank of which Hilary Clinton is a member, produced a white paper entitled “A Kindle In Every Backpack”. The paper outlined the benefits of introducing e-book readers and digital textbooks into the in the U.S. education system. Whilst the report acknowledged that other devices could be used the fact that the Kindle was referenced throughout the document, and even included in the title, was fantastic publicity for Amazon.
These are just four examples of the massive exposure the Kindle reader has managed to achieve. Over the course of 2009, the Kindle generated a huge amount of publicity, chiefly for itself but also for e-book readers in general. It’s not too hard to understand how the Kindle has managed to secure a 60% share of the e-book reader market in America.
Currently there is no shortage of companies with their own e-book readers on the market. Although some of these feature technical specs which, in some areas at least, outperforms Amazon’s Kindle, there just doesn’t seem to be the same buzz about any of them that existed, and to a large extent still exists, around the Kindle. It really is hard to imagine where the Kindle Killer is going to come from – unless Amazon release the Kindle 4 that is.
Why The Kindle Reader Is The Leader Of The Pack
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
has proven itself to be the perfect product for Amazon. Bearing in mind that Amazon has, in the perception of the buying public, a very strong link with both electronics and books the Kindle fits in really well with Amazon’s business model.
Over the course of 2009, e-book readers in general, and the Kindle in particular, were the cool “must have” gadgets of the year. All the signs are that sales will keep growing at a very rapid rate throughout 2010. The market is still young and is developing and changing at lightning speed.
At the moment, the Kindle is the leader of the pack. It currently enjoys an impressive 60% share of the U.S. e-book reader market. Sony is in second place with a creditable 35% market share. There is a long list of competitors who have now developed their own e-book readers in order to get a piece of the action in what is predicted to become a large and profitable market.
In a way, it’s a back-handed compliment to Amazon that almost every new e-book reader that displays and potential is immediately named the “Kindle Killer”. However, bearing in mind that the Kindle is now Amazon’s top selling item, you can be certain that Amazon will be fighting tooth and nail to hang on to the lead position.
Amazon has responded to growing competition by cutting the price of the Kindle 2.0 from its $ 359 launch level to $ 259. The price of the Kindle DX remains, for the moment at least, unchanged. There have also been firmware updates, including the addition of pdf support and extended battery life, among others.
Amazon has also now released both the Kindle 2.0 and the DX in more than 100 countries globally. In reality, Amazon could probably sell Kindles in the States as fast as it could manufacture them – but developing an international Kindle presence is a wise long term strategy for Amazon.
Over and above enhancing the Kindle reader itself and expanding into new markets, Amazon continues to increase the choice of Kindle books available on its Kindle store. Right now there are in excess of 400,000 titles available – and this number is growing at an average rate of over 500 a day.
So, although there are a lot of manufacturers frantically developing e-book readers in order to break into the market, Amazon probably has good reason to feel quietly confident. Rather than just concentrating on hardware development, Amazon is making improvements in a number of different areas. They are developing the existing Kindle, adjusting prices, expanding their market, expanding the selection of books on offer and generally capitalising on their market leadership position. Whenever they decide to launch the Kindle 4 – during the course of 2010 most likely – they will simply consolidate their leadership position even more.