14 DAY TRIAL // Since entering the eReader market in mid-2008, Hanvon has managed to gather quite an impressive user base around its devices, the company just announcing that it has passed the 1 million customer mark, as it has become China's leading e-Book reader supplier.
According to a company representative, the user base exploded in 2010, the company managing to attract 700,000 new customers.
“The user base in 2008 and 2009 was relatively small. This year alone, the base expanded by 700,000,” said Hanvon’s Chief Strategist Ray Zhang to Taipei Times.
Furthermore, citing the same company official, Taipei Times states that Hanvon's user base is expected to experience “exponential growth” in 2011 as the company plans to launch new devices as well as to add new content into its electronic bookstore.
Right now, the company's Taiwanese section of the e-bookstore contains over 100,000 titles in English, traditional and simplified Chinese.
As far as the company's plans to launch new eReaders are concerned, Zhang states that a color reader will debut in China by Q2 of 2011, at the latest.
Although the company representative hasn't provided reporters with any additional information regarding the mysterious device, it's highly likely this will be the same eReader that Hanvon made available for pre-order in early November.
If this is indeed the case, the reader will feature a 9.7-inch touchscreen display that is capable of displaying various colors and basic animations as well as WiFi and 3G connectivity.
In Q3 2010, Hanvon dominated the Chinese eReader market with a 71.5 percent share, its second competitor managing to get only a 6.5 percent market share while the number three contender had to settle with 3.8%.
As for its plans, the company says it will continue to focus its attention on eReader devices, as it hasn't found its place yet in the tablet market.