Chief executive officer of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, unlike the head of Apple, admits that people do read books nowadays. However, Mr. Ballmer claims that the world's largest developer of software does not have plans to create its own e-book reader.

"We have a device for reading. It's the most popular device in the world. It's the PC. I would love to see companies like Amazon and others bring their books to the PC. Hopefully we can get that to happen with Barnes & Noble or Amazon or somebody. But no, we are not interested in e-readers ourselves," said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft, reports Reuters news-agency.

It is obvious that people do read a lot of books on personal computers and Windows Mobile-based smartphones, however, at some point in future specialized e-book readers may if not replace paper books completely, but capture a much larger portion of the market.

Microsoft's operating systems power over 90% of personal computers worldwide. However, as the markets of smartphones, personal digital media players, e-book readers, mobile Internet devices and other portable electronics expand, they become much more lucrative for software developers and service providers. As a result, it is rather surprising that Microsoft does not want to be a part of e-book readers.

In-Stat market research firm predicts that worldwide e-reader shipments are expected to reach 28.6 million units in 2013, up from 924 thousand in 2008. Market drivers include new entrants to market, international expansion of e-book availability, anticipated price declines, and the electronic distribution of newspapers.

Tags: Microsoft, E-Book