The concept of e-books emerged in the late 20th century, with early prototypes relying on specialized hardware devices that were costly and inaccessible to the public.
In the 1990s, the popularization of personal computers and the Internet laid the foundation for e-book dissemination, enabling users to read electronic texts on PCs.
The launch of Amazon Kindle in 2007 marked a pivotal turning point—it combined an e-ink screen, long battery life and a massive book resource library, revolutionizing people’s reading habits and pushing e-books into the mainstream market.
Later, the rise of smartphones and tablet computers further promoted the development of e-books. Diverse reading apps emerged, supporting functions like cloud synchronization and personalized annotation, making e-book reading more flexible and convenient.
Today, e-books have become an indispensable part of the publishing industry, coexisting with traditional paper books and constantly evolving with technological progress.
