A total of 1.35 million e-book readers were shipped to the global market in the second quarter of 2010, 33.2% fewer than the originally projected 2.02 million units, chiefly because shipments of new models were delayed to the third quarter, according to Digitimes Research.

Two other factors also prevented shipments from reaching the target. Telecom carrier China Mobile Communications' subsidized sales of e-book readers were weaker-than-expected in the China market, and volume shipments of SiPix's e-paper solutions were delayed.

Barnes & Noble took the leading position in the second quarter with 33% market share, followed by Amazon's 27%. However, Amazon is expected to regain the leading position in the third quarter when the company launches a new product, Digitimes Research noted.

For the second half of 2010, demand is expected to pick up as vendors lower their prices. Volume shipments of SiPix's e-paper products will add fuel to the competition in the market, and the availability of more mature SoC (system on chip) solutions will facilitate product development and cost-down.

Digitimes Research forecasts that the global e-book reader market to reach seven million units in the second half of 2010 and attain the target of 10 million units for the whole year.