Prediction of E-Reader Demise Was a Little Premature
It was only a few months ago that some tech industry pundits were openly predicting that the writing was on the wall for the standalone e-reader. Pointing to runaway tablet sales (particularly Apple's iPad and iPad 2) and other multipurpose devices like smart phones — all of which are capable of being used to read e-books thanks to e-reading apps — the thought in some quarters was that consumers would lose interest in a standalone device that served only one purpose. Concrete evidence has been published that firmly contradicts this theory.
Study Saw E-Reader Ownership Double
A new study released by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project tracked the ownership of e-readers and tablet computers among American adults. The results show that e-reader ownership "surged" from November, 2010 to May, 2011, effectively doubling during only seven months. Tablet ownership also increased, but at a much slower rate. With the introduction of the consumer-focused tablet computer in 2010, adoption rates for the two classes of devices had been neck in neck until last November, when e-reader adoption rates suddenly spiked. This might be expected, given the Christmas gift-giving season, but the rate didn't dip after December, it just kept climbing. By May, it was estimated that 12 percent of US adults owned e-readers, while eight percent owned tablets. Perhaps more importantly, the adoption rate for e-readers continues to grow at a higher level than for tablets, suggesting e-readers will continue to gain ground with consumers. Click here to see the full study, including graphs.
Shiny New Tablets Outsold By Year Old E-Reader Models
What's particularly interesting about this data is the timeframe in which it took place. There were no major new e-reader hardware releases between November 2010 and May, 2011. In fact, new hardware was announced toward the end of the study period, but was not yet available — something that might be expected to slow the adoption rate while consumers hold off on buying soon to be outdated products. So the growth during that period can't be attributed to consumers rushing out to buy the latest and greatest e-readers. In the tablet camp, however, that same timeframe saw a number of new hardware releases, particularly the iPad2 and RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook. There was a corresponding bump in tablet growth coinciding with the release of these highly anticipated devices, but the bottom line is that e-reader sales significantly outpaced tablets, despite the fact that many of the e-readers were due for a refresh, while the tablets benefited from significant media hype.
E-Readers Make For Better, Less Expensive E-Reading Experience
What's the takeaway from all this? Well, for one, we alway have to be careful when making predictions about the electronics industry. Things change fast and a product category that didn't exist six months ago may come out of nowhere to become the next hot thing. However, I think that the data does show evidence that standalone e-readers are going to not only be around for a while yet, they haven't even begun to reach their potential.
Multipurpose tablets — predicted by some to be e-reader killers — have failed so far to have much impact on e-reader sales. Tablets remain too expensive, too cumbersome, too tied to a power outlet and too difficult to read in many lighting conditions to be a real threat to a standalone e-reader. With the next round of new e-reader hardware just hitting the streets, boasting touch screens and battery life now measured in months instead of weeks while continuing to drop in price, I expect to see e-reader adoption continue to increase, at least for the next few years.
There's no reason (besides budget) you can't have your cake and eat it too — the study reports three percent of US adults own both an e-reader and a tablet.