Oh what a difference a couple of holiday seasons make. Three years ago, full-size tablets were an oddity while e-book readers were struggling to break into the mainstream. Then the iPad was released and Amazon’s Kindle hit its stride. Fast forward to the 2011 holiday season and it appears that both sectors finally have arrived. Tablets especially saw a big breakthrough as 2011 proved to be quite the eventful year for the touchy-feely devices. E-readers, which some assumed would fade into the sunset after tablets gained popularity, managed to see growth as well. Here’s a look at the growth seen in the tablet and e-reader space based on a study released by Pew Internet.
RAPID GROWTH
The biggest finding so far is that nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults now own a tablet as of January 2012. Interestingly, the same number of adults own an e-book reader as well. The numbers are nearly double of what was seen the month before in December when ownership of the devices was at 10 percent for U.S. adults.
The post holiday jump was even more pronounced because ownership for both devices was relatively flat from mid-2011 through January. One possible explanation outside of the holiday rush was the release of of popular e-readers and tablets during the lead-up to the holidays, including Amazon’s new Kindle Fire. Amazon also refreshed its Kindle line while Barnes & Noble released a new touchscreen reader, the Nook Simple Touch.
Regardless of the reason, e-reader and tablets are on a roll. Back in May 2010, for example, only 4 percent of U.S. adults owned an e-reader while only 3 percent were tablet owners.
TAKING OWNERSHIP
Tablet ownership was especially pronounced in consumers under the age of 50. About 24 percent of adults age 18 to 29, for example, owned a tablet, the survey found. The number is even higher for adults age 30 to 49 at 27 percent. The increase in ownership was highest in folks with a college education and income of $75,000 or higher.
For e-readers, adults age 30 to 49 still accounted for the highest ownership rate at 24 percent. Adults age 50 to 64, however, trumped those ages 18 to 29 with an ownership rate of 19 percent vs. 18 percent. This actually makes sense given how e-readers typically try to emulate paper books and aren’t as technically intimidating as a tablet. Ownership, however, is still highest among college graduates and adults who make $75,000 or more per year.
Also, while ownership of tablets was the same for males and females at 19 percent each, more women owned e-readers. According to the poll, 21 percent of females had an e-reader compared to only 16 percent of males.
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
Regardless of what you take from the Pew Internet study’s numbers, one thing is clear: e-readers and tablets have officially arrived. E-readers took a long time to gain momentum and have even been subject to naysayers. But with the devices seeing a breakthrough in pricing, e-readers are finally gaining mass acceptance. The growth is even more remarkable for tablets. Less than two years after the first iPad launched, tablets have made impressive inroads in the market and now threaten netbooks and, to an extent, laptops and PC sales.
The $64,000 question, of course, is whether all this growth is simply a fad or for real. Given the technological strides still to be seen in both devices combined with the significant mind share gained from the public, it’s starting to look like e-readers and tablets are here to stay. Heck, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that both are likely poised for even more growth. So will 2012 take the ball from 2011 and continue the momentum seen in e-readers and tablets. Let’s just say that the 2012 holiday season will be quite interesting to see.
