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Ereader User Increases Slow: More than one in 10 book readers have gone digital-only

Ereader User Increases Slow

More than one in 10 book readers have gone digital-only

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1009576

“Tablets may be more attractive to many  users as multifunctional devices, but single-purpose ereaders still enjoyed  a strong 44.2% surge in adoption in 2012 and will continue moderate growth in  ownership in the coming years. eMarketer estimates that nearly 50 million Americans used an ereader at least  monthly in 2012. This year, the number of users is expected to increase 10.1% to  21.8% of internet users or 16.8% of the total population. eMarketer’s estimates  of ereader users include those using devices with e-ink displays, such as  Amazon’s Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite. Devices with an LCD screen like the NOOK  Color are considered tablets.
148890The fastest growth in ereader users last year was among blacks, among whom  user numbers increased 81%. Uptake by Asians also rose faster than average. Both  groups will continue to post above-average growth rates in users throughout the  forecast period.

The bulk of ereader users are older adults, with 57.2% of the total ages 45  and up last year, and that will only change slightly in coming years. While user  numbers will grow fastest in 2013 among children under 12, by 2014 older adults  will again be the leading growth area for ereaders. By 2016, 60.1% of ereader  users will be 45 and up.

November research from the Pew  Internet & American Life Project found that ebook ownership reached 19%  of consumers ages 16 and up. This is slightly higher than eMarketer’s  penetration figure of 15.4%, but eMarketer includes users of all ages in its  estimate and young children are the least likely group to use an ereader.

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Pew found that among consumers of all ages who reported reading a book in the  past year, 30% had read at least one ebook during that period. That compared  with 89% who said they had read a printed book—leaving around 11% of book  readers who seem to have gone digital-only in their reading.”

Read more at http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1009576#EEOLMq5tDscrsEaZ.99

Stephen

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Posted on: January 5, 2013, 6:54 am Category: Uncategorized

By: stephen

rev="post-16601" 10 comments

10 Responses

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  1. Stephen said
    on January 5, 2013 8:59 am

    Rich: I agree. It usually takes a little time to help people make the separation between e-paper based, refected light readers and tablets, app based backlit reader tablets. It doesn’t help that the tablet apps are called the same names (Kindle, Kobo, Nook, etc.).This is true even for pros like librarians. I still believe that our human biology finds greater comfort factors in e-paper verusus having mild light shined into your eyes and changing the dynamics of our brain chemistry. That said, I prefer imaginative reading (fiction) on print or e-paper and action based reading (business-related, news, e-mail, social media, etc.) on a plasma screen. Therefore I choose the device and haven’t forced myself on to one, single form factor. There are too many variables to limit to just one – desktop, laptop, e-reader, tablet, smartphone, whatever. So I just pick whatever works and is at hand. I think that we’re in a hybrid digital device ecosystem for many years yet.

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