A survey has revealed that those with eReaders now frequently read more than they did with traditional printed books. The survey, carried out by Marketing and Research Resources Inc., showed the impact that portable eReaders are having on reading habits. The results revealed that 40 per cent of eReader owners now read more than they did with printed books, while 58 per cent read the same amount and just 2 per cent read less.
The survey looked at owners of three leading eReaders: Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad and Sony Reader. All three have seen sales success and, according to Amazon, eReaders are contributing to a steady increase in book buying. The online book shop says customers purchasing 3.3 times as many books following buying a kindle. Fifteen per cent of all US book sales are now ebooks, giving a clear indication of the rapid success of the devices.
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Portability
The survey was published online in a Wall Street Journal story that explains the effect eReaders are having on the American market. Their size and portability are enabling people to read in places they never before thought possible; the gym or even in the bath (inside a waterproof cover). A 2007 study by America’s National Endowment for Arts had revealed that nearly half of all Americans aged between 18 and 24 read no books for pleasure. Wall Street Journal hopes that the recent eReader success might be a sign America is departing from these worrying 2007 figures.
New eReaders
A series of new launches have also seen a terrific response from consumers. Amazon too launched a new model of Kindle. Smaller, cheaper, faster and better connected than its predecessor, the new Kindle is to the old what the paperback is to the hardback, and on Friday it’s finally officially available in the UK. Prices start at an affordable £109. Amazon’s Kindle eReader has sold out before it was supposed to ship to the public. Sony has unveiled three new ebook readers to compete with Apple’s iPad and Amazon’s Kindle. The Japanese consumer electronics giant also announced plans to launch a Kindle-style “app” for iPhones and Android-based smartphones, which would allow people to download and read Sony’s ebooks on their mobile device. Sony said the Reader Mobile Edition would be released “later this year”. India saw a new eReader in the market too with the launch of the Wink.
Good Marketing
eReaders are providing publishers with new and more exciting ways to get people reading. The digital market is expanding rapidly as eReaders become ever more user friendly. From new launches to celebrities endorsements every trick in the book is used by companies to woo buyers. When Oprah told her audience she loves Amazon’s electronic book reader, search traffic for the word “Kindle” went up 479pc. The gadgets has become a firm favourite of celebrities, from Jennifer Aniston to Cameron Diaz and has spawned an industry forecast to be worth more than $1bn (£628m) in the US within the next few years.
The future of e-books is one of the most contentious subjects in technology at the moment. David Kohn of Waterstone’s points out: “eBooks and eReaders mark the biggest revolution in the way we read since the introduction of Penguin paperbacks in the 1930s”.
