iPad Closing in on Kindle in eReader Ownership

xristy · 12-01-2010, 04:09 AM

Interesting survey purporting to show that the iPad as-an-eReader market share is increasing while the Kindle share is decreasing and that the two devices dominate the eReader market with Sony a very distant third:

iPad Closing in on Kindle in eReader Ownership

These results don't quite reflect the relative numbers of persons viewing the respective device forums here. Typically there are 5 - 8 times as many persons viewing Kindle versus iPad and 2 - 3 times as many viewing Sony.

emellaich · 12-04-2010, 11:47 AM

Yeah, I don't really agree with that survey. It claims to compare ereading, but it appears to compare Kindle ownership versus ipad ownership.

Most people are not regular readers (look up the numbers on the net). I suspect, that of those people who try ibooks, most have tried it once and don't regularly use it. Or, I suspect that there are those who have become occasional readers on their ipad since they have one.

I wouldn't compare Kindle sales to netbook or laptop sales, nor would I compare Kindle sales to iPad sales.

Since the Kindle is primarily a book reader, the proper comparison would be the Kindle versus sales to iPad users who are regular book readers on their iPad -- I actually don't know where to set the bar for "regular use", let's save that for another discussion.

Now, I am sure that there are many people (including many on this forum) who regularly use their iPad for book reading. I'm not putting down that use of the iPad. I'm just saying that the survey above is not representative of an apples to apples comparison of the two. As it is, its like comparing sales of iPads to sales of gps systems.

Sischa · 12-07-2010, 04:40 AM

What a "survey" *yawn*

I own an iPad and 3 Kindles. I bought an ebook at ibook once (!)
I buy books on my kindles on a regular basis, round about 30-40 books a month.

I am reading (estimated) 25% on the Kindle DX, 70% on Kindle 2 or 3 and 5% on my iPhone and iPad but much more on my iPhone (short breaks like waiting at the doctor or to early at a meeting) then on the iPad.

So yeah i closed up to the Kindle by getting an iPad good for the statistic but has nothing to do with reading books on it or not.

Honestly i am reading much on the iPad, Blogs, RSS Feeds, some Magazines i subscribed to and Websites + Forums.

So i think just looking at sale numbers don't really tell you anything about sucess of the iPad as an eReader.

From my personal point of view looking at the people i know who own an iPad i would say the major part (around 50%) don't really use it often or really know what to do with it more as an email and web browser machine. The other part uses it for multimedia like videos and youtube a lot of gaming etc. . And very very few i know really read on it magazines or newspapers. And i not even know one (!) person who really uses it as an ereader on a regular basis. Some have bought 1-2 books or some samples but i know nobody who buys a lot of book at iBooks!

drofgnal · 12-07-2010, 08:35 AM

I agree a bogus survey. Those numbers are an apples to oranges comparison. They are much farther apart when you consider those for who the device is nothing but a dedicated reader.

I'm an ipad owner and exclusively read off it having turned my kindle over to my wife. But I do other things on it as well. Surf the net, play a few games, and even catch an occasional streaming show from netflix. If I were buying a device that was nothing but a reader, it would be a kindle, no brainer. 139 vs 499, is no comparison for reading only.

Interesting that the survey showed up on macrumors.com....

JimKal · 12-08-2010, 08:45 AM

I don't think the survey is quite as "bad" as others seem to think. It soes mention that iPad owners are less likely to use it as an e-reader than a Kindle owner. I think that recognizes one of the main differences between the devices - the iPad offers other attractions. but, it goes on to state some of those attractions do involve reading.

Obviously, Amazon must think there is a market for iPad readers as they were quick to offer an iPad app. In fact, without that Kindle app on the iPad I wouldn't have bought the iPad. I have no idea how many books have been bought at iBooks. I am not aware of any sale figures but I'm sure they are available somewhere and they must be significant for Apple to continue to support the iBooks store. Personally, I've only downloaded free stuff from iBooks as I much prefer the Amazon bookstore. I've purchased quite a few books from Amazon - full price e-Books from major publishers, low cost collections of out of "PRINT" collections by favorite authors, e-only low cost books.

The more e-readers that are offered the better it is for the rest of us. The bigger the market for e-books, the more likely are we to see the movement of first rate books to this format. By that I mean quality authors skipping the old line publishers and moving to e-publishing where they can claim a larger percentage of the price and still offer significant savings over traditional publishing practices.

12-01-2010, 04:09 AM	#1
xristy Connoisseur Posts: 54 Karma: 210 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: iPad	Closing in on Kindle in eReader Ownership Interesting survey purporting to show that the iPad as-an-eReader market share is increasing while the Kindle share is decreasing and that the two devices dominate the eReader market with Sony a very distant third: iPad Closing in on Kindle in eReader Ownership These results don't quite reflect the relative numbers of persons viewing the respective device forums here. Typically there are 5 - 8 times as many persons viewing Kindle versus iPad and 2 - 3 times as many viewing Sony. Last edited by xristy; 12-01-2010 at 04:11 AM. Reason: fix title

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12-04-2010, 11:47 AM	#2
emellaich Wizard Posts: 1,101 Karma: 4388403 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Palm>Ebookman>IPaq>Axim>Cybook>Kndl2>IPAD>Kndl3SO>Voyager>Oasis	Yeah, I don't really agree with that survey. It claims to compare ereading, but it appears to compare Kindle ownership versus ipad ownership. Most people are not regular readers (look up the numbers on the net). I suspect, that of those people who try ibooks, most have tried it once and don't regularly use it. Or, I suspect that there are those who have become occasional readers on their ipad since they have one. I wouldn't compare Kindle sales to netbook or laptop sales, nor would I compare Kindle sales to iPad sales. Since the Kindle is primarily a book reader, the proper comparison would be the Kindle versus sales to iPad users who are regular book readers on their iPad -- I actually don't know where to set the bar for "regular use", let's save that for another discussion. Now, I am sure that there are many people (including many on this forum) who regularly use their iPad for book reading. I'm not putting down that use of the iPad. I'm just saying that the survey above is not representative of an apples to apples comparison of the two. As it is, its like comparing sales of iPads to sales of gps systems.

12-07-2010, 04:40 AM	#3
Sischa Evangelist Posts: 428 Karma: 2370 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Germany Device: Nokia 770, Ilead, Cybook G3, Kindle DX, Kindle 2, iPad, Kindle 3, PW	What a "survey" yawn I own an iPad and 3 Kindles. I bought an ebook at ibook once (!) I buy books on my kindles on a regular basis, round about 30-40 books a month. I am reading (estimated) 25% on the Kindle DX, 70% on Kindle 2 or 3 and 5% on my iPhone and iPad but much more on my iPhone (short breaks like waiting at the doctor or to early at a meeting) then on the iPad. So yeah i closed up to the Kindle by getting an iPad good for the statistic but has nothing to do with reading books on it or not. Honestly i am reading much on the iPad, Blogs, RSS Feeds, some Magazines i subscribed to and Websites + Forums. So i think just looking at sale numbers don't really tell you anything about sucess of the iPad as an eReader. From my personal point of view looking at the people i know who own an iPad i would say the major part (around 50%) don't really use it often or really know what to do with it more as an email and web browser machine. The other part uses it for multimedia like videos and youtube a lot of gaming etc. . And very very few i know really read on it magazines or newspapers. And i not even know one (!) person who really uses it as an ereader on a regular basis. Some have bought 1-2 books or some samples but i know nobody who buys a lot of book at iBooks!

12-07-2010, 08:35 AM	#4
drofgnal Wizard Posts: 1,400 Karma: 10519918 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Ipad Pro/Kindle Oasis 3/iPhone 13 Pro Max	I agree a bogus survey. Those numbers are an apples to oranges comparison. They are much farther apart when you consider those for who the device is nothing but a dedicated reader. I'm an ipad owner and exclusively read off it having turned my kindle over to my wife. But I do other things on it as well. Surf the net, play a few games, and even catch an occasional streaming show from netflix. If I were buying a device that was nothing but a reader, it would be a kindle, no brainer. 139 vs 499, is no comparison for reading only. Interesting that the survey showed up on macrumors.com....

12-08-2010, 08:45 AM	#5
JimKal Zealot Posts: 122 Karma: 1000 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Jamestown, NC Device: iPad, iMac,iPhone, Kindle Touch	I don't think the survey is quite as "bad" as others seem to think. It soes mention that iPad owners are less likely to use it as an e-reader than a Kindle owner. I think that recognizes one of the main differences between the devices - the iPad offers other attractions. but, it goes on to state some of those attractions do involve reading. Obviously, Amazon must think there is a market for iPad readers as they were quick to offer an iPad app. In fact, without that Kindle app on the iPad I wouldn't have bought the iPad. I have no idea how many books have been bought at iBooks. I am not aware of any sale figures but I'm sure they are available somewhere and they must be significant for Apple to continue to support the iBooks store. Personally, I've only downloaded free stuff from iBooks as I much prefer the Amazon bookstore. I've purchased quite a few books from Amazon - full price e-Books from major publishers, low cost collections of out of "PRINT" collections by favorite authors, e-only low cost books. The more e-readers that are offered the better it is for the rest of us. The bigger the market for e-books, the more likely are we to see the movement of first rate books to this format. By that I mean quality authors skipping the old line publishers and moving to e-publishing where they can claim a larger percentage of the price and still offer significant savings over traditional publishing practices.

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