Kindle vs Nook US market share

[jehane]

Bloomberg article

The Kindle has a market share of 67 percent in the U.S., followed by the Nook at 22 percent, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Amazon.com also generates 58 percent of e-book sales, followed by Barnes & Noble’s 27 percent, Apple Inc. at 9 percent and Borders with 7 percent.

Pity it doesn't link to the actual Goldman Sachs report. Interesting that B&N seems to be doing better at ebook sales relative to the number of actual devices sold compared to Amazon/Kindle.

[rhadin]

I'd like to know how Goldman Sachs knows this when Amazon doesn't release specific numbers. No one knows how many Kindles have been sold and/or returned, for example.

[soondai]

wouldn't surprise me if Goldman Sachs had access to enough credit card info to make some good estimates

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by jehane

Bloomberg article



Pity it doesn't link to the actual Goldman Sachs report. Interesting that B&N seems to be doing better at ebook sales relative to the number of actual devices sold compared to Amazon/Kindle.

I would imagine that this would be due to people reading Kindle books on non-Kindle devices - iPads, iPhones, etc.

[SleepyBob]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

I would imagine that this would be due to people reading Kindle books on non-Kindle devices - iPads, iPhones, etc.

That would have the opposite impact, actually. If significant numbers of non-Kindle owners were buying Kindle Editions, then their share of ebook sales would be higher than Kindle's market share, not lower.

This seems to indicate that Nook owners are bigger readers than Kindle owners, on average. That probably even makes sense - a light reader is probably more likely to be gifted a Kindle or to get a Kindle because of its mindshare, which will both push down Amazon's books-per-Kindle ratio.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by SleepyBob

That would have the opposite impact, actually. If significant numbers of non-Kindle owners were buying Kindle Editions, then their share of ebook sales would be higher than Kindle's market share, not lower.

Oh, yeah, I got that backwards. :-)

[fjtorres]

89% of hardware going to Kindle and Nook? Those numbers explain a lot.

1- Sounds about right.
2- Doesn't leave much for Sony and Kobo and "other"
3- With US sales running 72% of the world market (estimated at 11 million for 2010 by IDC) that works out to 5.4 million Kindles in the US and 2.6 million kindles outside the US. Which means Amazon foreign sales outsold the field outside the US by almost 2 to 1.
4- Nook had a very good first full year: about 1.7 million or equal to the entire non-Kindle, Non-nook field, worldwide.
5- Apple sold 9% of the ebooks. So much for the 20% brag. Explains the need to get competing reader apps out of iOS.

[CleverClothe]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

3- With US sales running 72% of the world market (estimated at 11 million for 2010 by IDC) that works out to 5.4 million Kindles in the US and 2.6 million kindles outside the US. Which means Amazon foreign sales outsold the field outside the US by almost 2 to 1.

Where did you get that number? The report was about the U.S. market only.

[Lemurion]

It really makes me wonder what's going to happen as the Nook Color gets more popular; the ability to read Kindle books (after rooting) was one factor that pushed me towards getting one.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by CleverClothe

Where did you get that number? The report was about the U.S. market only.

1- IDC worldwide sales estimate:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/2011/01/me...a-torrid-pace/

2- Kindle's reported 2010 worldwide sales of 8 million

3- A bit of math. Not hard.

[Fbone]

Ebook sales percentage as listed totals 101%. This leaves nothing for Sony, Kobo, and everyone else. I would think they would have more than 1% market share. Unless their Borders number includes Kobo.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Ebook sales percentage as listed totals 101%. This leaves nothing for Sony, Kobo, and everyone else. I would think they would have more than 1% market share. Unless their Borders number includes Kobo.

I noticed that. It's likely a matter of blindly rounding everything up.
With those numbers you could easily subtract 1 from each listed percentage (rounding everything down instead) and have a reasonable number for Sony & "others" combined.
As for Borders, remember, their online store *is* Kobo.

For 2011, "others" should see a big jump if Google Books' local-branding effort pans out.

Another point to consider for 2011 is how long Sony is going to stay in the eink reader business with what is clearly a low single-digit share of the market, both in hardware (4%?) and in content. Unlike Amazon, B&N and even Kobo--who were recently touting an installed base of over a million worldwide--Sony has been as mute about their reader sales as their stalled PS3 console sales. And on the PS3 side they at least have software sales to pin their hopes on. Since Sony engineers its own readers--unlike Kobo and other second-tier players--their costs are higher and without higher volume sales to defray the costs the readers are not going to be delivering much in the way of profit or even revenue. They aren't even "buying" market share with their efforts.

With Apple shutting them out of the iOS market their best bet would seem be to switch their focus to Android tablets. (Their mobile gaming is already moving to android, so this is actually *likely* especially in view of the success of NookColor.)

Of course, Sony decision making is often driven more by hubris and company image building instead of P&L or Market Share strategies so they may keep on plugging away, hoping for a miracle, just as they're still plugging away in mp3 players, living off brand loyalty. Still, they did abandon the category once already in their home market so...

Interesing times coming.

[Lemurion]

The more I look at it, the more I see Sony moving out of this market. It's a pity because they make very high-quality devices, but I just don't see them holding on with their market share.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

5- Apple sold 9% of the ebooks. So much for the 20% brag. Explains the need to get competing reader apps out of iOS.

Or, if one pays attention, you'll realize that Apple said "of those publishers" who's books sold on the iBookStore, the iBookStore was getting 20% of their business.

And that was a number released shortly after the iPad was introduced. Who knows what those numbers are now (for books available via the iBookStore).

9% of the market in 9 months of existence -- I'd say that isn't so bad.

Of course, the iPad is muddled as folks can buy books from Amazon and B&N on their iPad. So the iBookstore getting 9% of the ebook business doesn't tell the whole "iPad as a reader" story.

Lee

[boswd]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

I noticed that. It's likely a matter of blindly rounding everything up.
With those numbers you could easily subtract 1 from each listed percentage (rounding everything down instead) and have a reasonable number for Sony & "others" combined.
As for Borders, remember, their online store *is* Kobo.

For 2011, "others" should see a big jump if Google Books' local-branding effort pans out.

Another point to consider for 2011 is how long Sony is going to stay in the eink reader business with what is clearly a low single-digit share of the market, both in hardware (4%?) and in content. Unlike Amazon, B&N and even Kobo--who were recently touting an installed base of over a million worldwide--Sony has been as mute about their reader sales as their stalled PS3 console sales. And on the PS3 side they at least have software sales to pin their hopes on. Since Sony engineers its own readers--unlike Kobo and other second-tier players--their costs are higher and without higher volume sales to defray the costs the readers are not going to be delivering much in the way of profit or even revenue. They aren't even "buying" market share with their efforts.

With Apple shutting them out of the iOS market their best bet would seem be to switch their focus to Android tablets. (Their mobile gaming is already moving to android, so this is actually *likely* especially in view of the success of NookColor.)

Of course, Sony decision making is often driven more by hubris and company image building instead of P&L or Market Share strategies so they may keep on plugging away, hoping for a miracle, just as they're still plugging away in mp3 players, living off brand loyalty. Still, they did abandon the category once already in their home market so...

Interesing times coming.

I can see Sony jumping into the LCD screen market. But they'll screw it up by charging something like $500 for it.

I don't know who's in charge of the North American Operation but lets look at their track record this past decade.

1. Leader in televisions and HDTV's - Market is now dominated by Vizio and Samsung

2. Created and was the leader in portable music players - Apple comes in and pushes them out the door with the iPod and iTunes

3. Was one of the first to head into the digital ereading market. Certainly the first major electronics company to jump on eink. - First the Kindle and now even the Nook have shoved them to the side.

If I was the CEO in Japan I would be like "What the bleepedy bleep is going on in North America?"