TWO STUDIES-TWO DIFFERENT RESULTS

July 23, 2001.  Two different studies were reported on in the July/August 2010 issue of Book Business.

The first study by mediaIDEAS forecasts that e-reader user base will be 8 million in 2010.  By 2014, they forecast there will be 40 million users of e-reading devices. 

In another report by Computerworld.com, it was reported that while sales of e-readers are growing quickly now, they will hit a wall in 2014.  The report quoted Informa Telecoms & Media as saying e-reader sales, “are expected to soar to 12.2 million in 2010, up from nearly 5 million in 2009.  Sales will continue to grow to a high of 14 million in 2013, but they will drop off 7% to 13 million the following year.”

Another prediction of this market comes from an article in BusinessWeek.com.  Last fall (2009) Amazon launched a pilot program with major universities on the use of e-readers.  Selected students tested the Kindle for text books.  Results have not been strong.  In general students were not happy with the e-readers as a classroom tool.  Most moved away from the Kindle just weeks into the program.  Many students said they would not recommend the device to friends for classroom use.