June 30, 2011
The tablet wars have seen many battles, some still ongoing. The most recent, however, is not among tablet manufacturers but involves the fight over market share between the iPad and e-readers.
E-readers such as Amazon.com’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook are actually more popular with consumers, according to a report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
Until a few months ago more Americans owned tablets. At that point, says the Pew report, 7% of U.S. adults owned a tablet computer (such as the iPad, Samsung Galaxy or Motorola Mobility's Xoom), while only 6% owned an e-reader device.
This figured has changed drastically since May. Now 12% of U.S. adults own an e-reader, while tablet ownership expanded only to 8%. "There was considerable growth in e-reader ownership between November 2010 and May 2011 among college graduates, one-fifth of who now own these devices,” says the report.
The research shows that the tablets main buyers are men, Hispanics, people with at least some college education and those with household incomes of $30,000 or more.
In comparison, e-reader buyers are Hispanics adults, people under age 65, college graduates, parents, and the most affluent households earning more than $75,000 per year.
The ipad has an e-reader app, but this is an additional expense for an already very costly ipad. On the other hand, the Amazon Kindle e-reader is light to hold and is half the price of the cheapest Ipad.