Research Suggests Tablets More Popular Than E-Readers For E-Books

With the convenience and slightly lower prices of e-books, it only makes sense that more and more people are starting to turn away from the print medium to the digital medium, and according to a research by the folks at Pew Internet, that certainly seems to be the case. According to their report, Americans who read e-books rose from 16% in 2011 to 23% in 2012. Granted these aren’t exactly huge jumps, but it’s definitely progress. Interestingly their report has also suggested that the medium in which e-books are consumed, it would seem as though tablets have edged out e-readers like Amazon’s Kindle or the Barnes & Noble Nook.

Based on a poll conducted in October and November, the number of people who owned a tablet or e-reader jumped from 18% last year to 33% this year, and out of the number of people they polled, 25% said that they own a tablet, while 19% own a dedicated reader. Considering that tablets offer up more functionality versus a dedicated reader, it does make sense to a certain degree. However dedicated readers usually feature e-ink displays which are more comfortable to the eyes, not to mention e-readers are usually cheaper compared to tablets. What do you guys think? Would you prefer doing your e-reading on a tablet or e-reader?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Tablets
Tags: e-books, research