Comments on: An E-Reader Market Study You Won’t Believe

By: Adam

Adam — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 03:17:29 +0000

The issue seems to be that e-readers don’t require upgrading as much as smartphones or tablets – people buy one and then don’t replace it every two years or so like most do with mobile phones.

By: Sarah Park

Sarah Park — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 05:30:22 +0000

Is this for real? Further studies should be made to prove this one.

By: Nate

Nate — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:50:57 +0000

You’re right. I don’t believe the report. But then again you don’t have the report. You have story written about a press release that contains a smidgen of info from the report. So there’s nothing to disbelieve.

By: Dan Eldridge

Dan Eldridge — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:09:22 +0000

Gary – Yeah, I also think that makes sense. Also, I believe the report in question pointed that out as well (that the E Ink simulation of a printed book is/was what appealed to seniors).

By: Gary Frost

Gary Frost — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:27:32 +0000

I notice the pie chart at http://floridaresearchgroup.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/demographics-of-kindle-and-other-ereader-users/ The largest portion is in their 50′s, the next largest in 40′s and third largest in 60′s. Three groups are over 75%. Makes sense: dedicated e-ink readers would most appeal to those familiar with print since these devices most closely simulate print.

By: Michael W. Perry

Michael W. Perry — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:02:12 +0000

Keep in mind that many seniors are retired and have less money to spend. At the public library where I do much of my writing, it’s typically the seniors who’re using netbooks. The others are split about 50/50 between traditional-sized Macs and Windows laptops. And for that locale, tablets don’t seem to be replacing laptops.

By: Susan

Susan — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:57:32 +0000

Wait! They didn’t come to the conclusion I did from their “data.” E-readers are killing off their user base. Glad I have an iPad!

By: Dan Eldridge

Dan Eldridge — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:27:25 +0000

Rob—I think you’ve got it about right. I’m sure there was some data in the study that led ABI to conclude that seniors play a large role in the dedicated e-reader market; I don’t think they would fabricate something like that. But it also seems as if they extrapolated a fairly random set of data without considering the dozens (hundreds?) of other possibilities; the possible meanings, etc.

And Juli, as you pointed out, it’s just ridiculous to suggest that the primary market for e-readers is literally dying out! I mean, aside from the fact that ABI only sort of suggested that they were referring to baby boomers specifically, the premise itself barely make sense. That is to say, while I do understand that the baby boomer generation is much larger than either generation that came before or after it, it’s also true that various people age just as quickly as other various people pass away.

And what’s more important is the fact that the vast majority of baby boomers aren’t even old enough yet to be dying from old age! True, the very oldest boomers are about 67. But the youngest are about 49. People in the 50-to-65 year age range do not normally die from old age. Just sayin’.

By: Rob Preece

Rob Preece — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:06:33 +0000

Agree with Juli that the results just aren’t consistent with what we’d see if only dying boomers bought eReaders. That said, it may well be true that boomers (and older) are the primary market for dedicated eReaders. Multifunction tablets are going to appeal to young people who enjoy the music and video aspects of these. Of course, young eyes do better with phone-based apps. So, I’ll argue against the dying but I’m willing to give some credence to the idea that demographics are involved.

By: Juli Monroe

Juli Monroe — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:26:31 +0000

Seriously? I *might* give them some tiny amount of credit for that conclusion if e-readers had been around in quantity for 20 years or more. However, e-reader purchasing exploded with the first Kindle, which was only released in November of 2007. So, basically, for their conclusions to be true, people would have to be dropping off within a year or so of buying a Kindle. If that’s the case, I think we have a bigger problem and a much more interesting headline. “Buying Kindles leads to sudden death.”

Okay, I’m not serious about that last bit. But I think it’s premature to look at such a young industry and make a prediction like that.