Cnet has an alarmist post today about the death of eink ebook readers like the Kindle and the Nook. According to a study by IHS iSuppli (original press release), after spectacular growth in the ereader market there will be a steep decline over the next couple years.
IHS iSuppli says that there were 23.2 million ereaders sold in 2011 but only 14.9 million will be sold in 2012 and only 10.9 in 2012. By 2016 the firm suggests there will only be 7.1 million ereaders sold.
The research company suggests that everyone will buy a tablet instead of an ereader because multi use devices are better.
This is similar to the horrible ‘bigger is better’ commercials by AT&T. The problem is that almost everyone agrees that multi-tasking is not actually better. That you lose concentration and productivity trying to do more than one thing.
I don’t read one an iPad (I have one and love it) both because I don’t like reading on an LCD screen, but also because when I am reading I want to read. I don’t want to be tempted to check email, play a Words With Friends Game and find out what the latest Facebook post is.
Maybe e-ink readers are losing ground against tablets (the same study suggests that 120 million tablets will be sold in 2012 and 340 could be sold by 2016). But I for one still prefer my $49 kindle to read over my $449 iPad.