Taking the Measure

I've written a couple of posts on e-books, suggesting that Cushing Academy might be premature in substituting a digital learning center supplemented by electronic readers for its library. And I mentioned Amazon.com's nasty ability to repossess books you've already purchased—and perhaps annotated. But In-Stat weighs in with research showing a strong trend toward adoption of the devices. The market-research firm reports that the market is heating up as Amazon updates its Kindle lineup and as Sony debuts models costing as little as $199 as well as a $399 version offering 3G connectivity through AT&T.

"Until Sony announced its wireless e-reader, the company remained at a distinct disadvantage to Amazon," says Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst. “But now Sony can not only compete with Amazon more directly, but can also address a wider range of consumers than Amazon since it offers more affordable e-reader models to consumers who may not want wireless connectivity."

Worldwide, In-Stat forecasts, e-reader shipments will reach 28.6 million units in 2013, up from 924,000 in 2008. Market drivers, the firm reports, include new entrants to market, international expansion of e-book availability, price declines, and the electronic distribution of newspapers.

Today, In-Stat announced it's offering a $1495 report titled "Electronic Book Survey: US Consumers’ Attitudes and Behaviors Towards the Burgeoning E-Book Market," which says the e-book market has plenty of room for growth that will be bolstered by features such as e-mail and Web connectivity. "According to In-Stat’s most recent consumer survey, current e-book owners desire e-mail capability in the next e-book they purchase," says Ethier. "Longer battery life and Internet connectivity are the top two desired features among respondents who don’t currently own an e-book but plan to buy one in the next year."

Can a built-in camera be far behind?

In-Stat's research found that Amazon is the leading brand of e-book, that the largest percentage of e-book owners (45.5%) is spending between $9 and $20 a month on e-book content, and that 11% of total survey respondents said they planned to purchase an e-book over the next 12 months.

Is there really a need for so many multifunction, Web-enabled devices, such as e-books, smart phones, and netbooks? Can you afford to leave your laptop behind when you travel? Have you discarded your dedicated camera in favor of your cell phone's camera (like Shawn Rocco)? What do you think, just how many devices do we need (each with its own dedicated power supply, of course)?