Tablet appeal eclipses e-readers

Tech Journal.

E-readers still offer the truest reading experience and appeal most to avid readers, but a broader market of consumers are demanding multimedia functionality, like Web browsing, video and gaming, in their next mobile device.

Tablets like the Apple iPad are optimised to deliver this kind of multifunction experience, and therefore, represent a stronger opportunity for suppliers and manufacturers alike. As a result, In-Stat is forecasting that tablet shipments will outpace e-reader shipments by the end of this year.

According to senior analyst Stephanie Ethier, of the two, the tablet market is the stronger and more sustainable opportunity, says MarketWatch.

“In fact, e-reader manufacturers will soon begin adding tablet-like devices to their line-ups in order to take advantage of the tablet frenzy,” she says.

Barnes & Noble already offers the Colour Nook, which is often compared to a tablet, and Amazon, the leader in the e-reader space with its Kindle, will likely release a tablet device later this year in an effort to compete head-to-head with the iPad.”