So far, in the e-reader wars, the iPad is beating the Kindle. But both are doing well, and the e-reader market has "essentially become a two-horse race" between the two devices, says ChangeWave Research, which recently surveyed more than 2,800 consumers.
Since ChangeWave last asked consumers about e-readers in August, Amazon's Kindle "is hanging on to a rapidly diminishing lead (47 percent, down 15 points) over the Apple iPad (32 percent; up 16 points) among current e-reader owners. However, the iPad’s share of the overall market has doubled" since that August survey, the company says.
"The rest of the market includes the Sony Reader (5 percent) and the Barnes & Noble Nook (4 percent)," although ChangeWave's survey was done before the new color Nook was released.
While both the iPad and Kindle get high marks for customer satisfaction as an e-reader, 75 percent of iPad owners said they are "very satisfied" with the tablet as an e-reader, compared to 54 percent of Kindle owners.
Kindle and iPad owners apparently read different kinds content on their devices, the research firm found. Kindle owners are "more likely to read books" (93 percent) than iPad owners (76 percent)." (That's not surprising, as Amazon.com has more than 725,000 in its inventory, and Apple's iBookstore is now at "tens of thousands" according to the company.)
But iPad owners "are nearly five times more likely to read newspapers and magazines than their Kindle counterparts, and 15 times more likely to read blogs and news feeds." That, too makes sense, considering the iPad, with a color screen, is more multimedia-centric than the Kindle. (For a good overview on what to choose, see "E-readers and tablets: What should you buy?")
Those who are considering buying an e-reader in the next 90 days say that the iPad is high on their list. The Kindle is too but, as you can see in the chart above, demand for it is slightly weaker.
"For Amazon, this is a clear positive that will help drive growth for the Kindle over the holidays," said Paul Carton, ChangeWave's vice president of research, in a report. "Moreover, Amazon is among the handful of key retailers in ChangeWave’s latest Holiday Spending survey that are benefiting most from the overall increase in consumer spending.
"That said, the ChangeWave survey shows the Apple iPad will be the biggest beneficiary of the expanding e-reader market this holiday season," he wrote.
