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When was the last time you read a book? I mean a real book – one
that’s made out of paper. The chances are that you devour books in the
electronic format more than the traditional form. There is nothing wrong
with that, although arguments can be made to the contrary. No matter
how hard we cling to the old ways, it seems that change is not going to
go away.
In a recent study conducted by Pew Internet,
the findings clearly show that people who read e-books are growing in
numbers – at least in the United States. Figures show that in the age
group 16 years old and above, the population of e-book readers has
increased from 16% to 23%. Logically, the number of people who read
printed books declined from 72% to 67%.
Naturally, readers – voracious or not – need a device to read their
e-books. It is easy to see that the rise in the popularity of tablets and e-readers has greatly contributed to the increase in e-book readership.
E-reading Device Ownership
On another note, it seems that Americans are consuming their digital
books using tablets more than dedicated e-book readers. The same study
shows that 25% of Americans own tablets (iPads and Kindle Fires, for
example). Compare this to the “only” 19% who own Nooks and Kindles.
A good number of Americans read books in the year 2012 – 75%. The
formats are mixed: printed, e-books, and audiobooks. It is clear,
however, that e-books are starting to dominate the scene. Even libraries
have opened up to lending out e-books to their patrons. While this
activity is not as big as lending out printed books yet, it should not
come as a surprise if the numbers even out at some point.
With e-books being affordable, convenient to bring along, and easy to download, the rise of this format is only bound to skyrocket. Not to mention the continuous releases of new devices that can be used to read e-books.
