Financial market analysts IDC released a startling report about the PC market. It estimated that sales of tablets, such as Apple’s iPad, would make up 15 percent of 2011 PC sales. In just their second full year of release, tablets have quickly busted onto the PC scene, becoming a top choice for tech-savvy people on the move. One of the prominent features on the tablet and its lower-tech cousin, the e-reader, is the ability to read digital copies of books.
Filiz Kahraman, got an Amazon Kindle when she finally got tired of carrying around several different books every day. She chose the Kindle because of two particular features – the ability to look up words in the text, and the ability to open and read PDF files.
“I read a lot of articles for my studies, so having something that can read PDF files is great,” she said.
Another advantage of e-books is the price. “Most of the digital versions of books are cheaper than hard copies,” Kahraman said.
Kahraman also pointed out that tablets and e-readers are an imperfect science.
“I bought a Kindle and then switched to a Barnes and Noble Nook because it could zoom in and out on articles,” she said. “I switched back to a Kindle because of the dictionary it has, and I didn’t like using the iPad because the backlight hurts my eyes.”
Even though all three had their perks and pitfalls, Kahraman said she expects to see a growth the use of tablets and e-readers on college campuses.
Apple’s iPad has a commanding market share for tablets, accounting for about 65 percent of the tablet sales worldwide. Meanwhile, the Kindle and Nook together make up over 70 percent of the e-reader market.
Despite tablets’ early success, one company is already exiting the market – HP abruptly halted its Touchpad tablets in August when sales stagnated. Although the iPad, Kindle, and Nook dominate their markets, they only make up a small share of the actual PC markets. But if IDC’s research is any indication, tablets and e-readers will continue to experience exponential growth in the near future.