Now, as the reality sets in, opinions have evolved. While the tablet market’s growth has had some impact on expected e-reader shipments worldwide, the two devices are inherently different. Each device segment targets a different type of consumer.
Standalone e-reader devices target the avid book and periodical readers -- to whom the reading experience is central -- while tablets are targeted towards those consumers who prefer a richer multimedia consumption experience.
According to the latest market study by In-Stat, device component vendors are benefiting from the demand in both categories. As an example, they're forecasting that the combined semiconductor opportunity for media tablets and e-readers will approach $16 billion by 2015.
“There is a continued revenue opportunity for e-reader OEMs over the next five years, especially as price points drop to extremely affordable levels,” says Stephanie Ethier, Senior Analyst at In-Stat.
For tablets, market drivers such as new market entrants, increasing tablet application availability, and declining prices, will have a profound impact. These factors will fuel unit shipment growth to over 720 percent over the forecast period.
In-Stat's insights on survey data findings include:
- In 2012, over 15 million e-readers will ship in the US. market.
- Over 60 percent of future media tablet purchasers plan to buy a tablet equipped with both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity.
- By 2015, 15 percent of all tablet shipments are expected to go into business markets.
