MacRumors is reporting on research from a firm called ChangeWave about the ownership levels of the iPad and the Kindle. ChangeWave is desperately trying to compare the two and create some kind of correlation between adoption rates, as if somehow the iPad and Kindle are in some kind of similar category.
According to ChangeWave, Amazon now owns 47% of the eReader market and Apple’s holding strong at 32%. Yup, you’ve read that right. Apparently Apple’s iPad is now considered an eReader, despite the huge differences in feature set.
Can someone please explain to me how the iPad and Kindle are related? Sure, Apple’s iPad has the iBookstore, and a book reader, but I don’t know one person who has picked up the iPad solely for its eReading capabilities.
If you’re a reader of any magnitude, owning both is a viable option.
It’s apples and oranges, and it’s unfair to the eReader market. It’s like comparing OS X to iOS. Sure, there’s some overlap, but they both provide two very different experiences.
I would really like to see these numbers again, based on people who purchased the iPad solely for iBooks. There would be a very telling difference. iBooks and the iBookstore are only part of the equation for the iPad (the price kind of highlights that). eBooks is the entire equation for the Kindle. There’s no comparing the two, and any attempt at doing it is kind of silly to begin with. The Kindle is here to stay, and it serves its niche very well.
If all you want is an eReader, there’s no way you’re going to run out and buy an iPad. It’s that simple. If you’re on the fence about an iPad, the inclusion of the iBookstore may sway you, as an added benefit.
These numbers tell us nothing.
Article and Graph Via MacRumors
