You will be forgiven to think that a new tablet computer is launched every week as we are being bombarded by adverts on a daily basis. However, The report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project therefore suggests that most consumers particularly in America are now finding e-readers more appealing. According to Pew, only last winter, tablets were slightly in front with 7% of U.S. adults owning one compared to 6% who had an e-reader.

However, by May 2011, 12% of American adults owned an e-reader such as, Motorola Mobility’s Xoom, Blackberry Playbook and Apple iPad, while tablet ownership was only 8% (Margin of error on survey: 2%). While Apple has sold over 25 million iPad devices, Amazon and Barnes & Noble do not disclose sales of their e-reader devices although Citi analyst, Mark Mahaney, forecasts that Amazon could sell 17.5 million Kindles in 2011 alone.

While tablets offer more in terms of features and functionality, it is thought that consumers find e-readers more appealing because of its simplicity whereby users can download, read and annotate books in basic black-and-white e-ink displays. Furthermore, e-readers are generally cheaper and sometimes come with free Wi-Fi access. Overall, both devices are still emerging and therefore not as popular as older electronic devices as shown by the list below.

Top 3 Most Popular Digital Device

1. Desktop and laptop computers
2. DVRs
3. MP3 players

Talking Point

Are there any other reasons why e-readers are more popular than tablets?