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| Photo Credit: The Digital Reader |
- 337 (17%) claim to use their reader at least once a week
- 575 (29%) say they use their reader every day
- 694 (35%) say they used their reader one time - and don't plan to use it again
I find it rather amazing that more than one out of every three owners of e-book-readers find that, after using their readers only one time, they have no desire to ever use them again.
More than half of this once-and-out group say they simply don't have the time to use an e-reader, so they probably aren't regular readers, and I wonder how they ended up with a relatively expensive device in the first place. Just over 20% say they received the reader as a gift and don't need it. And, finally, 25% say they prefer tree-books to e-books.
Personally, I own a Sony Reader but have not used it for months because of the e-book applications available for the iPad. So far this year, I've read 9 e-books - after reading 17 of them last year. An e-book version of a book is never my first choice. I only read them when publishers insist on sending only electronic review copies, when I want to read a classic not in my personal library, or when I take an e-book out of my county's library system.
How about you guys? Are you as surprised as I am?
Considering that a lot of e-readers were given as gifts, I'm not really surprised. I'd actually love to see a breakdown on this - what are the numbers of people who used their reader one time who purchased their reader themselves vs. the number of people who received one as a gift? My guess is that those who purchased one probably used it more. I'd be more shocked if that wasn't the case. But then again, plenty of people spend comparable amounts of money on kitchen gadgets they use once and never again, so who knows?
ReplyDeleteNot surprised, for exactly the reasons A Library Girl stated.
ReplyDeleteI think for many people who buy a reader, the e-gadget factor counts for more than love of reading.
About half the books I acquire now are e-books. I read every day. Therefore on average I use my reader one out of every two days.
I would have been surprised if I hadn't recently been to Craig's List and seen so many Nooks and Kindles up for sale.
ReplyDeleteThis is quite surprising to me. However, I love reading and would rather read a tree book than e-book. I do have a Nook, and I usually only read free books on it. I wouldnt buy another ereader, but will use this till it dies. As another Christmas comes along,we will probably see more ereaders bought..hopefully they will be read!
ReplyDeleteYou know, Library Girl, I suspect that a lot of people who are not really all that into reading wanted one of these gadgets because they were the new, cool toy to own...then they remembered they hate reading books.
ReplyDeleteIsabella, I see that you sort of agree with what I just said to Library Girl about the coolness-factor of e-readers. I do like the ease of carrying so many books on extended trips, etc., but I still am nowhere close to enjoying the reading experience on an e-reader very much.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I wish I wasn't such an early-adopter of new technology. I could save a lot of money by buying like-new gadgets from those who jumped too soon to think.
ReplyDeleteKayo, I can't imagine that I will ever buy a one-function e-reader again...like the Nook, for example. I can do the same thing on my iPad, or phone, for that matter, for not a whole lot more money. And the phone and iPad can do so much more...
ReplyDeleteSam, which do you prefer to read on then? I would think a phone would be to small for me personally but I don't have a smart phone!
ReplyDeleteThat opt out after one time use number seems too high to me but it makes sense if they were gifts and the person didn't want the device in the first place. I love my Nook but only read my newspaper on it unless I am traveling and then I read books because it is just easier than carrying hard copies around with me. I would never give up my Nook but am not attached to it for reading books at all. I thought I would be but I'm not.
ReplyDeleteKayo, the full-sized iPad makes for comfortable reading when used vertically, but my smart phone, even though it's one of the larger displays, is strictly for emergency reading...times when I'm bored to death some place and have only my phone with me.
ReplyDeleteKathleen, your reaction is pretty much my own. Before I actually saw my first e-reader, I fell in love with the concept. Then I bought one...and for about six months, I loved it. Then Sony pulled a format change and my reader was suddenly incompatible with the new books. They gave me a partial refund to apply to a new reader...and I bought again, even though the price was outrageous. Now it's an electronic bookend. I do like to read magazines and newspapers, and the occasional book, on my iPad...but never as a first choice.
ReplyDeleteI think ereaders have become popular items people love having, and not just for reading. The Kindle Fire, for example, I would personally like, but I think I'd use actual books for reading more than the device! I'd love a Kindle fire for a lot of the other options it has too!
ReplyDeleteMy best friend of 17 years had a daughter one year older than my son. We always joked as she was growing up that she should have been my kid as she's always been a HUGE reader. Every year she wanted books for her birthday and Christmas and would devour them within months.
Two years ago my friends husband, who dislikes reading but loves electronic technology, decided they would get her a nook for Christmas. Elizabeth loves it! So much so that when my friend got a book and she wanted Elizabeth to read it, Elizabeth would refuse because she wanted to only use the nook and not read actual books anymore.
She lost interest in the nook it seems, and still refuses to read books for the principle of it, so now this entire year she's just into reading anymore at all. We're sad and hope this changes!
I doubt reading was killed for others because of ereaders, but I think some weren't readers to begin with, they just wanted the new craze, which may show why this poll is at it stands.
Wow, Erin. That story of the teen-reader you told is nothing but a tragedy. I hope it's just a passing phase she's in and that she finds her love of reading again someday. I would hate to think that he experience with the Nook was the deciding factor.
ReplyDeleteThat blows my mind. I've had my ereader for over a year now and read so much more because of it. When I moved to one bedroom apartment with no bookshelves, ebooks were the only practical books to buy. I've also saved a ton of money and trees! But making time to read these days is difficult. How many people buy books and don't read them?
ReplyDeleteLots of people (I'm one of them) buy more books than they ever read, Farah. No doubt about that, or that storage is a real problem for people like me. I do read e-books, too, but will always prefer a physical copy, if given the choice. BTW, I have seen studies that indicate that switching to e-books and e-readers is not any "greener" than reading tree-books. It has to do with the manufacturing process of the readers and all the environmental issues revolving around their ultimate disposal.
ReplyDelete