Global E-Reader Market Forecast – Decline in Growth from 2015

According to an IHS iSuppli Small & Medium Displays Market Tracker report, Shipments of monochrome e-book displays hit 27.1 million in 2011(108% YoY) from 13 million in 2010. Smaller, less expensive models with features like light weight and good battery life are driving sales. Most of the players in this segment whose models are monochrome had started adopting the color displays with touch screens in 2011 and consumer focused marketing strategy and availability of more digital content like fiction, non fiction and textbooks at affordable prices will drive growth in near future. IHS believes the players in the market have to look for new ways to attract new customers and there are growth opportunities in select vertical markets like education where the purpose of the devices will be more for reading than for other functionalities like browsing and communication.  The market will see significant growth till 2014 and will see growth decline from 2015 with tough competition from tablets. These devices are facing tough competition from tablets like Apple iPad that has significant functionality like faster browser, powerful chips for multi-media, good navigation, huge number of applications, etc. Dominant players in the market are Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Sony Reader, Kyobo Reader, etc.

WitsView, a research division of TrendForce forecasted color E-Readers shipments to reach 12.3 million units in 2012 from 7.4 million units in 2011. Amazon with its low-priced Kindle Fire has strongly penetrated the market which has more than 60% market share in color E-Readers market and its pricing has become a benchmark for the tablet PCs. According to Gartner, E-reader sales are expected to reach 24.3 million units in 2011, and the market is expected to peak in 2013 with sales of 28 million units and the market will start to decline from then onwards due to competition from highly functional media tablets. IDC predicted e-Reader shipments of 27 million units in 2011 a massive rise in unit shipments when compared to 12.8 million units in 2010. Analyst firm Juniper Research forecasts that eReader shipments will reach 67 million by 2016 nearly triple the 25 million devices the company expects to reach the market in 2011. According to a Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc, World e-readers market is forecast to reach 53.87 million units by the year 2017. Renub Research expects worldwide E-Reader unit sales will cross 50 Million and its market size will be over US$ 6 Billion by the end of 2014. According to the latest industry analysis from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, the share of adults in the United States who own tablet computers and e-readers nearly doubled from 10% to 19% between mid-December and early January.