JP Morgan: 40 Percent Of iPad Owners Also Have A Kindle
by Joe White
January 4, 2011
If you were wondering whether the iPad is a "Kindle killer," the answer is undoubtedly a firm "no." For the past two years, the e-book reader has been Amazon's number one bestseller. Furthermore, as JP Morgan recently discovered, 40 percent of iPad owners browse through e-books on a Kindle Wireless Reading device.
As an iPad and Kindle owner, I'm not in the least bit surprised by these statistics. However, if you're a loyal Apple fan that reads recent bestsellers in iBooks, you may be puzzled.
I've found that the Kindle's amazing battery life (30 days of reading with Wi-Fi off), and it's "e-ink" screen make it the perfect e-book reader. At the same time, the iPad's HD, backlit screen, along with its weight, make Apple's "magical and revolutionary" device a poor e-book reader in my opinion. The fact that 40 percent of iPad owners have bought a Kindle obviously supports this.
However, there's more to it. JP Morgan's investigation examined "brand name awareness." As you can see below, 84 percent of people surveyed have heard of the iPad, and 76 percent know of the Amazon Kindle. These are impressive figures - we've seen the iPad ads, the posters, and the billboards. And, for all that, the iPad is only slightly more recognized than the Kindle.
Perhaps the Kindle is so popular because it has one single purpose, and the device performs it exceptionally well. I hardly think Amazon's e-book reader is as "magical" as the iPad, and probably not as "revolutionary" either. I'm not disputing the iPad's greatness; it's a magnificent device. However, when it comes to e-book reading, the Kindle is undoubtedly king.
If you've got an opinion too, feel free to post it in the comments. And, thanks to TechCrunch for spotting these statistics.
