Read an eBook: OK;

Buy an eBook: No Way

 Perhaps glib, but that is the gist of a Seybold Research survey of 2,880 people, released last month at Seybold San Francisco 2000.  While 66% would read a reference book and 44% would examine a business book on a laptop or desktop computer, only 12% were “likely” to spend money on an eBook or an eBook device in the next year.  About two-thirds of respondents were “not at all likely” to purchase either.  But, that’s an improvement from surveys taken last year, suggesting that the visibility of eBooks is gaining.  Nonetheless, only 50,000 eBook readers have been sold in their first two years on the market.

 Brighter future: Seybold forecast that eBook sales would grow from 1% of the online book market last year to 10% by 2004.  That’s on target with an Anderson Consulting’s report, released in June, predicting a $2.3 billion U.S. market for eBooks by 2005.  Further, Anderson claims 28 million people are likely to adopt devices for eBook reading by that time. 

Get a closer look on the future of eBooks via this crystal ball:  

Seybold Research – from The Industry Standard, August 29, 2000 

<<previous     Focus on eBooks     next>>