CEA, the Consumer Electronics Association, is the trade organization that puts on CES each year. CEA is not too well known to consumers, but it is one of the largest trade associations and does all the stuff that trade associations do, including engage in economic analysis.
Each year at this time CEA invites the press for a pre-CES presentation. The most interesting part of it is the report given by their Chief Economist, which is is the result of extensive research and surveys. I attended the event in New York yesterday and here is some of the info relevant to ebooks that I found interesting:
85% of adults want some form of tech gadget for the holiday season. High on the list are iPads (specifically mentioned by name) and ereaders.
For new technologies, into which ereaders fall, 50% of their annual sales occur in the fourth quarter of the year.
15% of consumers anticipate giving a tablet or an ereader this holiday season.
70% of tablet users use the tablet for ereading.
40% of consumers anticipate that a tablet will replace their computer.
96% of tablet users connect through wifi and 43% connect through the mobile web.
So 85% of people want an Ipad or e-reader as a gift but only 15% plan on giving one?
Hmmm… I guess that’s why socks are a bigger industry than pony’s.
I fall into that 85% I must admit… and, would I use it for eReading? Yes.
I would like to know a bit more about the data ‘pool’ that CEA queried.