Independent survey reports 71% will not buy a Kindle digital book reader
According to a recent survey by Piper Jaffray & Co. 71% would not buy a Kindle digital book reader, 71% still would not buy if price was not a pivoting factor, and 60% surveyed would not want one even if it was free.
High mileage readers were also less likely to be tempted by the Kindle digital book reader, book lovers preferring real books, libraries and swopping books between friends.
This is also echoed by research by A Zogby International/Random House survey of reading habits in the United States. Approximately 4% of those surveyed said they would purchase a digital reader, but a whopping 80% wouldn’t buy one. The general consensus of fair magnitude is 82% of readers like to curl up with a printed book.
Aha. Obviously people are aware of the advantages of paper books! Conversely, literary agents seem to like the Kindle for reading mss on the move.
I think possibly it has something to do with the fact that people like the pretty book covers? If paper books were all printed with plain white book covers with a product sticky label with barcode like you get in the supermarket ‘Strawberries £1.99′. Printed all on the same paper and in the same font style/size - somehow I think people would think printed books are boring?
Or maybe the danger of battery juice running dry would be too distressing.