eMarketer: 12% of U.S. Adults Will Own Ereaders by 2012

Sharp growth in ereader penetration.  (eMarketer, 5/25/2011)

Excerpt:  For many consumers, expensive, multifunctional tablet devices are a more desirable choice than single-purpose ereaders. But the US installed base of ereaders has more than quadrupled since 2009 and continues to grow quickly.

eMarketer estimates more than 20 million ereaders will be in consumer hands by the end of this year, reaching 8.7% of the US adult population. By 2012, 12% of adults will have a Kindle, Sony Reader, NOOK or similar device.

“Two recent developments illustrate the broad reach of ereaders,” said eMarketer senior analyst Paul Verna, author of the upcoming report “Epublishing: Books, Periodicals and Devices.”

Related articles:
What happened to the parade of ereaders shown at this year's Consumer Electronics Show? (12/13/2010)
Ereader as brown paper bag.  (12/9/2010)
Ebook reader compatibility surprise.  (12/3/2010)
Ereader ownership:  Survey says....  (11/30/2010)
David Carnoy asks, "Does the Kindle pay for itself?" (11/29/2010)
Need to repair that ebook reader?  (11/19/2010)
Who uses an ereader:  Survey says....  (9/22/2010)
Book industry wrestles with print vs. pixels.  (9/2/2010)
Coming soon to a screen near you:  Ads in ebooks.  (8/20/2010)
Ebooks now comprise 8/5% of book sales. (8/12/2010)
Genre paperback publishers drops print.  (8/6/2010)
Ebooks and libraries.  (5/4/2010)
Ebooks eliminate a free form of adversiting:  the book jacket.  (3/31/2010)
Ebooks: another round of false promises?  (3/19/2010)
The skinny on ebooks.  (3/8/2010)
Hardcover vs. ebook:  Breaking down the costs.  (3/1/2010)