The market of electronic book readers is going to explode this year, just like the market of other portable electronic products aimed at consumers. But while it remains to be seen whether end-users will be satisfied with trendy slate-type PCs, according to NPD Group market tracking firm, the vast majority of current e-book readers owners are satisfied with their gadgets.

 Almost all owners 93% said they were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with their device.  Only 2% of owners expressed any level of dissatisfaction. According to the report, 60% of owners said wireless access was their favorite feature on their e-reader; touch was mentioned by 23% of owners.

“Both the display technology and available content on e-book readers are optimized for those interested in books. Pairing these optimizations with wireless technology for transparent access and touch screens for easy navigation has resonated with the avid readers that have been early e-reader adopters,” said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis at NPD.

Even with great features, e-book readers owners are still looking for more in these relatively new and still evolving devices. Some recommended improvements from owners include more book title availability (42%), longer battery life (39%), and color screens (34%). Content is important, and while almost half (46%) of owners said they were mostly satisfied with the selection of titles for their e-book reader devices, only 39% said they could find every title they were looking for.

But it seems that e-Reader owners are not married to their e-book readers to do their reading.  About three-in-ten owners say they use at least one another device for reading e-books, such as a PC or a smartphone

"As we have seen with music, photos and video, books and other printed matter are slated to appear on a wide array of devices that offer tradeoffs in such factors as screen size and battery life. As the recent introduction of Apple's iPad demonstrates, applications now on smartphones benefit from larger screens, and industry leaders are recognizing the importance of supporting multiple platforms by supporting multiple clients and open standards,” said Mr. Rubin.

Tags: E-Book