Nook Outnumbers Kindle, Analyst Says
The Nook, Barnes & Noble's answer to Amazon's Kindle e-book reader, may be the dominant e-book reader for the moment, according to Digitimes Research senior analyst Mingchi Kuo.
DigiTimes has a questionable record when it comes to rumors and predictions in the tech industry, and Amazon doesn't reveal any information about how Kindle units sell. So it's easy to dismiss the report. But Kuo isn't citing sales figures; he's simply saying that manufacturers shipped more Nooks than Kindles.
According to the DigiTimes report, the Nook accounted for 53 percent of all e-book readers shipped to the U.S. in the month of March.
Kuo cites sources that supply the manufacturers, not Barnes & Noble and Amazon themselves, so Kuo's data indicates how many e-book readers were made and shipped, not sold. Still, it indicates growing interest in the Nook.
In fact, Kuo attributes the increased Nook shipments to consumer fatigue with the Kindle. Basically, the Kindle has been around for a few years, and e-book readers want to see something new.
Kuo also points out that Barnes & Noble has more retail outlets in which they can sell the Nook, especially retail locations where people are already coming to buy books. While both the Nook and the Kindle are available online , the Kindle is only sold in Target stores, which aren't specifically geared towards book sales.
Another factor in the number of shipments may be Amazon's new focus on e-book reader apps rather than the Kindle device. Amazon has made several apps for different devices, including smartphones and the iPad, that allow readers to buy Kindle-compatible books without buying a Kindle. If Amazon continues to emphasize mobile e-reader apps, sales of the Kindle will naturally decline.
DigiTimes Research added that the number of e-book reader shipments will continue to grow this year, from 1.43 million units in the first quarter of 2010 to 2.02 million units in the second quarter.
