Consumers Willing to Pay for Digital Content for iPads and E-Readers, According to Survey

ComScore Inc. released the results of a survey of 2,176 Internet users regarding their awareness, attitudes and opinions of the Apple iPad and other e-readers/tablet devices. Results of the survey were analyzed across age and gender profiles, as well as the “iOwners” consumer segment, defined as those owning either an iPhone or iPod Touch.

“The tablet and e-reader market is developing at a breakneck pace right now, and Apple’s entry into the market is sure to accelerate mainstream consumer adoption,” says Serge Matta, comScore executive vice president. “These devices have the potential to be incredibly disruptive to the way consumers currently access digital content. While only time will tell exactly how consumer behavior will change, our research suggests that not only will a variety of markets be impacted by the introduction of these devices but also that there are substantial opportunities for those in the digital content ecosystem.”

E-Reader Awareness and Purchase Intent
Consumers were asked several questions regarding their awareness of various e-readers and tablet devices and their past purchase behavior or intent to purchase these devices. The results showed very high awareness of the iPad, with an awareness of 65 percent, the same as that of the Amazon Kindle e-reader. Amazon Kindle rated highest in terms of current device ownership at 6 percent of all Internet users, followed by the Sony Reader at 4 percent. The iPad rated highest in terms of consumers seriously considering purchase over the next three months at 15 percent of Internet users, with the Kindle at 14 percent.

iPad Usage Intentions
Consumers also were questioned about which features and activities they most likely would be to use if they owned an iPad, with responses indicating that they viewed the iPad differently than a traditional e-reader. Just 37 percent of respondents indicated they were “likely” or “very likely” (i.e., top 2 boxes) to read books on the device, 9 percentage points higher than those who indicated they would be “unlikely” or “very unlikely” (bottom 2 boxes). Nearly half indicated a high likelihood of using the iPad for browsing the Internet (50 percent) and e-mail (48 percent), while more than one third said they would use it for listening to music (38 percent), reading books (37 percent), maintaining an address book/contact list (37 percent), watching videos/movies (36 percent), storing and viewing photos (35 percent), and reading newspapers and magazines (34 percent).