E-books: No more growth in Germany
A survey of 1004 people aged 16 and older conducted by the Berlin-based digital association BITKOM shows that many people read e-books - but there is no talk of a breakthrough with rising growth figures in Germany.
As the news portal Pressetext.com writes on Thursday, the market continues to stagnate. According to the survey, only every fourth person (26 percent) reaches for digital books. Thus, the share of e-book readers remains at the level of previous years. The figure was already 24 percent in 2014.
No new readers
"E-books have real fans, but no new ones are being added. For many readers, digital books have added value, but they are hardly replacing printed titles," says BITKOM President Achim Berg, commenting on the results of the survey. Nevertheless, just over a third of non-users (35 percent) can imagine reading e-books in the future.
The most popular output device for e-books is the e-reader, with a good three-quarters of users (77 percent) using it for private or professional reading. One in two now reads via smartphone, followed by tablet computer (38 percent), laptop (23 percent) and desktop PC (three percent).
Younger people in particular read digital books: 47 percent of 16- to 29-year-olds use e-books. Among 30- to 49-year-olds and 50- to 64-year-olds, the figure is 26 percent each. In the 65+ age group, the proportion of e-book users is ten percent. (pte)
