This IDC study forecasts and analyzes the worldwide ereader market by region. It supersedes Worldwide and U.S. eReader 2011–2015 Forecast Update: December 2011(IDC #232952, December 2011). It includes shipment, revenue, and ASP data for the 2012–2016 forecast period as well as segmentation by consumer versus commercial adoption, WiFi-only versus 3G/4G support, and operating system. eReaders, as exemplified by the Amazon Kindle, are slate form factor devices — typically with epaper displays — used to display consumer ebooks and periodicals.

"The ereader market continues to grow at a healthy rate despite increased competition from media tablets, including low-priced products from ereader market leaders Amazon and Barnes & Noble," said Tom Mainelli, research director of IDC's Mobile Connected Devices program. "Many voracious book readers find ereaders' epaper displays easier on their eyes for long reading sessions than the LCD displays of media tablets. As prices continue to decline, and ebooks become available in more regions, we expect ereaders to continue to enjoy strong shipment growth for many years to come."