What 7 percent of the owners of Amazon Kindle are doing with their Kindle?

An interesting survey was published yesterday showing how the e-Reader market has essentially become a two horse race between the Amazon Kindle and the Apple iPad.

ChangeWave’s latest survey of more than 2,800 consumers found that the Amazon Kindle (47%; down 15-pts) is hanging on to a rapidly diminishing lead over the Apple iPad (32%; up 16-pts) among current e-Reader owners. However, the iPad’s share of the overall market has doubled since the last time ChangeWave surveyed e-Reader owners in August.

One of the interesting questions in the survey was 'Which of the following types of content do you currently read with your eBook Reader?' As you can see from the graph below with the results, only 76% of iPad owners read e-books with it. This is not a big surprise as only 10 days ago media and publishing market forecast firm Simba Information has estimated about 35% of iPad owners haven't used the devices to read e-books, based on the preliminary findings from a nationwide survey of over 1,800 respondents.

It just makes me wonder if we are really comparing here apples with apples or the iPad is actually an orange and shouldn't be compared with the Kindle, Nook and the rest of the e-readers.

What's even more interesting is the Kindle's reply with 93% reporting they read ebooks with their Kindle.

So I was wondering what the other 7% are doing with their Kindle? Is it just newspapers and magazines they read or they just have it but don't really like it? Any ideas?

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

How green is the iPad - Part 3: A greener eReader or an unnecessary luxury item?

In the first two parts (part 1 and part 2) of our "how green is the iPad" we brought you the opinions of other bloggers and writers, as well as a comparison between the green features of the iPad and those of the Kindle and the Nook. Today it's time for the final episode with our analysis.

To simplify it we'll do it as Q&A:

Is the iPad better for the environment than paper books?
Maybe. No one can really tell right now as no life cycle assessment was made to reach a clear conclusion and too many details are still missing about the iPad (from manufacturing to the end of life) to even start guessing the answer. To all of those who look at the Cleantech Group's report (The Environmental Impact of Amazon's Kindle) as a reference to base an answer to this question, I would like to remind that this report's findings are in no way alternative to a proper life cycle assessment (you're welcome to read our comments on the validity of the report's findings here).

Is there a hope to receive an answer from Apple?
Definitely. In the last couple of years Apple shows a greater commitment to environmental issues - in their latest update of their 'Guide to Greener Electronics', Greenpeace noted that "Apple continues its climb up the ranking from 11th place in v.12 to 9th in v.13 and is now in 5th place, with a score of 5.1 points, up from 4.9." I believe that even if Apple won't make the life cycle assessment (which might be a good thing, as it will be better done by an objective third-party), there's a good chance it will provide the necessary details for such an assessment to be made. In any case, there's a much better chance that Apple will do it than Amazon or B&N, so if there's anyone to look to, it's Apple.

Is the iPad as green as it can get?
It's not that clear. As Greenpeace reported in their guide "Apple does best on the toxic chemicals criteria", so we've got a device free of mercury, PVC, BFRs and Arsenic, but it's still not clear how will Apple is approaching other important issues such as packaging and recycling.

E-waste, for example, is a huge problem and since the battery (which should last up to 10 hours, with over a month of standby capacity) is built-in here, it's even more important to see what Apple will do not only offer a recycling plan for the iPads, but actually encourage customers to recycle their iPads properly. Some will say of course that a "green" iPad is an oxymoron in the first place, as it is nothing but an unnecessary luxury item.

So what's the importance of the iPad from an environmental point of view?
Firstly, as we showed on the second part of our series, it looks like it's greener than the Kindle and the Nook and there's a good chance it's currently the greenest eReader available.

In the long run, it might also become a greener alternative to physical books, reducing books' footprint and making reading more sustainable. I'm not sure for example if it will be better than books printed on recycled paper - it will be interesting to see who wins in such a green battle.

Last but not least, we shouldn't ignore the fact that for the first time such a device is presented with a specific reference to its green features and its impact on the environment. This is something we didn't see with the launch of the Kindle or the Nook, and even though it's just a presentation, this kind of saying is important and shows the growing importance of this issue for both manufacturers and customers.



What about the criticism that it's just another gadget with environmental impact and no real "green" value?
This is definitely a real concern. How many people do you think will replace their laptops to iPads? not many I guess. There's a good chance the iPads will be purchased as another item that will be used together with the laptop, iPod, cellphone and more electronic devices. Is it sustainable to add more and more devices, where each and every one of them has its own ecological footprint? I don't think so.

Still, we live in a certain society that is based on consumerism and we can't just tell people to stop buying - well, we can, but not too many will listen to this call. Hopefully many more will listen to a call to buy products that are more sustainable than others - buying for example iPad instead of the Kindle if you're looking for an eReader.

Yet, it's still very much the responsibility of the manufacturer, Apple in this case, to make sure that they make not only an excellent product, but one with a minimal footprint, that can have eventually a positive environmental impact (for example, by becoming a greener alternative to physical books). What do you think? We'll be happy to hear your thoughts so feel free to comment!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

How green is the iPad - Part 2: Is the iPad greener than the Kindle and the Nook?

Last week we started our 3-part series following the launch of the iPad. Our quest is simple - to explore how eco-friendly is the iPad.

Today we compare it to other eReaders and find out if it's really a green knockout to both Amazon's Kindle and B&N's Nook.

As you can see in the table below, we focused on the specifications that are most relevant to the device's footprint. When you look for such information, the first thing you notice is that all companies are far from providing transparent information when it comes to their device's environmental impact. Even Apple, which is by far better than both Amazon and B&N in providing such information, hasn't provided yet all the information.

Nevertheless, we believe there's still enough available information to determine that the iPad is greener than both the Kindle and the Nook. Again, it doesn't make it "eco-friendly", but it is still important to notice that it's better for the environment than other popular eReaders currently available.

This conclusion, though, is under the assumption that the iPad will be added to Apple's recycling program. We believe that it's on the way and I hope we're not wrong. Maybe they can even go further and actually incentivize customers to recycle, because unfortunately it seems that it's not just enough to offer a recycling plan to move customers to do the right thing - on USATODAY.com today, Martin LaMonica, who writes for CNET's Green Tech is quoted saying that "only about 10% of U.S. electronics get recycled, and Greenpeace's Guide to Electronics shows they don't always get recycled properly."

Our conclusion is also based on the lack of information concerning the environmental impacts of the Kindle and the Nook. We wish both Amazon and B&N will provide further information on their websites and maybe even prove us to be wrong about their eReaders. We'll be happy to correct ourselves if necessary!

In the meantime, this is the comparison, based on all the information we found available (double click on the table to view full size):






















If you got more details or observations to contribute, please feel free to comment.

Tomorrow we'll bring you the third part on this series with our final analysis.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainable reading!

How green is the iPad - Part 1: What was said so far about the green side of the iPad?

It looks like everything to be said about the the iPad and the ways it will change our life was said in the last couple of days. The buzz is amazing and it's no surprising given the fact that Apple are the masters of marketing. But what about the environment? Is the iPad eco-friendly? Is it greener than other eReaders? And of course, the ultimate question: does it bring to an end the debate of what is more environmental friendly - eBooks or paper books?

We are going to explore these questions in a 3-part series. On the first part, we check today what others think about the green side of the iPad, bringing you a summary of the articles published about it in the last couple of days. Tomorrow, we'll bring you part two with a comparison of the iPad's green features to those of the Kindle and the Nook, and on the last part we'll give you our final analysis.

So, here's part one: What was said so far about the green side of the iPad?

1. Is there an eco-angle to an Apple tablet?, Martin LaMonica, CNET News.
Bottom Line: "From an environmental point of view, that shift is a mixed bag, depending as much on user behavior as on technology...Overall, an Apple tablet, or the host of electronic readers expected this year, can bring many benefits of digitized content and even change how we read, day to day. Whether it brings a net environmental benefit, though, has more to do with the owner than the device."

2. Apple’s new iPad is deep green, but a planet saver? Nope., Matthew Wheeland, GreenerComputing.com
Bottome Line: "In a nutshell, the iPad is a nifty little gadget, I'm sure it will do wonders for how people engage with technology, and hopefully will give a boost to the flagging newspaper- and book-publishing industries, but it is still another resource-intensive gadget that will be an add-on rather than a replacement."

3. The Apple Tablet: Better for the Environment?, The Daily Green Staff, thedailygreen.com
Bottom Line: "..there is some real potential for the Apple Tablet (or whatever it might be called, or whatever tablet manufacturer wins the hearts of the most users) to reduce the strain on the environment caused by both our print and electronic habits ... if, that is, it is built smartly and responsibly and we change our existing habits."

4. Green Features We Love in Apple's New iPad, Jaymi Heimbuch, Treehugger
Bottom Line: "All in all it's a game-changing device and while far from perfect when it comes to sustainable design - or even pushing into new areas of sustainability in its features like using recycled aluminum or glass for the casing - it still hits a few sweet spots. We're hoping new versions will only be more and more eco-friendly."

5. iPad "green" but not sustainable, Lisa Poisso, Super Eco
Bottom Line: "Yes, the iPad is green—but it's not sustainable. It offers nothing that actually replaces existing electronic tools...the iPad is another toy in the endless parade of electronic consumerism. We'll take a pass until a truly greener apple worth picking comes along."

6. The Apple iPad’s Green Grade: B, Pedro Hernandez, earth2tech.
Bottom Line: "All things considered, and given the laundry list of things it can do, the iPad is a pretty green little machine. Maybe even green enough to impress Al Gore (who was in attendance at the launch today)."

Tomorrow we'll bring you part two: Is the iPad greener than the Kindle or the Nook?

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainable reading!