Read Write Web:
According to the latest data from Hitwise, however, interest in eBooks continues to grow steadily.
Looking at the data for the U.K., Hitwise’s Robin Goad concludes that searches for ‘ebooks’ doubled between January 2008 and 2009, with a clear peak around Christmas.
As the Kindle isn’t available outside of the U.S. yet, Sony’s Reader dominates the searches for eBook readers in the U.K.
Goad also notes that Hitwise sees a similar trend for the Kindle in the U.S., where interest in eBooks and eBook readers typically grows at the end of the summer and peaks in December.
Google Trends shows a pattern that is very similar to Hitwise’s data, though it also clearly shows that there is little to no interest in the Sony Reader in the United States.
Interestingly, the Hitwise study makes no mention of the iPhone. EBook readers like Stanza are, after all, some of the most popular apps on Apple’s phone, and just last February we wondered if the iPhone might just be the ultimate eBook reader.
Photo by RWDesigns.