E-book readers take a pounding

An estimated 1.53 million e-book readers were shipped globally during the second quarter of 2012, according to Taiwan’s DigiTimes news service. That was up 5.5 percent on Q1 – but down a thumping 63.1 percent on Q2 last year.

The result suggests the e-reader bubble may have burst, with tablets and smartphones – as with so much else – taking over the role of electronic reading devices.

DigiTimes notes that, with new Kindle and Kobo readers due to be launched in the second half of 2012, global shipments for the year should reach 10.65 million units. That’s less than half the 27 million units said by DigiTimes to have shipped in 2011.