Global eBook Reader Sales Hit 10.8 Million in 2010, Led by U.S. Market Dominance

For the year 2010, market research firm IDC reported an estimated global sales figure of 10.8 million eBook readers. An overwhelming 72.4% of these eReaders were purchased in the United States, which is likely why Amazon has been slow in gearing up for an international launch of the Kindle and instead is focusing its core business in the U.S.

Globally, Amazon still managed to secure a significant market share of 41.5%, with 1.14 million devices sold in the third quarter. Sony, on the other hand, managed to secure only an 8.4% market share with 230,000 eReaders sold in the same quarter. However, it’s important to note that the launch of Sony’s current Reader models came relatively late in the third quarter.

IDC predicts an increase in worldwide eBook reader sales to 14.7 million in 2011 and 16.6 million in 2012. We think they are a bit conservative here. Even though a 36% increase for 2011 seems quite high at first glance, the launch of a more affordable Amazon Kindle in Germany, complete with easy access to an eBook store, could potentially impact sales figures more significantly than IDC has estimated.

Additionally, new, more versatile display technologies could add another dimension to the eBook reader market, possibly resulting in even greater growth.