iPad Demand Set to Outpace Kindle in Ebook Reader Market

A recent study by PriceGrabber indicates that consumers in the market for over the next year are more likely to choose an iPad over Amazon’s Kindle. About 20 percent of the survey respondents said they’re planning on buying an iPad in the next year, compared to 12 percent are planning on buying the Kindle.

Despite the fact that the Kindle serves only as an ebook reader, only 13 percent of the survey respondents said they planned to use their iPad to read books. 20 percent of those planning on buying an iPad plan to use it as a mobile productivity device, 19 percent plan to use it to replace their laptop computer, and 10 percent plan to use it as a portable entertainment device.

The survey included 1,631 participants, and it seems to indicate that despite the Kindle’s lower price point — US$259 compared to the entry level iPad without 3G at $499 — consumers are interested in the multi-function use the iPad offers. In addition to working as an ebook reader, the iPad also supports most of the currently available iPhone apps, and Apple will be releasing iPad versions of its Pages, Keynote and Numbers applications.

Ebook prices at Apple’s iBookStore will cost more than the same titles at Amazon.com, too. iBookStore titles are expected to cost between $12.99 and $14.99, where many Kindle titles at Amazon.com cost $9.99.

The iPad will go on sale on Saturday, April 3, and while it won’t likely kill the single-function ebook reader market, it looks set to ramp up the competition for Amazon, Sony and Barnes & Noble.

[Thanks to MediaPost for the heads up.]