Shipments of e-readers hit a peak of 23.2 million units in 2011 according to IHS iSuppli, and the decline of 36% in 2012 shipments is just the beginning of the end. By 2016, e-readers are expected to ship a mere 7.1 million units, down two-thirds from their 2011 volume. By contrast, tablet shipments are expected to rise to 340 million units by 2016.
Consumers are willing to pay the substantial price differential between tablets and e-readers for the versatility of the tablets. E-readers are also often sold at razor-thin margins, or even at a loss if the vendor — say Amazon — also sells e-books and other content. The readers can really only compete on cost and that’s a battle that it does not look like the devices can win.
Paul Ausick
Credit Card Companies Are Doing Something Nuts
Credit card companies are at war. The biggest issuers are handing out free rewards and benefits to win the best customers.
It’s possible to find cards paying unlimited 1.5%, 2%, and even more today. That’s free money for qualified borrowers, and the type of thing that would be crazy to pass up. Those rewards can add up to thousands of dollars every year in free money, and include other benefits as well.
We’ve assembled some of the best credit cards for users today. Don’t miss these offers because they won’t be this good forever.
Flywheel Publishing has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Flywheel Publishing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
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