(Image source: Pew Research Institute)

BY TRACY PFEIFFER

ANCHOR AUSTIN KIM

You're watching multisource tech news analysis from Newsy.

A new survey from the Pew Research Institute reveals -- e-readers like Amazon’s Kindle and the Barnes and Noble Nook are outpacing tablets -- like Apple’s iPad and the Motorola Xoom.

“The share of adults in the United States who own an e-book reader doubled to 12% in May, 2011, from 6% in November 2010. ...Tablet computers … have not seen the same level of growth in recent months.  In May 2011, 8% of adults report owning a tablet computer...” (Pew Research Institute)

Pew’s writeup on the trend also notes -- tablet market-share has only grown 3 percent since November 2010, plateauing off of previous growth.

So what gives? The Wall Street Journal’s Digits segment says -- pocketbooks.

“I think a lot of it has to do with price. I mean, when the Kindle came out in 2009 it was priced at $399. …The Nook came along in 2009 and brought prices of both devices down to $259. Last summer when everyone was talking about - the tablet was going to eat the e-readers for lunch - they again dropped their prices and now you can get a Kindle for 116 bucks. So it’s kinda become - from a luxury item to an impulse buy.”

A writer for Wired has a different theory -- suggesting, perhaps simplistic e-readers have a more widespread appeal.

“Why is an appliance that costs about $140 trumping a mobile internet computer [that] does a thousand more things, albeit it 3-4 times the price? Perhaps because the hardware nearly disappears and the experience of using one more closely resembles the analog reading experience.”

But those differences -- might be on their last legs.

A reporter for The Street says -- rumor has it, e-readers are about to go through an e-revolution.

JAMES ROGERS: “It looks like we’re at a bit of an influxtion point. Why is that? Well, if you look at the recent work that Barnes and Noble has been doing with the Nook, turning it essentially into more of a tablet than an e-reader, it suggests the times are a-changin’. Also there’s been a lot of speculation that Amazon might be preparing to launch an Android tablet.”

Pew’s survey also found -- Hispanics represent the largest piece of the pie - with their ownership jumping from 5 to 15 percent in six months.

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