Amazon Kindles ‘go unused’ after Christmas

The Kindle is the market leading e-reader

Photo: Getty Images

Last Updated: 9:29AM GMT 21/01/2012

Amazon’s Kindle e-reader was among the most popular gifts at Christmas, but many have gone unused, a survey has found.

More than a fifth of those who received a Kindle said they have not used it.

The main reason was that owners had failed to download any e-books, the survey found.

The Kindle was one of the big hits of Christmas 2011. A separate survey found one in 40 British adults was given Amazon’s e-reader.

Those who received an Apple iPad meanwhile, which costs around four times as much as a Kindle, were more likely to have used it. Only nine per cent of new owners said their tablet had remained untouched.

All gadgets beat the classic unused Christmas present, however. Some 91 per cent of 1,461 respondents surveyed by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk said they had not used “smellies and toiletries” they received.