Call it a spark of genius from the part of Apple. But undoubtedly, the  iPad has certainly awaken an otherwise sleeping e-book and tablet market.According to a recent Boston Consulting Group Study which showed that more than half of surveyed consumers plan to buy an iPad, Kindle or similar device in the next three years. More important than that is the findings that these consumers appear willing to pay for content to be consumed on those devices.

The survey was conduced to nearly 13,000 consumers in 14 countries including India, China, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States. The study found out that 28% of these respondents and 51% of those familiar with this devices plan to purchase them within the next few year. In three years time, 49% of the respondents and 73% of those familiar with them are also planning on a purchase.

What do these figures tell us? Well, if these numbers are to push through, e-readers and tablets would soon established themselves as another category of consumer products in the likes of  TVs, PCs and mobile phones.

Another positive impact would be injecting fresh hope to the otherwise dying publishing industry.

John Rose, the global leader of BCG’s Media Practice said:

“The survey suggests that e-readers and tablets are not a niche product for early adopters but could become the MP3 players of this decade. Grandmothers will soon be carrying them around.”

There is one catch though. For e-readers and tablets, such as the Kindle and iPad to succeed in infiltrating the consumer market, a significant price drop should happen. Right now,  the Kindle, iPad and other tablets and e-readers are relatively priced similar to other established consumer electronics products. Considering that their features are limited as compared to a traditional computing machine, price should naturally be cheaper.

Hopefully, both the Amazon and Apple folks are reading this or would get hold of the BCG Report.