e-Readers estimated to be owned by 12% of U.S. consumers by end of 2012

By 2012, 12% of U.S. adults will have some sort of e-reader -- a Kindle, Sony Reader, NOOK or similar device -- according to estimates by eMarketer. By the end of this year, there will be more than 20 million readers in consumers' hands. The information assumes that there is no sharing of devices, but Nielsen reported last year that about a third of e-reader owners share with at least one other person. Which would make the potential audience significantly bigger.