Leisure centre
Recently acquired Google mobile advertising company AdMob surveyed 1,430 tablet owners in the US last month to find out how they use their tablets. What type of tablet they owned is not revealed and we were first alerted to this by the Guardian.
One of the most striking findings was that, when asked where they use their tablet the most, 82 percent said ‘at home', compared to 11 percent ‘on the go' and seven percent ‘at work'. The reason this is significant is that, if this trend remains consistent, it should mean Wi-Fi-only versions will be much more popular than 3G ones, assuming a rational market.
While tablets are more ‘mobile' than notebooks' the practicality of using them on the move, in preference to smartphones, is debatable. Furthermore, with OEMs on average charging an extra £100 just for a 3G chipset, with the cost of data coming on top of that, you have to question whether 3G tablets are worth the money - especially with tethering becoming increasingly common.
Respondents were also asked when they use their tablets. The majority (69 percent) used it more frequently on weekdays, and almost two thirds (62 percent) used them in the evenings. Most of them (68 percent) used it for more than an hour, and the main uses were gaming, searching for information and emailing.
This appears to confirm the primary usage-model that has long been presumed: tablets are primarily leisure devices, mainly used when winding down in the evening. They could even be considered a more social alternative to sitting in front of the PC and, we assume, are often used when doing something else like watching TV or listening to your other half bang-on about nothing.
Three quarters of respondents said their PC use declined once they got a tablet, but only a quarter said the tablet is now their primary computer. Tablets seem to be coexisting with existing technology and leisure pursuits, rather than replacing them.
