Tablet Use to Triple by 2012
A new study by the USC Marshall Institute for Communication TechnologyManagement highlights the increasing penetration of tablets and smartphones in the North American market. Among the findings:
- Tablet ownership in North American households is projected to increase from 8% in 2011 to 27% in 2012. The biggest growth in tablet users will be among 13- to 44-year-olds.
- Of current tablet users, 70% are between the ages of 18 and 44. They are slightly more likely to be male than female, and they largely live in high-income households.
- Members of ethnic groups, including African Americans, Latinos and Asians, are nearly twice as likely to buy a tablet in the next year as Caucasians.
- Tablet users consume twice as much media as the mainstream, and they increasingly want to control what they watch by using the device as an alternative to traditional TV.
- Smartphone ownership is expected to increase from 29% in 2011 to 40% in 2012.
- The highest penetration of smartphones is expected to be in the Latino and Asian markets.
