84 per cent of tablet owners play games
The vast majority of tablet owners never use their devices away from home, according to the survey.
The US-based survey cites gaming as by far the most popular use of tablets, eclipsing other uses such as watching videos, listening to music, web browsing and social networking. Of the 1,430 respondents, 84 per cent claim to play games on their tablets.
The next most popular use was searching for information at 78 per cent, followed by emailing at 74 per cent and reading the news at 61 per cent.
Meanwhile, 61 per cent of respondents said they used their tablet for social networking, while only 51 per cent used a tablet to watch videos or listen to music.
Another interesting fact from the survey was that very few people use their tablet away from home - less than 20 per cent admit to using their tablet on the go, or even at work. Meanwhile, 77 per cent of respondents said they used their desktop or laptop less as a result of buying a tablet, although 72 per cent claimed their tablet had not replaced another device as their primary computer. However, the survey contained no data about which specific tablets people owned.
You can view the survey here.
If you have a tablet, what do you use it for? Are these results surprising, or are they what you would expect? Let us know in the forums.
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Discuss in the forums ReplyCome to think of it though - Did Apple ever really market the iPad on its portability, or was that more of a media obsession? I can't remember.
From what I've seen and read the majority of consumers buying tablets are doing so because it's the 'in' thing right now and because there's a lot of buzz and excitement around the latest fad in the industry, not because it fulfils a particular need.
I'm sure there are people who find that tablets like the iPad and the Xoom are ideal in filling a gap in their own usage pattern and lifestyle, and they seem to have introduced a lot of people to the idea of touchscreen gaming; but I think the people who find tablets genuinely useful and worth their price are in the minority for reasons of practicality.
Maybe I'm wrong and totally out of touch - I never found a place in my own computing lifestyle for netbooks either, so I already know I'm not the target audience for these devices.
Exactly, tablets are currently consumption devices and what with the lack of portability of the 10" tablets like the ipad ect, people are using them at home where watchig videos isnt really an appealing option when you have the TV there, music you have your smartphone, so the only use left is gaming
This will only change once more media creation apps are created, for example the photoshop apps recenlty announced by Adobe, or when someone FINALLY creates a good video editing app for tablets that you can import video from a camera for editing (i would love a 7" tablet that I could carry round with me for this)
It's a pretty expensive and console replacement, video editing on the move, ouch man, thats gonna be slow and kill your battery - sounds like a plausible use though.
Given that people hardly use them on the go might be a testament to the cost/quality of roaming internet and the probability of being mugged and robbed by using your latest fashion accessory in public being quite high.
The pluses of course are that they are light, easy to use and probably more comfortable to use than a laptop/netbook when you are sat on a sofa/bench with no table to use.
Given what we now know - the conclusion suggests that sony xperia play or xboxlive equipped smart phones could possibly suit the needs of many, and maybe a 7" device is as big as anyone really desires as a real portable multimedia device?
Making the assumption that the games are very similar between the Ipod Touch and the Ipad (no reason why they shouldn't be similar) there are a few decent games mixed in with an absolute truckload of utter tripe*.
For me the lack of tactile controls is an instant killer for all but the simplest of games (although I did enjoy the demo of dungeon hunter 2 on my Ipod).
*This could also be applied to the apps in general.
The lack of physical controls is an issue, but only if the game has been poorly designed IMO, as long as the game works to the strengths of a touchscreen device then it can work, for example strategy games work really well on my iPhone and would also work well on an iPad.
Id love to see a total war port for tablet
In the bathroom! A netbook is too bulky and a tablet is the perfect size to use in the porcelain-tiled library.
Here I was, thinking you people were smart. I am disillusioned!
but garageband for ipad is worth buying an ipad for not a game but it makes your ipad a very powerful music creation tool that you can scribble ideas on then export to make a complete track out of once you are back home.
I use mine mostly for note taking and passwords when working on site at clients, it replaces my notepad, its cheaper too as my mont blanc pen and piquadro notepad cost more than the ipad.
Got it in one. People want to browse the web the way they read a magazine or book. They want to email and Facebook the way they chat to friends on the phone. On the sofa, feet up, leaning back. Not perched on an office chair leaning forward hunched over a keyboard.
'cause, like, most people are not geeks, ya know? Surprise!
I doubt I'd use it at home much though.
Yeah go on browse thousands of photos , See endless hours of videos. Play those games to waste precious time..
They're not good for writing long emails, articles or anything of length on though as the touch screen keyboard is difficult to use.
As for the games, at least it's allowing indie developers to boom thanks to things like the app store. Developing and publishing a game nowadays is easier than ever thanks to the App store.