Tablet Adoption Reaches 50% of Broadband Homes

It makes sense that personal devices used by people will outnumber shared devices used by households (TVs, refrigerators). 

At the moment, smart phones have become the consumer electronics product with the highest penetration, among smart phones, tablets, smart TVs, game consoles or digital media devices, according to Parks Associates.

Parks Associates predicts the number of U.S. tablet users will increase by 61 percent from 2013 to 2014.

Tablet adoption already is close to 50 percent of all U.S. broadband households, said Heather Way, Parks Associates senior research analyst.

Separately, researchers at the Pew Internet and American Life Project now estimate that about 34 percent of U.S. adults ages 18 and older own a tablet computer like an iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Google Nexus, or Kindle Fire, up nearly 100 percent, year over year.

In 2012, about 18 percent of surveyed respondents owned a tablet.

As you might guess, there are differences in rates of adoption, as there were with smart phones.

As was true for Apple iPhone owners, households with higher incomes are more likely to be tablet owners. About 56 percent of households earning at least $75,000 per year own tablets, compared to 38 percent of people in households earning between $50,000 and $74,999.

About 28 percent of respondents in households with $30,000 to $49,999 in income own tablets, compared to 20 percent of respondents in households below $30,000 annual household income.

Unlike smart phones, which are most popular with younger adults ages 18 to 34, the highest rates of tablet ownership occur among adults 35 to 44. In that age bracket, 49 percent of respondents report owning a tablet.

In the 25 to 34 age bracket, 37 percent of respondents own a tablet. About 18 percent of adults ages 65 and older are less likely to own a tablet.

Tablet adoption, as did iPhone adoption, also is directly related to education. About 49 percent of adults with at least a college degree own a tablet. Only 17 percent of those who did not graduate high school own a tablet.

The findings might suggest that smart phones are “mission critical” devices, while tablets are more discretionary.