U.S. Tablet Ownership Jumps

Nearly three in ten U.S. online consumers now have the device, up from 20% at the end of the first quarter, according to new CEA report

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/30/2012 5:40:13 PM

U.S. ownership rates for tablets jumped dramatically in the second quarter of 2012 to 29% of U.S. online consumers, a nine percentage point bounce, according to new research from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

The increase in ownership found by the CEA's "Consumer Outlook on Tablets: Q3 2012" fit in well with an earlier CEA survey's that found nearly half (45%) of all online consumers plan to buy a tablet in the next two years and the CEA's predictions of tablet sales, which were recently revised upwards.

As previously reported, the CEA is now predicting that tablet shipments will hit $29.1 billion in 2012, nearly $11 billion higher than the trade group had predicted in January, and that about 68.5 million tablets are expected to be shipped this year by manufacturers to retailers.

"The overall market for tablets continues to grow significantly with household penetration increasing for the foreseeable future," said Kevin Tillmann, senior research analyst, CEA. "Rarely has a new device category been so quickly embraced by consumers, businesses and education."

The research also found that consumers continue to use their tablets primarily for entertainment activities, with movies being the most popular activity, followed by social networking, music and reading books in the four top spots.

Satisfaction with tablet computers also remains high with 89% of tablet owners reporting being satisfied with their devices.