It’s 2012. The rapidly growing media tablet market is still at its infancy, and early adopters are developing the way they are using their new devices. It would be nice to get insights on daily usage of media tablets, so we can understand how business must seize the new opportunities they entail.
To understand how media tablets are currently used and which way the market is likely to develop and thrive, Gartner conducted a research study, which revealed some interesting insights of that time.
I thought it’s useful to compare and contrast, then and now in 2020.
TOP ACTIVITIES ON MEDIA TABLETS
- Back then, the respondents, who were the early adopters of media tablets, said they their top 5 activities on media tablets were: checking email, reading the news, checking weather forecasts, social networking and gaming.
- The most popular time to use media tablet is weekday evening.
In other words, the tablet is leisurely replacing watching some TV, maybe reading a newspaper or a good book, or even a board game one might play with the kids.
- Respondents use the Internet more at home than elsewhere, and they use it for research, shopping, learning and socializing. While men seem to prefer to gather information, women use their devices more for personalized entertainment activities like gaming and socializing via Facebook or Twitter.
In other words, for women, the majority of tablet owners, the tablet is a tool for socialising and buying.
PRINT vs. MEDIA TABLET vs PC
- Media tablet owners are using their media tablets instead of their PCs for doing so.
- More than 50% of respondents prefer to read news, magazines and books on screen rather than on paper. 33% used their media tablets to read a book, compared with 13 % for mobile PCs, and 7% for mobile phones.”
- They use their multiple devices interchangeably, rather than substituting one device for another. They seek to use whichever device is at hand — or the most convenient to use at a particular time and for a specific task.
MEDIA TABLETS VS. MOBILE PHONES
- As is the case for media tablets, amongst internet-based activities, respondents use their mobile phones mostly for checking email. After that, reading news and checking weather were most popular activities on the media tablet, whereas social networking was the next most popular activity on the mobile phone. (Mobile phone: checking email: 74%; social networking: 57 %)
- Media tablets are almost as personal as mobile phone: 45% of respondents do not share their tablet.
PURCHASING DECISIONS
- Respondents purchase a media tablet, in preference to a PC, for its convenience, small size and light weight.
- Men tend to purchase their own media tablets; women receive them as gifts.
That last fact alone, that more women than men own tablet is very useful. It you have a business whose target audience is women, then first: be sure to include have mobile-friendly content that renders particularly well on tablets, and two that is a useful filter to use for purchasing Facebook ads.
THE MEDIA TABLET STUDY
What is interesting is how this study on Insights on Daily Usage of Media Tablets was conducted: respondents in the US, UK and Australia were asked to run an online diary for a week and to record what they did during the day with their 3 most-used digital devices: media tablets, mobile phones and PCs.
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