carlmatteo9: You Love Your Tablet -- Now it's Official

Sunday, 22 April 2012

You Love Your Tablet -- Now it's Official

Your tablet is a homebody. And you love it more than any other tech gizmo in the house.

A new study by Viacom shows that three-fourths of tablet usage occurs at home, and that tablet usage is mostly a solitary activity. The "Tapping Into Tabletomics" study draws on a national online survey of more than 2500 people ages 8 to 54, as well as interviews with "dedicated" tablet users in Los Angeles and New York, Viacom says.

The preference for home "tableting" may explain why slate owners overwhelming prefer Wi-Fi-only devices over those with cellular connections.

I Love My Tablet

One peculiar finding of the Viacom survey reveals that tablet users have a stronger emotional bond with their slates than they do with other consumer devices.

More than half of respondents said their tablets make them feel "happier and more relaxed;" 40 percent said their slate "brings out the best in me."

Here's how one respondent summarized her feelings for her tablet: "The iPad is my form of entertainment, relaxation, fun, and opportunity to get information. It's my personal space, in a sense."

PCs and smartphones aren't as loved as tablets, either. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they'd replace their laptop before their tablet, and more than three-fourths would replace their iPhone before their iPad.

Somewhere, an iPhone 4S is Crying.

Other key findings of the Viacom study:

62 percent of tablet owners use their slates daily
Daily users spend about 2.4 hours per day with their tablets
85 percent of tablet use is for personal, not business, activity
Most tablet-based "media activities," such as playing games and watching TV, peak with users between 18 and 24.
Tablets have surpassed computers as a "second-screen device" for viewing full-length TV shows.

Do you have strong feelings for your tablet? Let us know.

Contact Jeff Bertolucci at Today@PCWorld, Twitter (@jbertolucci) or jbertolucci.blogspot.com.

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