Tablets have quickly reached a critical mass in the US with about one in every four or 25% of smartphone owners using tablets in the three-month period ending April 2012, an increase of 13.9% in the past year, according to a comScore report.
The study also revealed tablet users were nearly three times more likely to watch video on their device than smartphone users, with one in every 10 tablet users viewing video content almost daily on their devices.
comScore Mobile SVP Mobile Mark Donovan said tablets are one of the most rapidly adopted consumer technologies and are poised to fundamentally disrupt the way people engage with the digital world both on-the-go and perhaps most notably, in the home.
"It’s not surprising to see that once consumers get their hands on their first tablet, they are using them for any number of media habits including TV viewing," he added.
In just two years since the launch of Apple’s iPad, tablet adoption has exploded fueled by the introduction of new devices that appeal to various price and feature preferences.
In April 2012, 16.5% of mobile phone subscribers used a tablet, representing an increase of 11.8% in the past year.
The research firm revealed a lower 10.4% of feature phone owners use a tablet, suggesting that smartphone ownership is highly predictive of tablet adoption in the current market.
In a demographic analysis, compared to smartphone owners, tablet users were more likely to be in the 65 and older age segment, and 27% less likely to be age 18-24, resided in households with income of $75,000 or greater.
For tablet and smartphones, the majority overall audience concentration was observed in the 25-44 age groups.
