Over the last three years, the number of adults owning a tablet computer has jumped sharply. Now, for the first time, a third of American adults own tablet computers, according to a new report released today by the Pew Research Center.
While nearly every demographic group showed an increase in tablet ownership over the last year, the report said, the fastest-growing groups included more affluent households making over $75,000 a year, college graduates as well as adults between the ages of 35 to 44, especially parents.
“One of the things that is especially interesting about tablet adoption compared to some of the patterns of other devices we’ve studied is how these technologies’ growth has played out between different age groups,†said Kathryn Zickuhr, a research analyst for Pew.
“With smartphones, for instance, we’ve seen a very strong correlation with age where most younger adults own smartphones, regardless of income level. But when it comes to tablets, adults in their thirties and forties are now significantly more likely than any other age group to own this device,†she said.
The report showed no differences in tablet adoption between men and women, or specific racial or ethnic groups.
When the Pew Research Center first started tracking tablet ownership in May 2010, only three percent of adults said they had a tablet computer. The continued growth of devices like the Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Google Nexus and Apple iPad have chipped away at sales figures for laptop computers over this same time period, leading several analysts to predict that tablet sales will surpass laptop sales soon, most likely within in the next two years.
