Study: Nearly a Quarter of U.S. Adults Own a Tablet

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southernshark

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The current gen of tablets are good for surfing the net, skyping and that sort of thing. I can not type on them, even on the full sized ones. I use an Ipad "3" at work and simply can not work the keys consistently. Changing the operating system won't change that.

I still think tablets are cool and are offering some real utility to people. But I don't see them replacing the desktop for serious use, whether that serious use by typing a document, writing a book, writing a paper, or simply playing video games.
 
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when they make a tablet that runs Linux (centos,mageia,opensuse,fedora,debian,etc..) and not android/ios then I will jump on board
 

alidan

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dont call an 18 year old an adult in the case of tech like this, as a fair amount of schools have tablet only books where you need one for the classes, and 18-about 25 are idiots to begin with.

show me the adults over 30 that bought into tablets.
 

runswindows95

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I agree with southernshark all the way. I do a lot of typing, and I see tablets as a toy. I'm right now typing this in front of dual Dell U2412M monitors in pivot, and a full sized keyboard. There is no way a tablet can replace this type of setup.
 

edgewood112358

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[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]I have no use for a tablet until they start running a real operating system and real software. The current generation of tablets are simply over sized cell phones.[/citation]

Android is actually a very capable OS, once rooted and with a some third party apps, at least in my opinion. With a little bit of work I can access network resources (I have a CIFS NAS set up at my house), view autodesk drawings, make quick edits to Powerpoint/word/excel documents, view my bank account info, do some online shopping, download torrents, and many more things, all without paying for a single app. There is practically nothing than I normally do on my laptop (which I see as a secondary PC- a high end desktop is still a must) that I can't do on my nexus 7. While android can still use some work, I think putting a full fledged desktop OS on a tablet would just clutter it up.
 

Warsaw

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[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]dont call an 18 year old an adult in the case of tech like this, as a fair amount of schools have tablet only books where you need one for the classes, and 18-about 25 are idiots to begin with. show me the adults over 30 that bought into tablets.[/citation]
If you think so highly of yourself and the studies that you require maybe you should look into not making yourself look like an idiot. C'mon, end a sentence and capitalize if you're that worried about making an insult that has no basis. I could say people 60-80 are idiots due to age, but then that would be a statement that would have no basis as well as everyone is of varying intelligence levels, it depends on the person.

Fools will say foolish things.
 
[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]dont call an 18 year old an adult in the case of tech like this, as a fair amount of schools have tablet only books where you need one for the classes, and 18-about 25 are idiots to begin with. show me the adults over 30 that bought into tablets.[/citation]
Most of the people buying ipads are middle aged people from what I see.
 

memadmax

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I bought my wife the ipad2 when it first came out. After a month and a half of hard use, the thing has ended up just sitting around collecting dust, then after a while the account for it disbanded. Now we are thinking about trading it in for a new Wii at gamestop.
 

killerclick

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Tablets are not laptops and they're not supposed to be laptops. When tablets replace other devices, it's only for a limited subset of functions. The fact that people can't comfortably type on a tablet isn't a fault, it's just a different type of device. No one is bitching they can't run Office on their XBox.
 

InvalidError

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Different people use different devices... differently.

Mine serves maybe a dozen different purposes:
1- GPS navigation / logger / map
2- browsing while not at home and either not wanting to monopolize someone else's PC, cannot trust the PC or need to look things up while repairing someone else's PC
3- portable media player
4- portable game console
5- electronic book
6- note pad
7- flashlight
8- SSH terminal
9- remote control
10- auxiliary display
11- electronic picture frame / calendar
12- desk clock
13- PDA
14- VoIP WiFi-phone

While a smartphone can do most of the above, many of those tasks are much more pleasant and functional on 7-10" screens than a 4" one. For people who only own feature-phones or low-end smartphones, something like the Nexus7 is a nice complement.
 

assasin32

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[citation][nom]esrever[/nom]Most of the people buying ipads are middle aged people from what I see.[/citation]

I have to second this, I go to college there are very few people who use it or own one that I know of. Where as my Mom has asked me about buying one. All she knows is it can go on the internet and do things like youtube and is easier to use than the computer from what her friends told her. Though she wanted an Ipad which I think is overpriced for her needs, if she were ask me now I would probably recomend one of the cheaper 9in ones that are coming out Kindle or Nook or something. (not a fan of the Kindle but if it works for her it works)

Most of the college people I know won't buy a tablet for books because flat out most of the books are heavily DRMed. Were talking to the point where those ebooks are unusable, I think at most you were allowed 1 chapter from one company at a time on your tablet or phone if you did not have a solid internet connection, which you don't have at my school. Than it's only a license you get for barely over a semester so you can't sell it. If you want to use it on your computer more than likely they want you to instal some very large amounts of crapware, and you can print 10pages at most at a time. This is basically what I have seen for ebooks limitations. And to top it off paperback is still cheaper if you buy online preferably used and than sell it after class.
 

belardo

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[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]I have no use for a tablet until they start running a real operating system and real software.[/citation] Huh? They do run real software and operating systems. So to you, MS-DOS is real, but Android/iOS (A/iOS) are not? Is Windows 3.1 a real OS? Actually, Windows 3.x was never an OS... Win95 was MS's first consumer GUI-OS... 10 years after Amiga/Mac. There are shooter games on tablets, phones and of course... PCs.

I am against MS renaming the tablet as "PC"... somewhat. But really think about this; most people NEVER took to computers. Other than browsing, email and maybe MS-Word for work - that is about it. The tablet (small) OS is better at hiding the blue-smoke that computes run on. Its not as scary. I could never get my mother to touch a computer... period. But an iPad... somewhat.

What I can and do use an iPad(1) for: Browsing on the can or sofa or bed. Especially when not feeling well... more relaxing than using my quad-core desktop with a 24" screen. beta-test some work, play some games, read ebooks to the kid. Share photos with friends and family when across the country (better than a notebook). As a sales tool at convention... its 8hr battery life and 1.7lbs is FAR better than my 6lb 15" ThinkPad with its 1.5hr battery life!

And YES, I have even typed responses on THIS site and others with a tablet.
The ability to attach (wireless) a keyboard is a non-issue. Hell, you know how hard it was to get a $22 Logitech wirless keyboard & mouse to work on a Samsung Smart TV? Plug in the dongle, power them up... and wow, the TV (not running a real OS) - detects them and the mouse controls the pointer and I can type in web address or other crap without using the horrible TV remote (A wii-like remote would be nice for modern TVs for computer functions).

@crazypcman: Nothing keeps you from buying the $1200 Samsung Slate 7 and installing Linux on it... its not perfect, people are still working out the kinks, but they are running Linux.

[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]dont call an 18 year old an adult in the case of tech like this, as a fair amount of schools have tablet only books where you need one for the classes, and 18-about 25 are idiots to begin with. show me the adults over 30 that bought into tablets.[/citation] 18yr olds+ are old enough to die for our country and vote... and as others have pointed out, there are old people who are also stupid... you maybe one of them. There are a lot of idiots, age may or maynot make a difference. A lot of people are buying tablets - I'm over 30... hell, my first computers ran at 1Mhz, for a few years before upgrading to 7mhz with 512k of RAM (drool). The tablet market is enough to change the game for Dell, HP and others. Dell, Acer and HP are sinking.|
 

Zingam

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[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]I have no use for a tablet until they start running a real operating system and real software. The current generation of tablets are simply over sized cell phones.[/citation]

Yet another douche, who has no idea what the tablets are good for.
1. Tablets are running a very real OS - tablet OS optimized to best fit that kind of user interface (tablets with real OSes - Microsoft tried them a few times in the past - failed miserably each and every time).
2. Tablets are not notebooks - they are mobile browsers and book readers with ability to watch movies and play games on the go, tablets are not PCs. They are media consumption devices and will never be productivity devices, because of the awkward interface and the limited screen, etc. It's like: "I don't need an automobile until they fly." If you need a desktop PC or notebook - buy that! Tablets have completely different use and the most important one a tablet should run for many hours disconnected from the powergrid! Real OS = real CPU = real power consumption = 30-40W unlike tablets with probably less than 4-5W.

 

Zingam

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[citation][nom]southernshark[/nom]The current gen of tablets are good for surfing the net, skyping and that sort of thing. I can not type on them, even on the full sized ones. I use an Ipad "3" at work and simply can not work the keys consistently. Changing the operating system won't change that. I still think tablets are cool and are offering some real utility to people. But I don't see them replacing the desktop for serious use, whether that serious use by typing a document, writing a book, writing a paper, or simply playing video games.[/citation]

They may replace the desktop if they become really, really powerful (after another 2 decades) but then you'll still need to dock them so that you could use a large monitor, keyboard and other interfaces. Even if they become so intelligent to understand voice commands perfectly, you'll still need large screen. Well maybe they'll come up with some holographic built-in projector or something... but that's not going to happen for many more years.
 

belardo

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[citation][nom]runswindows95[/nom]I do a lot of typing, and I see tablets as a toy. I'm right now typing this in front of dual Dell U2412M monitors in pivot, and a full sized keyboard. There is no way a tablet can replace this type of setup.[/citation] LOL!! You are funny! Ever notice not everyone has the same needs or budget? Do we all drive motorcycles to save gas or Hummer 2s to be road warriors (who never leave the pavement)? There is NO way you can use your dual Dell U2412M monitors on a train, a bus or a plane... or take them with you to a party or a business meeting?
Go to a convention for with 60,000+ people and let me know HOW well your desktop/Dual monitor Dells are working out for you as you go from booth to booth for 8 hours.

Just as there is a PLACE for dual monitors (as half the people do in one of my offices) there is a place for a tablet - which almost everyone in the office has an iPad1, 2 or 3. What *I* do here, I can do on my 4.5" screen cellphone from any city in the USA. And *YES*, I have posted responses to Tomshardware from my iPad and my Android phone. And *YES*, for large posts or anything else - a real keyboard is best. Or with my Android phone, I dictate and it simply types the text for me... mostly.

The 7" iPad-Mini will help contain Apple's bleed of market share. Since Apple has pissed me off with their BS attack on Samsung - I am rooting for Android to rule the world. Screw Apple and screw Microsoft.

Its amazing... why haven't Apple gone after Amazon? Its rectangle with curved corners and out-sells Samsung and Asus combined.
 

runswindows95

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It's called the setup is for my job, where I spend 8 to 10 hours a day at typing easily over 20,000+ words a day at a desk. I was agreeing with the comment made that a tablet can't replace a desktop for serious work, which it can't.

Now, far as all the other places you talked about, you're taking it to the extreme. If I need to something in places like that, it's called my Droid or my laptop. Also, personally, all I want in my hands at a part is a cold beer, not a device.
 

belardo

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[citation][nom]assasin32[/nom]Where as my Mom has asked me about buying one(tablet). All she knows is it can go on the internet and do things like youtube and is easier to use than the computer from what her friends told her. Though she wanted an Ipad which I think is overpriced for her needs.[/citation] How do you figure the iPad is overpriced? Compare the $400 iPad to the $400 tablets from ASUS, Samsung, Sony, etc... Even to this very day, the iPad2 & 3 are still the fastest tablets on the market. The accessories for them blows away everyone else. As much as *I* hate Apple with their BS lawsuits - they do have control of the market with bit better hardware.

Get your mom something that will WORK for her, not for you. If she has an iPhone then keep is simple and get her an iPad. If she has an Android phone, then choose an Android tablet. But by all means, Apple does have their shit together for doing the hand-holding for people to connect their tablets and phones to their computers (^&%#&%@ iTunes) which is something that Android does NOT have.

Just got a spanking new ICS (4.0) phone, it rocks... its so much better than my 2 yr old Samsung which I never cared for. Glad I went with Motorola this time. Open the box, its a booklet, a charge/data cable and charger... nothing more. Nothing there that says "Hey! here is HOW your transfer photos and music to and from your phone!" - yeah, I know HOW to do it... copy the files over with explorer. But to YOUR novice, which directory does the photos go to? Where does the music files go? Its pure shit for a novice. How hard would it be for Google to come out with an Android Manager? Samsung Kievs is pure crap, its just a firmware upgrader... that works half-ass.

Of all the shit at&t/Verzon/TMobile whoever loads up crap on our phones - a nice simple Windows program would be nice that says "Here are your media files... where do you want them!".

Until Android 4.0... I had little faith in an Android tablet. their 16:9 screens still suck compared to iPad's 4:3. The customization of the Android desktop runs circles around iOS. I was sold on WP7/8 until Android 4.0... Drooling for the 4.1 update to come out for my phone.
 

shin0bi272

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The study also said that nearly half of the adults in the country have either a tablet or smart phone. Im not sure why that wasnt mentioned in the Tom's article.
 

alidan

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[citation][nom]belardo[/nom]Huh? They do run real software and operating systems. So to you, MS-DOS is real, but Android/iOS (A/iOS) are not? Is Windows 3.1 a real OS? Actually, Windows 3.x was never an OS... Win95 was MS's first consumer GUI-OS... 10 years after Amiga/Mac. There are shooter games on tablets, phones and of course... PCs.I am against MS renaming the tablet as "PC"... somewhat. But really think about this; most people NEVER took to computers. Other than browsing, email and maybe MS-Word for work - that is about it. The tablet (small) OS is better at hiding the blue-smoke that computes run on. Its not as scary. I could never get my mother to touch a computer... period. But an iPad... somewhat.What I can and do use an iPad(1) for: Browsing on the can or sofa or bed. Especially when not feeling well... more relaxing than using my quad-core desktop with a 24" screen. beta-test some work, play some games, read ebooks to the kid. Share photos with friends and family when across the country (better than a notebook). As a sales tool at convention... its 8hr battery life and 1.7lbs is FAR better than my 6lb 15" ThinkPad with its 1.5hr battery life!And YES, I have even typed responses on THIS site and others with a tablet.The ability to attach (wireless) a keyboard is a non-issue. Hell, you know how hard it was to get a $22 Logitech wirless keyboard & mouse to work on a Samsung Smart TV? Plug in the dongle, power them up... and wow, the TV (not running a real OS) - detects them and the mouse controls the pointer and I can type in web address or other crap without using the horrible TV remote (A wii-like remote would be nice for modern TVs for computer functions).@crazypcman: Nothing keeps you from buying the $1200 Samsung Slate 7 and installing Linux on it... its not perfect, people are still working out the kinks, but they are running Linux. 18yr olds+ are old enough to die for our country and vote... and as others have pointed out, there are old people who are also stupid... you maybe one of them. There are a lot of idiots, age may or maynot make a difference. A lot of people are buying tablets - I'm over 30... hell, my first computers ran at 1Mhz, for a few years before upgrading to 7mhz with 512k of RAM (drool). The tablet market is enough to change the game for Dell, HP and others. Dell, Acer and HP are sinking.|[/citation]

im 24, i look around me and all i see are morons who are close to the same age.
i see people who are in school who are required to have a tablet for some class books
i look at kids who want the newest and shiniest thing just because its there
and i look at people older than me who know noting about computers lean to what they see as simple.

i dont say im smart either, as i know enough people who think they are smart but when ever they speak or do anything all i see is a moron, but i do know this, with age comes a certain amount of knowledge.

people in their 20's, most wont think twice about buying that ipad and putting it on a credit card,
people under 18 usualy have no value of a $ so they are willing to drop that kind of money on a toy if they are able to
but i see people who are over 30 tend to look at the big picture more often than not.

what i want to know is if people who understand the value of a $ and have lived a bit still think a tablet is a must buy kind of thing.

that said much of what i said wasn't directed soley at you, you were just the one i quoted.
the reason they go for 18 year olds in the military is because they still have that teen age stupidity that they are invincible, fast forward that about 10 or so years, how many people 28+ would be willing to join the military once they realize that life isn't kind?
and people can vote at 18? that doesn't make them smart... i found out that mickey mouse won the presidential election a few times from write in votes. i honestly believe you should have to take a quiz and you need to pass with 50% before you can vote. i dont care how old you are, its no excuse for ignorance.
 

Zingam

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[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]over 30 tend to look at the big picture more often than not.what i want to know is if people who understand the value of a $ and have lived a bit still think a tablet is a must buy kind of thing. that said much of what i said wasn't directed soley at you, you were just the one i quoted.[/citation]

Once I have passed 33 I have realize that so much of that cool stuff in life is totally useless. You work your butt off to just buy another expensive TV or car. I've spent most of my younger years in front of a monitor... What did I achieve. I got fat. I got lazy. I got slow.
Then I have discovered that nothing makes me more happy than being outside doing some physical activity: running, hiking, climbing... Seriously... people need training shoes not smartphones.
The best use for a tablet I see is to read books on it and save paper but not for the price of iPad. I used to love computer games, gadgets and crap... :D Now it is so much more amazing to look and feel much better than many 20 years old. I've never been much of an athlete but seriously: 90% of the much younger people doing fitness I see are in worse shape than me.
 

belardo

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[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]im 24, i look around me and all i see are morons who are close to the same age.~~ but i see people who are over 30 tend to look at the big picture more often than not. ~~ and people can vote at 18? that doesn't make them smart... i found out that mickey mouse won the presidential election a few times from write in votes.[/citation] Morons come in all ages and sizes. Some getter better if they survive the weeding out process. I think you are correct in your observations of 20 vs 30. After 30+, I started working out - lose the fat (as Zingam pointed out) and I am more social in the real world than with computers... I do like my games :) But I also compete for girls in their 20s against "boys". I am stronger, better shape, can dance, have a bit more money (unless dad paid their way) and tend to not do stupid things. I grew up in the days of Apple II... before we had these MICE. Through experience and where things are going, the tablet will replace the the desktop/notebook as the main computer a person has.

Remember, most people are MORONS. Look at Windows8, see where its going? Windows desktop as you know it will eventually be gone. The smarter computer users will be going to Linux... whatever is left of the desktop will be for pros (CAD / programmers) who do important things or make junk for tablet users.

Bingo on the military. But even at age 35, they asked me to join because of my physical condition and what-not. I laughed. You gotta be able to follow orders, not question them!

Micky Mouse has never won an election. His name has been used as a joke.

I do foresee some sort of hybrid Phone/tablet computer home... maybe a server for content. When you can throw your tablet (your main computer) onto your 60" wall display, use hand and face movements to control interaction smoothly... why use a dingy 80~90s era box? The Xbox and Wii are already showing the way.

The keyboard is a non-issue. Add-it for $20~50. Look at the $1200 Slates from Samsung and HP that run i5-class CPUs? And with Haswell, the performance gets a small bump but the power usage drops to 20X!! The tablets in 2014 are going to be crazy... They can be faster than todays $700~900 tablets with tons of storage (SSD and cloud), wireless video output to monitor, etc... why the hell would you need a desktop for?

This is why MS is scared shitless. Windows8 sucks, but its required for their transition for the future. But they did it wrong. The desktop is a horrible mess, completely stupid. Also, it shows the world we don't need Microsoft anymore. Windows8-RT tablets are not "windows" anymore than WP7/8 or even Android or "Windows". They don't run Win-x86 programs. As far as I'm concerned, this is the time to cut the ties from Microsoft. Too bad Apple is being complete pricks.

In 20 years, I don't know what we'll be using for "computers", it won't be a tablet. Perhaps the PC will be in our bodies (the size of a quarter) and we'll access data the same way we do with tablets today... Point to a monitor and you access your data.
 

deksman

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Realizing that most of the stuff advertised as 'cool' is useless can be done at a very early age.

That, and most of the uselessness stems from humans using outdated materials and means of production (in an unsustainable capacity) to create outdated technology and everything we use... making us toy in technological obscurity and ignorance for the most part.

Tablets, smartphones, laptops and desktops... ALL are severely underpowered and nowhere NEAR of what we are actually capable of pulling off from a resource/technological point of view if we started doing things for betterment of everyone and to the BEST that technology has to offer (along with efficiency).
What you see in circulation now is basically less than child's toy.


 

teh_chem

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[citation][nom]edgewood112358[/nom]Android is actually a very capable OS, once rooted and with a some third party apps, at least in my opinion... [snip...] There is practically nothing than I normally do on my laptop (which I see as a secondary PC- a high end desktop is still a must) that I can't do on my nexus 7. While android can still use some work, I think putting a full fledged desktop OS on a tablet would just clutter it up.[/citation]
I don't see what rooting Android gets you in terms of capability, and in terms of you doing things on your desktop that you can't do with your Nexus 7, how about typing on the scale of 50-80 words per minute. Don't take my criticism to mean that I don't like tablets--I do, I have one with another on order, but that doesn't change the fact that for now, they're media consumption devices with little practical use for productivity.
[citation][nom]memadmax[/nom]I bought my wife the ipad2 when it first came out. After a month and a half of hard use, the thing has ended up just sitting around collecting dust, then after a while the account for it disbanded. Now we are thinking about trading it in for a new Wii at gamestop.[/citation]
You should check out gazelle.com--they do decent buy-back of ipads at fair prices, and you get cash (or an amazon gift card for 5% added to the value). Look at me, sounding like a commercial...
 

back_by_demand

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So iPad went from 81% to 52% in a year? Ask us again in another year when all the Windows 8 tablets have had a chance to penetrate the market, it would be justice for a straight 30% split all round between Windows, Apple and Android with the remaining 10% "others"
 
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