Tablet Ownership Rate Reaches New High of 44 Percent, According to CEA’s Tablet Report

More than four in ten (44 percent) online US consumers owned tablets as of December 2013, an increase of six percentage points from December 2012 (38 percent).

The Consumer Electronics Association’s Consumer Outlook on Tablets: Adoption, Sentiment and Social Media Conversation (January 2014) report examines trend information on consumer behavior and sentiment regarding tablet computers. “Tablets had a strong 2013 holiday season, particularly on Black Friday, but are showing the beginning signs of market saturation.” Looking ahead, nearly three in four (70 percent) online consumers expect to purchase tablets sometime in the future, holding steady with purchase intent figures reported by CEA last quarter. Among tablet owners, screen size plays an important role in portability and viewing content, and ownership seems to be shifting somewhat to smaller screens. Among current owners, small screens of seven to eight inches have increased from 25 percent ownership in June 2013 to 32 percent in December 2013. Conversely, ownership of medium screens 8.9 to 10.1 inches have decreased from 73 percent in June 2013 to 68 percent in December 2013.