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Topic: Laptops

Tablet owners migrating PC tasks to the slate

Summary: A survey conducted by the NPD Group of 2,400 tablet owners shows a marked decrease in usage of the PC in favor of the tablet.

James Kendrick

By for Mobile News |

A survey conducted by the NPD Group of 2,400 consumers shows a marked decrease in usage of the PC in favor of the tablet. The three tasks that respondents find to be better suited for the tablet are email, social networking and web browsing. These tasks also fit the smartphone well, but owners are not as satisfied with using the phone as they are the tablet.

The survey didn't specify which tablets are being used for these activities, but logic dictates the majority are using the iPad due to numbers of the Apple tablet that have been sold to date. Survey respondents claimed that 30 percent of tablet owners are using the PC less for email and web browsing, while 28 percent of them prefer the slate for social networking. While 35 percent of smartphone owners report using that device for more email than the PC, the smaller display leads to much less phone usage for web browsing and social networking than PC.

The impressive numbers from the survey indicate a high satisfaction rate with performing these tasks on the tablet. Over 60 percent of tablet owners are satisfied with how well the devices work with email, social networking and web browsing. The satisfaction rate is much lower with the smartphone for all tasks with the exception of email.

There are several factors contributing to user satisfaction with the tablet for these tasks: screen size, comfort and battery life chief among them. The increasing pattern of greater smartphone usage over the past few years demonstrated the benefits of a highly mobile device for such core functions, and the larger screen of the tablet improved the experience and has captured the attention of consumers. The tablet is almost as mobile as the smartphone, yet delivers a much richer online experience than that of the smartphone.

NPD points out that due to the decline of PC usage in favor of the tablet, PC makers better get a tablet in their product lineups or lose out to the shifting usage patterns.

Topics: Laptops, Hardware, Mobility, Tablets

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40 comments
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  • Pretty much what I expected

    The frequent "protestations" of some of the local fan boys notwithstanding.<br><br>There IS a revolution underway.
    Economister
    Reply Vote

    • What percentage of computer users own a tablet?

      @Economister
      And what demographic was polled?. The same thing happened with Laptops: people used their laptops to do simple, short term things so all we heard was the "death of the desktop".

      The next poll will be the number of tablet users that use it to control their TV: "the death of the remote" will be next month's blog. :)
      John Zern
      Reply Vote

      • You are really grasping for straws

        @John Zern

        When the obvious is confirmed by polling data, you still feel the need to take issue by making irrelevant comparisons and silly attempts at ridicule, humor or whatever?
        Economister
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Tablet owners migrating PC tasks to the slate

        @John Zern

        Death of the desktop in favor of the laptop is turning out to be reasonably accurate. The market for desktops is becoming increasingly limited to situations where serious power is needed or shared use places like reception desks.
        SlithyTove
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Tablet owners migrating PC tasks to the slate

        @John Zern You are right to question. Some sites with -net in the name (between the letters of b and d) not this one in particular, are nothing more than the official apple channel. Nothing but shameless apple product hocking.

        On to the tablets. I own one and I do use it to check email, to surf the web and for 1% social networking. These devices will never replace laptops. Too limited, for real work I use my laptop. I prefer the screen size even though I have a 10.1 tab, and having my full sized lighted keyboard. Not too mention (just bought a docking station and it hasn't been delivered yet) I bought a leather case with keyboard and yesterday had the worst wrist strain I have ever experienced because the tabs with longer battery life are bigger making the tab heavier. Ergonomically a laptop is much more conducive for typing and getting "real" work done. Tablets are nothing more than consumption devices.
        techenduser
        Reply Vote

      • What @John Zern fails to realize...

        ...is that the traditional desktop is going the way of the dead do-do bird. Only John doesn't know it, yet.<br><br>The future in enterprise will be mini-PC boxes, thin clients and old-style dedicated terminals, modernized for the new millennium. The days of the big desktop clunker blowing fan dust all over your legs, will be a thing of the past.<br><br>I predict we'll see @John Zern's vision regulated to a Smithsonian museum display on how the 'good ole PC days' used to be. He may even luck out and be the wax model facsimile for that very display.<br><br>Wouldn't you like that, John? Your face forever immortalized?<br><br>lol...
        search &amp; destroy
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Tablet owners migrating PC tasks to the slate

    2400 people just made their lives much harder.
    Loverock Davidson
    Reply Vote

    • And you....

      @Loverock Davidson

      proved once again how absolutely clueless you are.

      What are you going to do when Windows computers no longer exist? I would love to be there watching you go crazy.
      Economister
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Tablet owners migrating PC tasks to the slate

        @Economister Watch? He already is crazy. I bet he's banned from every Apple store for having a melt down on iPad launch day.

        Oh and I typed this up on my iPad Lovey.
        Ron Burgundy
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Tablet owners migrating PC tasks to the slate

      @Loverock Davidson That's right moron your the only one with a tower strapped to your back toting a wagon with a sears die hard.
      Ron Burgundy
      Reply Vote

      • Question

        @Ron Burgundy

        Do you ever post anything worth reading? I mean, do you ever post anything topical, relevant, or interesting, or do you confine your posts to childish name-calling?
        Cyberslammer3
        Reply Vote

      • What's your problem?

        @Ron Burgundy

        You might have more credibility on these threads if you didn't act like a petulant little child.
        Cyberslammer3
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Tablet owners migrating PC tasks to the slate

        @Cyberslammer3 and you'd have more credibility if you didn't continually stalk other people online and steal their screen names

        SonofaSailor
        Trickytom3
        Ron Bergundy
        Cyberslammer3
        Ron Burgundy
        Reply Vote

  • Does the term &quot;PC&quot; include Macs

    as Apple computers are not "PC's"?
    John Zern
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Tablet owners migrating PC tasks to the slate

      @John Zern I do believe it does, as it stands for personal computers which Macs certainly are.
      JamesKendrick
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Tablet owners migrating PC tasks to the slate

      @John Zern
      May be the article should have mentioned Desktop computers instead of PC
      mKind
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Tablet owners migrating PC tasks to the slate

      @John Zern
      Apple computers are most certainly PCs, as a PC is simply a Personal Computer. What people commonly refer to as a PC is an IBM-compatible PC. Back before Apple went with Intel, they could not be considered IBM-compatible PCs as they didn't use the x86 architecture; but they were still PCs, albeit Macintosh PCs. Now however, since moving to the Intel x86 platform for their hardware, Apple PCs are also IBM-compatible PCs; there is no difference in hardware aspects except for the use of EFI in place of a traditional BIOS (though "PC"s may also use EFI).

      I always found those Apple commercials so stupid as they referred to one as PC and the Mac... they were both PCs; one a Windows PC, the other a Mac PC.
      NetAdmin1178
      Reply Vote

      • Everyone knows what you mean when you say PC

        @NetAdmin1178 <br>Of course a Mac is a personal computer but its easier to say PC than to say Windows compatable PC. (IBM is now out of the equation.)<br><br>But more to his point, I think Macs are indeed included in that. Anecdotal, but my home mac is left turned off most of the time now that I use an iPad as well. I still use the mac for tasks that require more intensive use (such as scanning,drafting or printing,) but most of the time I just grab the ipad for everything else.
        Tigertank
        Reply Vote

  • Two quotes come to mind...

    1) "If there's gonna be a third category, it has to be better at these tasks -- otherwise it has no reason for being." ---- S. Jobs

    Browsing, Email, Photos, Video, Music, Games, eBooks


    2) "PCs are going to be like trucks,"...."They are still going to be around." However, he said, only "one out of x people will need them." ---- S. Jobs
    dave95.
    Reply Vote

    • wasn't that bill gates that said that?

      @dave95.
      shows how stupid he is!
      Ron Burgundey
      Reply Vote
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