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Pew survey: The tablet market is not just an iPad market

It has often been said that there is no tablet market, just an iPad market. However, thanks to the rollout of 7 inch Android-based tablets the market is changing rapidly.
Written by Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer
Pew survey: The tablet market is not just an iPad market

I have a few tablets (iPad 3, Nexus 7, HTC Flyer, HP TouchPad), but use my Apple iPad most of the time. Many of us have said before that there really was no tablet market, just an iPad market. However, that has changed significantly over the past year thanks in large part to Android-based tablets like the Kindle Fire. According to a new Pew Research Center Project for Excellence survey 81% of tablet owners in 2011 had an iPad and in 2012 this share has been reduced to 52%. The survey results do not include the Google Nexus 7 or Amazon Kindle Fire HD so by the end of 2012 we may see this change a bit. Apple's rumored iPad mini may be perfectly positioned since it appears the 7 inch Android-based tablets are what Android users are purchasing.

In July 2011, Pew reports that there were just 11% of US adults with a tablet and that figure rose to 18% by January 2012. As of 7 August, they measured that 25% of US adults have a tablet computer. Price has likely been a major factor in this quick adoption as we see Android-based tablets in the $200 price range with the older iPad models also dropping to reasonable levels. I am very interested in seeing where the rumored iPad mini fits in given that iPod touch devices are still very expensive and much smaller than the possible iPad mini.

As expected, those who have an iPad are more likely to have an iPhone and those who have an Android tablet are more likely to have an Android smartphone. If you buy into one ecosystem it makes sense that you do that across your device portfolio.

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