14 DAY TRIAL // If anyone was still wondering whether or not tablets have secured a spot in the hearts of people from the United States, the answer is a resounding “yes.”
Pew Internet and American Life Project conducted a survey, of sorts, in regards to the state of the tablet market before and after the recent winter holidays.
What it found was at once promising and surprising.
Granted, the study did choose to consider e-readers as part of the same product category as slates, but the figures are significant nevertheless.
Basically, the number of tablets owned by customers doubled over the course of the winter season.
“These findings are striking because they come after a period from mid-2011 into the autumn in which there was not much change in the ownership of tablets and e-book readers,” Pew says.
“However, as the holiday gift-giving season approached the marketplace for both devices dramatically shifted.”
Some things should be noted about the study, such as the fact that it cannot be seen as completely reflective of the population. After all, only 3,000 respondents were covered.
On the flip side, Pew contacted people over the phone, which means that the report is not skewed towards Internet users, not as much as web polls at any rate.
From what Pew could gather, Amazon and Barnes & Noble significantly stood out, thanks to their choice to sell their devices at prices of under $250 (194 Euro).
There was also a side effect, namely a negative impact on Microsoft's Windows revenues.
Those who bought slates, whether Android-loaded or the Apple iPad, did so as part of a choice between that or a new laptop.
In other words, the more slates sold, the fewer windows PCs saw new owners. Considering the situation from this perspective, it makes perfect sense for Microsoft and its partners to talk so often about the Windows 8 support for ARM chips.