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The top three functions consumers use the most on tablets are Web surfing, email and games, and the top three functions consumers use the least are video conferencing, taking pictures or videos and listening to music, according to a survey by the developers of BuyVia, an application and Website that stores shopping searches and preferences in the cloud.
The top three most important features to consumers in their next tablet are a faster processor, lower price and additional storage. The least important features are a smaller screen, a device that weighs less and a new operating system.
Survey results revealed that the majority (42 percent) of tablet owners said they do not have any plans to purchase a notebook at this time, nearly a quarter (24 percent) of tablet owners currently have plans to purchase a laptop in the near future, 19 percent have no plans to purchase a notebook again and 16 percent said while they currently use their tablet they can see how they may need a notebook in the future.
The majority (65 percent) of survey respondents own a tablet, including the iPad, Kindle Fire, Google Nexus or Samsung Galaxy Note, 23 percent own an eReader, including the basic Amazon Kindle or Nook, and 27 percent don’t own a tablet or an eReader.
“A lot of people have been sounding the death knell for e-readers, but they remain a popular device,” Norman Fong, CEO and co-founder of BuyVia, said in a statement. “While full function web/app enabled tablets like the iPad dominate the tablet market, e-Readers remain popular for avid readers who crave a single purpose device. As Barnes & Noble and Amazon bridge the gap between e-Readers and tablet devices with the Nook and Kindle Fire, it’ll be interesting to see if traditional e-Readers remain popular or if the shift to more affordable, multi-use, Internet-enabled devices eventually eliminate the demand for basic e-Readers.”
Of those who own a tablet, 60 percent own an iPad, 17 percent own a Kindle Fire, 10 percent own a Samsung Galaxy Tab, 4 percent own a Google Nexus, one percent own a Microsoft Surface and 9 percent own something else. About one third of tablet owners said their tablet device has replaced the use of their laptop about 25-50 percent of the time.
About one-fifth of tablet owners said their tablet device has replaced the use of their notebook about 50-75 percent of the time and about one fifth said their tablet has replaced the use of their notebook about 75-100 percent of the time. The survey also found around 20 percent of respondents said their tablet has replaced the use of their notebook about 25 percent of the time, 6 percent said tablets haven’t replaced their notebook use at all and 6 percent said they do not own a notebook.