Tablet Ownership Rates Continue to Increase, According to CEA’s Quarterly Tablet Report

Arlington, VA – – Tablet ownership in America has reached a new high with 40 percent of online U.S. adults indicating they own a tablet, according to research released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®. CEA’s Consumer Outlook on Tablets: Q2 2013 report examined trend information on consumer behavior and sentiment regarding tablet computers from January through March 2013.

The rise in tablet ownership among online U.S. adults marks an increase of two percentage points from December 2012 (38 percent) as reported in CEA’s Consumer Outlook on Tablets: Q1 2013. Tablet ownership among adults ages 25-34 is highest, with 47 percent owning a tablet, up from 39 percent in December 2012. Looking forward, two-thirds (68 percent) of online U.S. adults plan to purchase a tablet computer at some point in the future, a slight decline of six percentage points, compared to December 2012, reflecting perhaps that some of those intended purchases have been made in the first half of 2013.

“Unsurprisingly, this marginal increase in adoption, and slight decrease in purchase intent during the first quarter is likely due to consumers who waited for the next round of big tablet releases following a strong holiday season full of discounts,” said Kevin Tillmann, senior research analyst, market research, CEA. “Tablet sales remain strong, helping drive sales of the entire consumer electronics (CE) industry.”

Among tablet owners, screen size plays a role in how consumers prefer to watch and read content on a tablet. Medium screen sizes of 8.9 to 10.1 inches have ownership rates more than twice as high (69 percent) as small screen sizes of seven to eight inches (31 percent). Just eight percent of tablet owners have a screen larger than 10.1 inches.

Tablet owners continue to exhibit higher ownership of other CE products than non-owners across the board. Compared to last quarter, the gap for smartphone ownership between tablet owners (80 percent) and non-owners (50 percent) increased to 30 percentage points, up from 25 points in December, indicating stronger ties to owning both a smartphone and tablet. Additionally, more than half of smartphone owners (52 percent), also own a tablet; this is up from 47 percent last quarter.

Year over year, the household penetration rates for tablets is up 17 percentage points – the largest for any CE device – according to the data released last week in CEA’s 15th Annual CE Ownership & Market Potential Study. Additionally, CEA forecasts tablets could have a potential household penetration rate of 48 percent by the beginning of 2014. Influenced by strong purchase intent relative to other CE categories, nearly half of U.S. households are expected to own a tablet during the next 12-18 months.

CEA will host a free webinar, Staying Connected Anytime, Anywhere, for CEA members to discuss the state of the mobile marketplace. It will cover where the market is headed for connected devices, how consumers are staying connected and how other CE devices are being impacted by mobile devices. The webinar will be on Wednesday, May 29 from 2-3 p.m. EST. To register, email the Webinar team or call 703-907-4354.

The Consumer Outlook on Tablets reports are released on the last Monday of the month following the close of each quarter. The series of reports was designed and formulated by CEA Market Research, the most comprehensive source of sales data, forecasts, consumer research and historical trends for the consumer electronics industry. Please cite any information to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®. The complete study is available free to CEA member companies at members.CE.org. Non-members may purchase the study for $399 at the CEA store.

About CEA

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $209 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also owns and produces the International CES – The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Find CEA online: www.CE.org and www.DeclareInnovation.com. Follow CES at www.CESweb.org and through both CEA and CES social media channels