eMarketer: Global data on tablet usage among older mobile users

However, app download rates remain low

According to Deloitte research, in developed countries, tablets are entering the use of older mobile users and far exceed the proportion of early adopters.

In July 2013, a study of several developed countries found that the tablet ownership rate of mobile phone users varied, ranging from 12% in Japan to 53% in Singapore. But in most cases, in each country, the average proportion of mobile users aged 55 and above owning tablets exceeded 10%.

In some countries — Japan, Finland and South Korea — the proportion of tablet users aged 55 and over is roughly the same as the total population. In Singapore, the proportion is even higher.

When Deloitte asked smartphone users whether they had downloaded an app, for example, those aged 55 and over were significantly more likely than average to say “no.”

In Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, smartphone users aged 55 and over are at least twice as likely as the average person to say they have not downloaded an app, and studies in developing countries show similar rates of app usage.