Gartner: Tablet users most often check email, read news, check weather, surf social media and play games

The latest survey by Gartner, an international research and consulting firm, shows that the proportion of people using tablets for personal activities has increased rapidly. The survey results found that the main activities that people switched from PC to tablet were checking emails (81%), reading news (69%), checking weather forecasts (63%), social networking (62%) and playing games (60%).

Gartner conducted a survey in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia at the end of 2011 to further understand how early adopters of tablets use personal network devices. The seven-day survey recorded the activities that respondents (notes) performed on their three most frequently used devices, including tablets, mobile phones and PCs (including desktops and laptops) every day in an online diary.

Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner, said: "The rapid adoption of tablets has significantly changed consumers' habits of using, creating and sharing content. The survey found that more than 50% of tablet users prefer to read news, magazines and books on the screen rather than reading text printed on paper. On average, one in three respondents uses a tablet to read books, while the proportion of using mobile PCs and mobile phones as reading devices is 13% and 7% respectively."

At present, paper consumption has not directly replaced screen consumption. Meike Escherich, chief analyst at Gartner, pointed out: "We don't think that 'paperless households' will become popular, but 'less paper mode' has clearly become a reality."

“The consolidation of various types of devices introduced in the past seems to be shifting the consumer device market from one dominated by hardware to one dominated by usage,” said Escherich. “In addition to tablets, the majority of respondents also own a PC, a TV and a mobile phone. Early tablet adopters use multiple devices interchangeably rather than replacing one device with another. They use the device they already have or choose the device that is most convenient for a specific time and task. However, the frequency of using a desktop or mobile PC on weekends is about 20% lower than on weekdays.”

Compared to mobile phones or PCs, tablets play a more important role at home, with the most commonly used areas being the living room (87%), bedroom (65%) and kitchen (47%). Milanesi said: "People use tablets most often on weekday evenings, but on weekends, they use them less because they are more likely to go out."

The survey results confirm that size and specifications are the main reasons people buy tablets, especially the convenience, small size and light weight of tablets that respondents prefer to buy over PCs. The survey also found that 45% of respondents would not share their tablets with others. This confirms that people's use and purchase of tablets are almost as personal as mobile phones. The survey also shows that male consumers usually buy their own tablets, while female consumers are more likely to receive tablets as gifts.

Mobile phones are the most commonly used devices by people every day

“Mobile phones are the most personal devices people own, and they are used to conduct more personal activities. They are the device most often used by respondents on a daily basis, and the survey shows that mobile phone users use their phones to handle online tasks eight times a day on average. In contrast, respondents use tablets to access the Internet twice a day and mobile PCs to access the Internet three times a day on average,” said Annette Zimmermann, principal analyst at Gartner.

People use their mobile phones at home or when they are out and about. At home, the place where they use their mobile phones most often is the living room (78%). 65% of respondents use their mobile phones when they are outside or commuting, and another 66% need to use their mobile phones at work. This is consistent with Gartner's default scenario for the use of screen devices now and in the future. Even if the TV is still the largest screen device in the living room, users will notice other small screen devices because they will use different types of services or services with complementary functions at the same time.

Among all online activities, people most often check emails (74%) and use social networks (57%) on their mobile phones. Playing games (42%) ranked fourth, higher than the fifth activities: reading news (40%) and listening to music (40%). The proportion of watching TV online is still quite low (5%), and the proportion of using on-demand content is slightly higher (15%).

The survey also found that men and women have similar attitudes towards the use of mobile devices. Both of them are more likely to go online at home than at other locations. The main purposes of going online are research, shopping, learning and socializing. However, the proportion of female respondents going online outside is much lower than that of men. The difference in the location of going online may be related to the different usage patterns of genders. Men seem to like to collect information more, while women use mobile devices more for personalized entertainment activities, such as playing games and participating in social activities through Facebook or Twitter.

Note: Gartner conducted an online survey of 510 consumers in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia in November 2011. Respondents were required to own a tablet and at least two other devices that can access the Internet.