• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, August 6, 2012

New research from comScore shows iPad users skew more male, younger and more affluent than Android tablet and Kindle Fire users. The digital measurement firm released the data in connection with the introduction of a new monthly syndicated service called TabLens for tracking tablet usage.

Initial findings reveal some of the demographic differences among the major tablet platforms. (For the purposes of the study, the Kindle Fire was separated from Android tablet figures.) The iPad has clearly established itself as the dominant device in the category, with more than two-thirds of the tablet market. Its audience is more likely to be slightly male than those using Android devices (53% versus 51%), as of June.

iPad users also skews slightly younger, with 44% under 35 compared to 44.5% on Android tablets. The biggest difference is in household income, where 46% of iPad users have annual income north of $100,000 compared to only about a third (32%) of their Android counterparts.

Kindle Fire users also skewed less affluent (33% at $100,000+), and older, with 32% under 35. The most striking difference between the Amazon tablet and other devices was the higher proportion of female users, at 57%, possibly as a result of more women selecting the Kindle Fire for its function as an e-reader.

The comScore study also examined the factors that people considered in purchasing the different tablet models. iPad owners, for example, placed the most importance on the selection of apps available. That makes sense, given that the Apple tablet has the largest catalog of tablet apps, with more than 225,000 titles.

Android and Kindle Fire owners, by contrast, both rated price as the greatest consideration in their decisions.

“Somewhat surprisingly, consumers did not place strong importance on having the same operating system across their tablet and smartphone, with this factor falling outside of the top five consideration factors for iPad, Kindle Fire and the average tablet owner,” noted the comScore report. Social networking features were rated even lower as purchase factors.

Satisfaction among tablet and smartphone users was high across the board. On a 10-point scale, average tablet satisfaction overall had a score of 8.6. The iPad was highest, at 8.8, followed closely by the Kindle Fire (8.7) and Android tablets (8.2). Smartphones had an average rating of 8.1.

For the record, comScore defines a media tablet as a touchscreen tablet device with a slate form factor, a 7 -inch or larger screen size and a data connection, but no voice plan. Its new TabLens service relies on a three-month rolling sample size of 6,000 tablet owners and includes device and operating system data along with standard demographic insights. It also shows use across categories, including retail, social media, games, music and video, and comparative data between mobile and tablet users.