Commentary
Tableteers
- by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 14, 2012
Demographic analysis of tablet audiences by platform revealed distinct differences across iPad, Android and Kindle Fire audiences. iPad owners skewed male (52.9%), slightly younger (44.5% under the age of 35) and wealthier (46.3% residing in households with income of $100k or greater), compared to an average tablet user during the three-month average period ending June 2012.
Kindle Fire owners saw their audience skew female with 56.6% of its audience base represented by females. Both Android and Kindle Fire users saw household income below that of iPad owners, aligning more closely with household income reported by smartphone owners
Total U.S. Tablet Owners and Smartphone Subscribers, Age 13+ (3 month avg. ending June 2012) | |||||
| Total Smartphone | Total Tablet | iPad | Android Tablet | Kindle Fire |
Gender | |||||
Male | 51.9% | 50.0% | 52.9% | 50.9% | 43.4% |
Female | 48.1% | 50.0% | 47.1% | 49.1% | 56.6% |
Age | |||||
13-17 | 6.0% | 5.5% | 4.7% | 6.2% | 5.5% |
18-24 | 17.5% | 13.0% | 14.0% | 12.9% | 12.2% |
25-34 | 24.6% | 24.2% | 25.8% | 22.5% | 24.7% |
35-44 | 21.0% | 20.6% | 21.4% | 20.1% | 20.5% |
45-54 | 16.7% | 18.1% | 16.8% | 19.7% | 16.9% |
55-64 | 9.0% | 11.0% | 9.7% | 10.8% | 12.5% |
65+ | 5.3% | 7.6% | 7.5% | 7.8% | 7.6% |
Household Income | |||||
<$25k | 12.0% | 7.8% | 5.5% | 11.7% | 7.0% |
$25k to <$50k | 19.6% | 18.1% | 14.4% | 20.4% | 20.9% |
$50k to <$75k | 19.3% | 19.1% | 17.2% | 20.0% | 21.3% |
$75k to <$100k | 15.6% | 16.7% | 16.6% | 15.3% | 17.5% |
$100k+ | 33.5% | 38.4% | 46.3% | 32.5% | 33.3% |
Source: comScore TabLens and comScore MobiLens, August 2012 (N.B. Single purpose eBook reader devices are excluded from the “tablet” definition, and Kindle Fire was excluded from the Android tablet total.) | |||||
Analysis of the top purchase consideration factors for an average tablet owner found that selection of apps and price of tablet led as the most important factors, both scoring 7.7 on a 10-point scale. Brand name of tablet and tablet operating system followed as the next most important factors each with a 7.5-rating, while music/video capabilities ranked #5 in purchase consideration factors with a rating of 7.4.
A comparative look at the purchase consideration factors for iPad and Kindle Fire owners found significant differences between what these consumers deemed important.
- iPad owners found selection of apps most important in their purchase decision, scoring an 8.1, closely followed by brand name of tablet with a rating of 8.0
- Kindle Fire owners placed the greatest weight on price of tablet (8.1), followed by selection of apps (7.5)
- Brand name of tablet and operating system were both scored as less important among Kindle Fire owners than among iPad owners
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. This finding highlights the potential for brands, such as Microsoft with its recently announced Surface Tablet, to see consumer adoption in the tablet market even though they might lack strong penetration in the smartphone market, concludes the report.
Top Purchase Consideration Factors (10-Point Scale; Total U.S. Tablet Owners, Age 13+, U.S.; 3 month average ending June 2012) | ||||
| Total Tablet | iPad | Android Tablet | Kindle Fire |
Selection of apps available for my tablet | 7.7 | 8.1 | 7.3 | 7.5 |
Price of the tablet | 7.7 | 7.2 | 7.9 | 8.1 |
Brand name of the tablet | 7.5 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.4 |
Tablet operating system | 7.5 | 7.8 | 7.4 | 7.2 |
Music and video capabilities | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.1 | 7.4 |
Recommended by friends/family | 6.5 | 6.7 | 6.1 | 6.5 |
Tablet has same OS as my phone | 6.4 | 6.6 | 6.3 | 6.1 |
Social networking features | 6.2 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 6.3 |
Recommended by retail salesperson | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.2 |
Source: comScore TabLens, August 2012 (N.B. Single purpose eBook reader devices are excluded from the “tablet” definition, and Kindle Fire was excluded from the Android tablet total.) | ||||
The study data showed that tablet owners were highly satisfied with their respective devices, with the average overall satisfaction rating reaching 8.6 on a 10-point scale. iPad owners experienced the highest level of satisfactio, followed closely by Kindle Fire owners. Android tablet users (excluding Kindle Fire) had a slightly lower satisfaction rating, but which was still very strong in absolute terms.
Overall Device Satisfaction for Purchasers (Total U.S. Tablet Owners and Smartphone Subscribers Age 13+; 10 Point Scale; 3 month avg. ending June 2012) | |||||
| Total Smartphone | Total Tablet | iPad | Android Tablet | Kindle Fire |
Overall Satisfaction | 8.1 | 8.6 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 8.7 |
Source: comScore TabLens and comScore MobiLens, August 2012 (N.B. Single purpose eBook reader devices are excluded from the “tablet” definition, and Kindle Fire was excluded from the Android tablet total.) | |||||
For more information from comScore, please visit here.
Jack Loechner is the Editor of The Center for Media Research's daily Research Brief. You can reach him at jack@mediapost.com.