Tallying Up the Tablet Numbers

The focus of a recent eMarketer article was on how more Americans are using their tablets to enhance their shopping experience. Most retailers, it noted, are falling short of providing consumers with the interactive aspects they are looking for.

I was more fascinated, however, by the tremendous growth in tablet usage. Check out some of these numbers:

  • Millions of tablet users: 13.0 in 2010; 33.7 in 2011; 69.6 in 2012 and a projected 133.5 by 2015
  • Percentage of the population using a tablet: 4.2% in 2010; 10.8% in 2011; 22% in 2012; and the projected 41% in 2015
  • Percentage of Internet users using a tablet: 5.8% in 2010; 14.5% in 2011; 29.1% in 2012; and the projected 51.9% in 2015

The eMarketer analysis:

In just over 12 months, tablet ownership has expanded beyond the early adopter set to include nearly all population groups. To reflect this rapid growth in tablet adoption and purchase intent over the past six months, eMarketer has raised its estimate for the number of tablet users in the U.S. The new forecast projects that the triple-digit growth seen in 2011 will carry through 2012, fueled primarily by the popularity of Apple’s iPad and Amazon’s Kindle Fire, as well as by an expanding selection of low-priced tablets.