Now that the iPad has gotten some decent competition, including the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab, Apple's tablet still dominates "the conversation — and market," according to a new report from The Nielsen Company.
The survey of nearly 12,000 consumers found that 82 percent of them who have tablets use an iPad, with 43 percent opting for a Wi-Fi plus 3G cellular version, and 39 percent having a Wi-Fi only iPad.
Four percent are using Samsung's Galaxy Tab; 3 percent, the Dell Streak, 2 percent, the Xoom; and 9 percent another flavor of tablet, labeled by Nielsen as "other."
The information is part of Nielsen's report, "Connected Devices: How We Use Tablets in the U.S.," released Thursday.
Tablet use is cutting into time spent on desktop and laptop computers, Nielsen found. The company asked consumers "whether they used other connected devices more often or less" since buying their tablets, and 35 percent who also have a desktop said they're using it "less often or not at all," while 32 percent who also have laptops say the same thing.
Among consumers who already have e-reader, like the Kindle and Nook, 27 percent said they're using those devices "less often or not at all" since getting a tablet. And 25 percent who have portable game consoles are also turning to those less now that they have a tablet.
Around half of all tablet owners said they're the only ones in their household using their "particular tablet, while 43 percent said they shared the tablet with others. Eight percent said that while they own a tablet used by other household members, they do not use it themselves."
The convenience of tablets — the "easy to carry/take with you" factor — is the leading reason consumers are preferring them to other devices. Nielsen's glimpse into the tablet world speaks volumes for the tech-tonic shift in how we are regarding a product that didn't exist just a little over a year ago.
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- iPad 2 review: It's the tablet to beat
- iPad users younger, Kindle users richer
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