It’s official: people really do like their tablets. The latest survey of around 6,000 tablet users from comScore found that tablet users on the whole are more satisfied with their tablets than with smartphones, and that Apple’s (AAPL) iPad and Amazon’s (AMZN) Kindle Fire score particularly high among owners. ComScore asked participants to rank their satisfaction with their tablets on a scale of 1 to 10 and found that the iPad scored a survey-high 8.8, just barely edging out the Kindle Fire’s score of 8.7. The Kindle Fire was by far the highest-ranking Android tablet in the survey, as all other Android tablets combined for an average score of 8.2.
In addition to its findings on customer satisfaction, the comScore survey unearthed some other interesting nuggets such as:
- Women make up the majority of Kindle Fire owners at 56.6% while men account for the majority of iPad owners at 52.9%.
- iPad owners cited mobile app selection and vendor brand as their most important reasons for choosing their tablet. Kindle Fire owners said their top two reasons for buying their tablet were its price and app selection.
- iPad owners tend to be better off financially, as 46.3% of iPad owners surveyed reported an income of $100,000 or higher.
Monday’s comScore report will be the first in a series of monthly reports tracking tablet users’ preferences and habits. The full press release for the study is below.
Why Buy a Tablet? Selection of Apps, Price and Device Brand Most Important Factors in Purchase Decision
comScore Introduces TabLens™ to Provide Insight into the U.S. Tablet Market
RESTON, VA, August 6, 2012 – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced the launch of comScore TabLens™, its monthly syndicated service providing insights into U.S. tablet ownership and usage. Based on a 3-month rolling sample of 6,000 U.S. tablet owners, TabLens provides insight into tablet audiences, including demographics, content consumption habits and device ownership, to provide the industry with the most up-to-date look at this expanding tablet market.
“comScore is pleased to announce the availability of TabLens to bring reliable monthly reporting and metrics around tablet devices and their owners,” said Mark Donovan, comScore SVP of Mobile. “TabLens delivers the critical market insights needed by publishers, advertisers, OEMs, and network operators as they attempt to capture value in one of the fastest-growing and most profitable technology markets of all time.”
comScore TabLens provides monthly syndicated reporting of tablet ownership and usage in the U.S.
Product features include:
- Monthly reporting based on a 3-month rolling sample size of 6,000 U.S. tablet owners and supported by comScore’s trusted sampling and survey methodology that has been the foundation of comScore MobiLens since 2005.
- Demographic insights including age, gender, household income, education, ethnicity, among others.
- Granular insights into tablet ownership by device and operating system.
- Insights into on-device media consumption including retail, social media, games, music, video and more to help companies keep a pulse on consumer trends.
- Analogous structure to comScore MobiLens provides seamless comparison between mobile and tablet audiences and the most comprehensive view of today’s connected consumer.
iOS and Android Tablets Capturing Different Consumer Segments
Demographic analysis of tablet audiences by platform revealed distinct differences across iPad, Android and Kindle Fire audiences (Note: For the purpose of this study, Kindle Fire was excluded from the Android tablet total and analyzed separately). iPad owners skewed male (52.9 percent), slightly younger (44.5 percent under the age of 35) and wealthier (46.3 percent residing in households with income of $100k or greater) compared to an average tablet user during the three-month average period ending June 2012.
In comparison, Kindle Fire owners saw their audience skew female with 56.6 percent 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.
Demographic Profile: Tablet* and Smartphone Audience
3 month avg. ending June 2012
Total U.S. Tablet Owners and Smartphone Subscribers, Age 13+
Source: comScore TabLens and comScore MobiLensTotal 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% *comScore defines a media tablet as a touchscreen tablet device with a slate form factor, a 7 inch or greater screen size and a data connection, but no voice plan. Single purpose eBook reader devices are excluded from this definition.
**For this analysis, Kindle Fire was excluded from the Android tablet total.Apps, Price and Brand Most Important in Purchase Decision, Having Same OS as Phone Not as Important
In the fast-evolving and highly competitive tablet market, understanding the factors that are driving consumers’ purchase decisions is critical for both providers of operating systems and OEMs. 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. Meanwhile, 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.
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. 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.
Top Purchase Consideration Factors for Tablet*, iPad, Android OS and Kindle Fire Purchasers on a 10-Point Scale
3 month average ending June 2012
Total U.S. Tablet Owners, Age 13+, U.S.
Source: comScore TabLensTotal 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 *comScore defines a media tablet as a touchscreen tablet device with a slate form factor, a 7 inch or greater screen size and a data connection, but no voice plan. Single purpose eBook reader devices are excluded from this definition.
**For this analysis, Kindle Fire was excluded from the Android tablet total.Tablet Satisfaction High Across the Board, Highest Among iPad Owners
Device satisfaction is an important measure in understanding sentiment post-purchase, especially with consumers having a growing number of tablet options available to them. New TabLens 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. In comparison, smartphone owners rated overall satisfaction with their device an 8.1. iPad owners experienced the highest level of satisfaction (8.8 rating), followed closely by Kindle Fire owners (8.7). Android tablet users (excluding Kindle Fire) had a slightly lower satisfaction rating of 8.2, but which was still very strong in absolute terms.
Overall Device Satisfaction for Smartphone, Tablet*, iPad, Android OS and Kindle Fire Purchasers on a 10-Point Scale
3 month avg. ending June 2012
Total U.S. Tablet Owners and Smartphone Subscribers, Age 13+
Source: comScore TabLens and comScore MobiLensTotal Smartphone Total Tablet iPad Android** Tablet Kindle Fire Overall Satisfaction 8.1 8.6 8.8 8.2 8.7 *comScore defines a media tablet as a touchscreen tablet device with a slate form factor, a 7 inch or greater screen size and a data connection, but no voice plan. Single purpose eBook reader devices are excluded from this definition.
**For this analysis, Kindle Fire was excluded from the Android tablet total.
