Apple's iPad2

Despite the fact that enterprises and professionals have embraced tablets, based on owner surveys its primary use appears to be as a home-based entertainment tool. Although many users expect to use it to ease professional routine prior to purchase, only 20 percent of iPad owners use it on the go, versus 80 percent who use it exclusively at home, says research2guidance.

Tablets are software-use oriented devices, not very convenient for making calls, or taking pictures, as smartphones are. However, in terms oftechnical performance, the media tablets at the moment can hardly compete with existing netbooks or notebooks, and are not capable of performing more complex tasks.

In terms of mobility, the size of media tablets may be a constraint, particularly when compared to mobile phones. They are not as portable as mobile phones, and therefore are not always at hand. They require certain ergonomic positioning and specific locations to comfortably use the device. This defines and limits the range of successful tablet use-cases.

We’ve mentioned in our TechJournal reviews that tablets are not very good work devices, although some businesses and schools have adopted them. We much prefer a real keyboard for work and a lighter, easier to use device for photography. While we can see using one as a media or Internet device while sitting on the couch watching TV or while having a meal at a restaurant with Wi-Fi, we already have other devices (a netbook, Kindle, and PDA) for that.

Nevertheless, the iPad has had remarkable success, although other tablet makers such as Samsung do not appear to be cashing in on it even with tablets that have more features than iPads. Samsung recently dropped the price on its Galaxy tablets to make them more competitive with the iPad and the company says it has two new versions in the works.

The following features of media tablets may drive tablet adoption:

Media tablets were designed to be application-driven devices. They are much more convenient for certain actions, such as reading books or playing games, than laptops or smartphones. Their lightweight design is better for people often on the road. Generally it’s more appealing for leisurely use at home than laptops.

Within less than a year since the launch of the iPad, dedicated app stores gathered more than 75,000 customized native applications. Apps were a key selling point for smartphones, and are likely to be just as important a selling point for media tablets.

Furthermore, iPad users download more and are willing to pay more for apps than iPhone and general Smartphone users. This encourages developers to develop more apps for the media tablets, which create a robust ecosystem for quality content.

There are more and more enterprises, which integrate media tablets into their daily operation. According to estimates, there are around 200,000 tablets in use in enterprises. Coinciding with the increase of enterprise apps, we believe that tablets will be wider used in enterprises as another light-weight operational tool.

Tablets were quickly embraced by customers, in part due to their previous adoption of application-driven devices, such as the iPhone. Nevertheless media tablets are still perceived as niche devices, without clear, mass-market functionality.

Apple exceeded even the most optimistic expectations of the iPad sales. Since its release, Apple alone has shipped a total of 15 million tablets. In Q2 2011 again there were 9.25 million iPads shipped.

More insights and figures on media tablets market, e.g., shipment forecasts, media tablet shares by OS, user demographics and application market reviews, are included in research2guidance’s “Media Tablet Market” special insights report.

Link to blog post: www.research2guidance.com/how-long-will-the-ipad-fever-last/