Nearly 20 percent of American adults own tablets

The percentage of adults in the United States who own tablet computers nearly doubled over the holidays, making almost one out of every five grown-ups in the country a tablet user now, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. The dramatic rise in tablet ownership is almost certain to be felt in the enterprise down the road as more employees bring these shiny new devices to work.

Prior to the holiday gift-giving season, there had been little growth in tablet ownership for many months, culminating at 10 percent in mid-December. What the researchers at Pew found of particular note is that the holidays seemed to have sparked dramatic interest in the devices, leading to a 19 percent ownership among adults by early January. (The study also looked at e-reader ownership, which grew dramatically as well, from 10 percent to 19 percent over the same period.)

I can attest to the tablet mania first-hand. At our holiday gathering, the tablet my brother bought for his family was in nearly constant demand, passed from hand to hand throughout the celebrations. Read more...

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