The tablet revolution is amazing. Techsurvey8 indicated that a quarter of our mega-sample already owned one of these devices as of this past February. And remarkably, about a third of those who haven’t yet taken the plunge say they’re very or somewhat likely to do so at some point this year. So lots of growth on the way for this relatively new category.
I see it as I walk up and down the aisle on airplanes. It wasn’t that long ago that it was wall-to-wall laptops. Today, everywhere you look, people are packing a tablet – watching movies, checking email, and playing games to make the flight time go a little faster.
For radio, it’s another reminder that mobile device use is changing, and that content needs to be available, accessible, and cool in more and more places. A recent Silicon Alley Insider chart reveled something important that tablet owners already know – those iPads are rapidly replacing PowerBooks.
It is looking more and more like these paths will cross in the not-so-distant future, as tablet usage will eclipse laptops.
This is why we’re looking forward to tracking the tablet trajectory in Techsurvey9. Seeing this rapidly changing data for your local audience is part of the way your station can take advantage of this phenomenon – whether you develop your own tablet app(s) or whether your make them a key giveaway item.
A recent MediaPost article – “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like A Tablet Christmas” – talked about how December 25th has become “National App Day” as consumers download their favorite mobile applications on their newly acquired devices. (Don’t forget to promote your station’s mobile app on the days leading up to and following Christmas.)
And according to a Kelton Research Holiday Shopping research study that was recently released, a whopping 44% of respondents put a tablet on their wish list, surpassing smartphones (34%).
Consumers are moving from device to device, screen to screen. And your station’s content and assets need to move, too.
Is your brand mobile-ready?
To keep up with your audience, sign up for Techsurvey9 here.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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We just recently did a huge study that found alienating different OS users by constantly using Apple as a generic reference has had a profound effect on would-be listeners and customers. Let us not forget, Android owns over half the pie. That’s a lot of alienation and a lot of synergy between devices to throw out the window.
Good points, J.D. They “invented” the tablet space as we know it, but Samsung, Amazon, and others are very much in the hunt via the Android platform. But I thought the comparison from iPad to Power Book said a lot about the the consumer’s changing relationship to computing, access, and even branding. Thanks for the comment.