The UK tablet market is still in its youth, with a number of consumers entering the market for the first time even as the bulk of devices available shift from their premium, Apple-analogous roots to more low-cost, Android-driven alternatives. Consumer behaviour on the devices is relatively well defined – causal usage in front of the TV motivates the majority of purchases – but whilst this makes the devices easier to position, it also reduces the number of use cases in which consumers might choose to engage.
This report examines these how these issues might develop, as well as determining the brand and OS of tablet that consumers are choosing to buy, and the impact on tablet purchase on other devices in the home. It also looks at what motivated consumers to purchase their most recent device, and which factors may influence their purchase of their next tablet. Finally, it examines consumer attitudes to tablet computers.
Definition
This report looks at the sale of tablets in the UK.
Tablets are defined by Mintel as any portable touchscreen computing device with a screen size of seven inches diagonally or above.
Hybrids – which are tablets sold with a detachable keyboard or base station with which they are designed to be used – are included in the definition of tablets. Some hybrid devices feature a laptop that can be rotated to become a tablet screen, but these non-detachable versions are not included in the Mintel definition of tablets.
Market size figures include sales of hybrid and tablet devices.
‘Phablets’, which have a screen size of 5-7” diagonally, are not included in the definition either, regardless of whether they have or lack the ability to make phone calls over a mobile network.
The term ‘second screening’ refers to the usage of a tablet or smartphone whilst sat in front of and watching the television or a DVD/film.
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