On the heels of my recent post on the usefulness of tablet computers to writers, I thought I’d share this AdAge report on tablet usage which suggests:

  • iPad use is heaviest in bed
  • Reading is the #1 usage of iPads
  • Only 1/3 of the respondents use their iPads at work

Sixty-eight percent of 889 respondents said they or their families regularly use tablets in their bedroom — more than any other location. Using tablets in the “living room while doing other things” is a close second, at 63%. Just over half of respondents said they use their tablets in the living room without other distractions.

Tablets’ popularity in the bedroom may be because reading is so popular on tablet devices. Sixty-one percent said they preferred to read e-books, newspapers and magazines on a tablet rather than computers or smartphones. That’s the biggest preference for any activity.

Overall, tablets are most often used at home. Only 45% reported using the devices on-the-go, and about one-third of respondents said they use them at work.

One benefit of reading ebooks on a tablet is that it frees you from entrapment into one any ebook seller’s closed, proprietary universe. I’ve purchased ebooks from Barnes & Noble, Google and (barely) Amazon, and I can read all three — plus all the freebies and scripts I stumble across on the Internet — on my tablet, something that can’t be said about a Kindle Fire (Amazon is apparently blocking apps from competing booksellers).

I also understand the portability issue; a 10-inch tablet is a nice size for watching movies, but it’s just ever-so-slightly too big to carry around in public (or the office) while still looking cool.

In fact, in a Bold Prediction, I think we’ll eventually see a healthy market for 7″ tablets, especially among business users, who will find them more useful than a smartphone for most tasks…

Keep reading, Tom Chandler.

Posted in Writer tools.