Over half – 54 percent – of online U.S. consumers reported they own tablets, four percent more than in January, according to the August 2014 edition of the Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA) semi-annual “Consumer Outlook on Tablets.” Tablet owners’ purchase intent for consumer electronics devices overall rose to 62 percent since January as well, a jump of nine percent, the CEA said.
Though tablet growth has slowed in recent quarters, 75 percent of online consumers said they expect to buy a tablet some time in the future, about equal to January’s 77 percent reading. “While interest in tablets remains high, increased competition from large-screen smartphones is having a substantial effect on the U.S. tablet market, since consumers now have more screen size choices than ever,” commented CEA Senior Research Analyst Kevin Tillmann.
“Tablet purchase intent remains a positive indicator that the overall market is interested in tablets. Many consumers seem to be waiting to replace their existing devices until the next wave of models arrives this holiday season, while non-owners are still debating whether to buy.”
Tablet Ownership
Tablet owners exhibit higher ownership of key CE products than those who don’t own tablets, CEA notes. Eighty-six percent own smartphones, 85 percent laptops, 73 percent own desktop computers and 66 percent video game consoles. Forty-one percent of tablet owners also own a digital media player, such as Apple TV, Chromecast or Roku box. Just 12 percent of those who don’t own tablets own digital media players.
In its “U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecast (July 2014)” CEA forecasts tablet growth will continue over the near-term, projecting that U.S. unit shipments will reach 80.4 million by year-end 2014, a four percent year-over-year increase. Tablet revenues are expected to total $25.6 billion this year, down three percent from 2013, the result of lower prices.
