Here’s to a tab-tastic Christmas…again
In the frantic run-up to Christmas, Newsworks’ Rufus Olins examines the findings of a new report into the growing tablet market – and notes some interesting changes over the last 12 months.
The Apple Store, lunchtime, Monday 16 December.
A queue of affluent young professionals is growing restless. They fear iPad stocks are running low. “I just need one to give my wife, please tell me you have a silver 16GB Air in stock. I need to have it.”
The scene witnessed in Covent Garden is being played out all over the UK. People are frantically rushing around to buy presents for their loved ones; and for the second year running, tablets are topping the Christmas present list.
An extraordinary four million people will buy or receive a tablet this Christmas. This is the one of the top findings from a new YouGov study commissioned by Newsworks. What has changed from last year is that people of all ages are getting their hands on these devices.
Over a quarter of the people buying tablets as presents plan to give them to a child aged 10 or under. This is due to the arrival of budget tablets costing as little as £30, as well as the popularity of the small, portable screens.
If you have racked-up enough points on your Clubcard, you may be lucky enough to secure Tesco’s Hudl, a seven inch budget tablet that is fast and well-reviewed. Cheaper still is My Tablet from Argos. The verdict from experts is less complimentary, but with a price tag of under £100 it is in competition with plastic doll figures of Harry Styles.
Google’s Nexus 7 offers a good spec and good value at £200 and is likely to do well this Christmas on the basis that 60% of people buying tablets as a gift expect to spend £200 or less this year.
The group most likely to spend money on such a generous gift are between 35 and 44, old enough to afford it and young enough to keep abreast of all the models and their functionality.
So what do people use tablets for? Why have they taken off so dramatically? The answer for many people is they are taking the place of laptops and PCs. Games, email, web browsing and reading newspapers are some of the most popular activities. Nearly 40% of 18-24 year olds spend more time reading news now they own a tablet. That is good news for newsbrands of course.
We are reaching the point where having a tablet is the norm. Nearly 40% of adults already own a tablet and by the 26 December that figure is expected to jump by nearly three million. By the middle of next year more than half the country will have a tablet device and it will grow from there.
For Apple this is a mixed blessing. Inevitably the arrival of so many new competitors has hurt its market share, but at 55% it remains the clear leader, as well as the most desired brand. Having won the battle for design, it now justifies its premium price (£399+ for the iPad Air), with free software and an array of nearly 500k apps for consumers to choose from.
Brace yourself for an anxious trip if you are heading out to an Apple Store over the next few days. Stocks are running low.