AdMob survey: tablet owners primarily use their devices for gaming

According to a survey by AdMob, a subsidiary of Google, tablet users primarily utilize their devices for gaming. They found that 84% of tablet owners play games. And that's no surprise, considering the sales of tablet gaming applications. But the real surprise was how gaming dwarfed other activities.

Tablet gaming even trumped information searches (78%), email (74%), and reading news (61%). Were it not for this survey, we would have assumed that searches and email would be the most frequent use of tablets. Most surprisingly, only 51% of the respondents said they use their tablets for music and videos. Seriously?

And here's some bad news for desktop and notebook makers: 28% said that their tablet has effectively replaced their primary computer, and another 43% said they spend more time on their tablet than on their traditional computer.

Even TV has fallen victim to the allure of the tablet. Thirty-four percent said they use their tablet more than they watch TV. And we're shocked to see so many people shirking their couch-potato responsibilities. But we're not shocked at all to hear that 59% of respondents use their tablet more than they read a paper book.

So what does this all mean? First of all, the tablet is obviously becoming more of an entertainment source, rather than a productivity tool. But more importantly, console/computer makers and game designers are in trouble if the low-cost mobile gaming model continues its stellar growth.

source: AdMob via Guardian