Advanced Television

Tablets replace notebooks for multi-screen TV users

October 25, 2011

TV viewers who use a gadget to surf the web or chat on Facebook while watching TV are migrating away from the laptop and toward the tablet as the preferred personal device, according to research from the Strategy Analytics Digital Home Observatory. The report – Multi-Screen User Behaviors in the Home – also found that, for those who own a laptop or a tablet, smartphone use while watching TV is limited to ‘alert’ functions, such as text or voice messages, rather than as a TV companion.

“The tablet is clearly becoming the primary TV companion device for advanced users,” observed Caroline Park, Senior Analyst and the report’s author. “Designers wishing to engage consumers while in the home/TV-watching environment should, therefore, focus on the tablet as the device with the greatest opportunity to provide a relevant, enhanced TV experience.”

According to the market intelligence firm, study participants who own a tablet indicated that this device has now nearly completely replaced the laptop PC as a TV companion device. They only use a laptop for certain tasks, particularly those involving typing. Comfort and convenience were cited as the major drivers of tablet usage, including device weight, heat generation and fast boot times.

Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Research