More than half of UK homes currently own at least one tablet, research from Ofcom has found.
The telecoms watchdog in its latest research report has revealed that around 54 percent of UK households now own a tablet, up from just 2 percent in 2011. The report claims that the trend will continue and around 21 percent of UK households currently without a tablet will get one within the next 12 months.
As per the report, tablets are quite popular among people aged 35 to 54, with nearly two thirds of this age group (64 percent) having one. Almost three quarters (71 percent) of children aged between five and 15 had access to a tablet at home by the end of last year, up from 51 percent in 2013. The number of children in this age group with their own device is also on the rise, up from 19 percent in 2013 to 34 percent.
The report found that 37 percent of Brits use a tablet to go online at home, while only 15 percent take their tablet out with them such as when away from home, work or their place of study.
According to the report, tablets are mostly used for going online and watching short video clips. Around 58 percent of Brits with a tablet at home were watching video clips online by the end of 2014, while 36 percent were accessing catch up and on demand services, such as ITV Player and BBC iPlayer. Gaming on tablets is also becoming more popular, with 15 percent of all adults using a tablet to play games such as Angry Birds, Halo and Candy Crush, compared to 17 percent for gaming on consoles.
“In just five years, tablets have become a must-have device for millions of UK households,” Ofcom’s director of consumer research, Kate Reeve, said.
“We’re using them to catch up with the news, watch our favorite soaps and keep the kids entertained, with around one in three five to 15-year-olds having their own tablet.”
