38 per cent of consumers in the UK are considering getting a tablet in the next few months, according to research by CCS Insight.

So far, tablet buyers have mostly opted to buy their tablets from own-brand retailers – the biggest segment at 35 per cent, which is presumably largely due to the presence of Apple Stores – electrical specialists (25 per cent) and general retailers, such as supermarkets and department stores (23 per cent).

Mobile-specific shops only make up 10 per cent of sales, meanwhile – divided equally between handset retailers and mobile operators stores, suggesting consumers see tablets more as part of their computing equipment than mobile.

But the positive news for mobile operators is that this wave of prospective tablet purchasers are considerably more interested in using their tablets on the go than existing users (36 per cent versus 22 per cent). Accordingly, while 60 per cent of existing tablets only have wi-fi connectivity, that number drops to 24 per cent among prospective buyers. 

Even better for operators – or at least for those with the capabilities to offer it – is that 35 per cent are considering a tablet with 4G connectivity, compared to 22 per cent who only want 3G.

How tablets are being used

For 60 per cent of tablet owners, the research found, the device is their primary means of browsing the web, with only 28 per cent preferring a desktop or laptop PC.

78 per cent of all tablet owners use it to play games – the single most popular activity – while 59 per cent shop on the device. 57 per cent use their tablet for reading news and books, 46 per cent for watching TV in bed, and 30 per cent use it while they’re cooking.

Tablets are also shared devices, with only 35 per cent of owners the sole user of their device. But – possibly as a result of this phenomenon – 44 per cent of tablet owners already have two or more tablets in their household.

Full disclosure: After we ran this story, CCS Insights representative got in touch to say that the original release had misquoted the headline figure, which should in fact read “Among the next wave of users who are candidates for buying a tablet, 38 per cent are considering getting a tablet in the next few months”.