Mobile VoIP company Rebtel has released the results from its latest study of US immigrant and first-generation consumer mobile usage and behaviour. The results were based on 1,340 responses from immigrants residing in the United States, which represent a consumer segment of approximately 38m consumers. According to the survey, 13 per cent of respondents currently own a tablet device, representing approximately 5m Americans.
According to the survey, the iPad reigns supreme as the preferred tablet device, with two-thirds of tablet owners choosing the device. French Americans claim the highest percentage of tablet owners (17 per cent), followed by Mexican-Americans (15 per cent), Nigerian-Americans, and Ghana-Americans at 14 per cent respectively, rounded out by Ethiopian-Americans at 8 per cent and Cuban-Americans at 7 per cent.
Among the different demographics, there were some wide disparities concerning whether or not they would buy a tablet in the near future. Ghanese (62 per cent) and Indian Americans (58 per cent) topped the list among immigrant populations looking to buy a tablet device, while Ethiopian (31 per cent) and French Americans (34 per cent) ranked last.
In terms of brand preference, broken down by ethnicity of users, Apple’s iPad has a particularly strong foothold among Cuban-Americans, Indian-Americans and Nigerian-Americans, which account for the highest affinity, at 83 per cent, 80 per cent, and 75 per cent respectively.
When asked whether they would likely buy an iPad in the near future, 87 per cent of Kenyans claimed they would do so, with French immigrants coming in second at 81 per cent. The Kindle was a popular second choice as a tablet device, with 9 per cent of the overall population saying they are most likely to buy it, with Ethiopian immigrants leading the way at 24 per cent.
Out of the immigrants in the study, hailing from Cuba, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, India, Israel, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines and the UK, currently residing in the US, all segments ranked the iPad as their tablet of choice.
“Apple has remained the brand of choice for the immigrant and first generation U.S. market,” says Rebtel CEO, Andreas Bernstrom. “We’re witnessing a massive shift in technology brand affinity over the past decade, as Sony has been dethroned, and Apple has grabbed the reigns and held tight, starting with the iPod moving forward.”
There are 37.9m immigrants (both legal and illegal) in the US, 10.8m of whom are illegal. The percentage of native-born people in the US has fallen for four straight decades, according to the US Census Bureau. In 2008, 12.5 per cent of the population was born outside the US, nearing the all-time highs of nearly 15 per cent in the late 1800s.