Apple's iPad, which has sold over 7 million, continues to be hugely popular among Apple followers and consumers looking to dive into the tablet device space. The iPad also gives iOS developers another great alternative to produce software and games for. The Nielsen Company recently surveyed more than 5,000 consumers who already own a tablet computer, eReader, netbook, media/games player, or smartphone to find out these consumers are using them.
The findings for iPad were particularly interesting. Similar to the iPhone, games are a hugely popular category on the iPad. Games were the most downloaded paid apps, with 62% of owners buying a digital game. The next closest category was Books at 54%, followed by Music at 50%.
What's perhaps more interesting is that nearly a third of iPad owners haven't bothered to download any apps whatsoever, whether paid or free. 63% said they downloaded a paid app, while just 5% are sticking to free only. What this suggests, however, is that there's certainly room for growth. Game developers and publishers should keep this in mind; they need to figure out how to get consumers to start downloading more apps.
Check out the chart below for more information.
