Ninety percent of US consumers own or want a tablet

A new study by tablet and smartphone maker Samsung Mobile revealed that 90 percent of consumers in the US either already own or are considering purchasing a tablet.

Samsung said that mobile tablets are becoming a "must-have" device but did not define the breakdown between the percentage of tablet owners and potential tablet owners in the US.

Those surveyed who own a tablet or who would consider purchasing a tablet said they would most commonly use the device to read books or catch up on the news (76 percent), watch TV shows or movies (64 percent), listen to music (61 percent) and update their social networking profiles (56 percent).

"More than half (53 percent) of survey respondents would choose to use their mobile tablet to play games instead of on a PC or standalone video game console. In addition, the survey showed Americans would use a tablet to take pictures or film videos (44 percent), video chat with loved ones (41 percent) or stay connected with their co-workers (34 percent)," added Samsung.

A May 5 study on tablet use by market researcher Nielsen revealed that 77 percent of tablet owners used their new touchsensitive device for actions which they previously completed on their laptop or desktop computer.

While Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 has featured heavily in the media, US consumers have been more readily searching for tablets made by Acer, RIM, Coby, Toshiba, Viewsonic and ASUS.

According to Hitwise, the top ten search term variations for 'tablet' during the four weeks ending May 28, 2011 were:

1. android tablet
2. tablet pc
3. tablet
4. acer tablet
5. tablet computer
6. blackberry tablet
7. coby tablet
8. toshiba tablet
9. viewsonic g tablet
10. asus tablet

Samsung commissioned Kelton Research to conduct the study in advance of the June 8 US retail launch of Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The study measured the responses of 1,000 Americans aged 18 and older.