Federica Laricchia
Research expert covering the global consumer technology industry
Tablets in the U.S. - statistics & facts
In an age characterized by technological improvements, efficiency, and mobility, tablet computers quickly gained popularity, sitting between PCs and smartphones. The tablet market in the United States is the largest globally, accounting for around one-third of tablet unit shipments annually. While tablet sales have fluctuated worldwide, the U.S. market has proven resilient with stable tablet device sales and even growing shipments at times. This trend can be attributed to the general popularity of tablet devices in the country - more than 222 million Americans are forecast to use a tablet in 2023. Looking ahead the U.S. tablet market is projected to fall in line with the global trend and shipments are projected to decrease in upcoming years.
Apple iPad is the market leader
The California-based tech company Apple is a pioneer in the global tablet market and holds a dominant position in the U.S. tablet market with its iPad product line. Almost 55 percent of tablets in the United States are Apple devices, with Samsung and Amazon filling out the top three. The two main competitors of Apple together account for around one-third of the total market, just below half of Apple's share. The iPad's iOS operating system powers nearly 54 percent of all tablets in the U.S., with its biggest competitor, Android, controlling most of the remaining 46 percent of the market.Tablets used for a variety of purposes
The average lifespan of tablets in the United States is forecast to drop significantly from more than seven years in 2019 to less than five years as of 2023. This development could be due to the introduction of newer device generations in the past couple of years, replacing older devices purchased when tablets first started to become popular around 2014. The most popular activities for U.S. tablet users are accessing the internet, watching digital video content, online shopping, listening to digital music content or podcasts, and playing video games.
