Recent reports have suggested that investing in a tablet device could significantly increase the amount of news which you digest on a regular basis, and how the articles you read are likely to be more in-depth. Could this, then, indicate that tablet owners are better informed when it comes to news events and current affairs, compared to those who simply own a smartphone, for example?
A number of tablet owners will also own a smartphone, yet instead of spreading their news consumption between the two gadgets, research has found that these people are more likely to spend twice as long reading news articles, as they use both devices for an equal period of time.
Recent research has also shown that the nature of tablet devices, with their much larger screens, has meant that users find it more convenient to read articles which are much longer and more in-depth. Those using tablet devices also stated that they were more likely to read news articles which they hadn’t specifically searched for, as browsing the browsing features offered by tablets tend to be more user-friendly.
Whilst many smartphone owners might check headlines using this device, the majority admitted that they would be more likely to read a longer article when using a tablet.
Reading news articles is reported to be the second most popular activity on both smartphone and tablet devices, and for many, such mobile devices are a primary source of daily news consumption. Nearly a quarter of all adults living in the US now own a tablet device, indicating a drastic shift in the way that a significant proportion of the population now access various news sources.
The cost of tablet devices has also begun to fall and more people have stated that they are planning to invest in such devices in the future. However, there are still some differences between the various types of tablets available – iPad owners in UK were found to access news on a more regular basis, while owners of Android-based tablets favoured social networking sites.
That said, when asked about which method of accessing news information was preferred by users, including non-mobile devices, 41% stated that they would rather use a desktop computer. This is perhaps due to the fact that laptops and computers are still more commonly used throughout the working day, and thus offer users an even higher degree of convenience.
So, what do you think ?