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Tablet usage on rise

Three new tablet models will hit market this year

October 23, 2013

According to a study from Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life project, tablet ownership is increasing among Americans 16 and older, rising from 10 to 35 percent over the last 21 months.

The tablet market is growing rapidly — the research company Gartner predicted sales to increase more than 53 percent this year. The competition between tablet makers is escalating, and on Tuesday three major technology developers either announced or released new tablets.

Apple announced the latest iterations of its iPad line — a new version of the full-sized device called the iPad Air, as well as an updated iPad Mini.

Apple has long dominated the tablet market, garnering more than 32 percent of the market share in 2013’s second quarter, more than 14 percent above nearest competitor Samsung. However, the South Korean company is gaining ground against the iPad, according to data from the International Data Corporation.

Microsoft released a second version of its Surface tablet on midnight Tuesday, to mixed reviews. The response to the first Surface was unenthusiastic, and the Surface 2 was met with similarly tepid reviews.

Also announced on Tuesday was Nokia’s first foray into the tablet market with the Lumia 2520.

Like the Surface, the tablet will run Microsoft’s Windows RT 8.1 operating system. According to the International Data Corporation, Microsoft and Nokia are not one of the top-five makers of tablets, meaning they both have less than 3 percent of the tablet market in sales. The report also said Windows RT is present on half a percent of all tablets.

Graduate student Adrienne Tyrey was gifted an iPad Mini and finds it to be a more convenient and portable solution than a laptop. She uses the iPad in place of a smartphone.

“I like it because I have all of my documents on Google Docs, so I can open those,” Tyrey said. “Mac is trendy. My family’s always had (Apple products) since I was little and I have no idea how to use PCs. … I just don’t want to learn a new system.”

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