iPad Owners Wealthier Than Those of Any Other Tablet, Report Finds

iPad owners are, in general, older and wealthier than owners of other tablets, according to new research. The findings of a recent NPD Group report, titled Tablet Adoption and Insights, reveals that nearly half of iPad owners have a household income over $100,000. Only 26% of non-iPad owners have a household income in this range.

However, it seems that younger, less wealthy people are rapidly buying up tablets, creating a shift in the demographics. Half of today’s tablet buyers have incomes under $45,000 and one-third are under 34 years old.

With the type of tablet owner changing, there has also been a shift in how the devices are being utilized. “As the demographic of the tablet owner continues to change the tablet market is beginning to take on a new role,” said Stephen Baker, NPD Group’s VP of industry analysis. “We are seeing some of the tasks traditionally performed on devices, such as PCs, now being performed on the tablet. In fact, all five of the top activities shifted towards the tablet between early and late 2011.

However, while tablets are likely cannibalizing laptop sales, they’re not replacing the device completely. According to NPD, just 10% of tablet owners believe the tablet can completely replace their PC notebooks.

“Even as consumers increasingly use tablets for tasks that were once exclusively done on their PC, they continue to plan new PC purchases,” noted Stephen. “Usage is still evolving and most people, being inherently conservative in their device outlook, continue to hedge their bets on their device preference by planning to maintain an array of products to afford them maximum flex