Half of All Tablet PCs Being Used for Business

More small businesses are purchasing tablet PCs and finding them useful for running their business. Techaisle, a global IT market research and analyst firm, recently conducted a SMB Mobility Adoption and Trends Report and found that a total of 8.87 million tablet PCs are being used by small to midsize businesses in the United States. Based on the total sales of tablet PCs, Techaisle estimated that approximately 50 percent of those purchased by consumers are also being used for business.

Techaisle surveyed 1,356 SMBs and found that the Apple iPad was the dominant choice of tablets among very small businesses. However, Google's Android operating system (OS) had a strong usage rate among larger small businesses. Overall, 64 percent of SMBs said they are single OS adopters.

The survey also indicated that businesses in the health-care and financial-services industries were early adopters of tablet PCs at work. Of those respondents who use tablets in the office, the survey found that they are primarily used in corner offices and executive suites, although small businesses said they plan to expand usage among employees. According to the survey, wider adoption rates in the office depends upon the industry a small business is in and the availability of apps supporting that line of business.

Seventy-one percent of SMBs surveyed said they are using tablets as an additional device at work rather than as a replacement to their main computer. When it comes to future tablet purchases for business, 77 percent of those who already own a tablet said they plan to buy another one for their business in the next 12 months.