Britons are the number one in Europe in using social networks on mobile, but when it comes to tablet computers they show much less interest than the rest of Europe. This is according a new survey by market research company, TNS.
The TNS Mobile Life 2011 survey, which involved over 34,000 consumers – aged 16-60 – from 43 countries, suggests that over 11 million people in the UK are logged in while on the go.
It also reveals that about 5.5 million (16 per cent) of Brits access social networks every day from their mobile. This figure is expected to grow further, with 8 million (41 per cent) of mobile users in Britain who are not yet social networking on their mobile interested in doing so.
According to the TNS study, the UK also leads Europe in downloading apps (31 per cent), watching social video (29 per cent) and downloading games (26 per cent), driven by the fact that 17 million people own a smart phone today.
Stephen Yap, group director at TNS Technology, commented, “TNS Mobile Life 2011 reveals how mobile technology is transforming the lives of Britons at an unprecedented pace. With social networking emerging as a killer application, mobile content and applications have never been more important. Handset makers and operators take note: it’s no longer just about the device or the network, but rather what people are doing and downloading.”
Among other findings, the TNS Mobile Life 2011 survey suggests that Britons show much less interest in tablets compared to the rest of Europe, with 17 per cent of respondents interested in buying a tablet over the next six months, compared to 28 per cent across Europe and 31 per cent in Asia.
Commenting on these figures, Stephen Yap said, “Brits’ comparative scepticism when it comes to tablets affirms the pragmatic relationship between people in this country and their technology. While consumers elsewhere have been wowed by the iPad, Brits maintain more of a ‘wait and see’ mindset – no doubt underpinned by pressures on people’s purses leading to increasing cutbacks on non-essential purchases.”
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