Survey Reveals iPad Wanted For “Work On The Go”

Sybase is an industry leader in delivering enterprise and mobile software to manage, analyze and mobilize information, commissioned a study that reveals U.S. Consumers’ #1 Reason for Using Apple iPad for “working on the go”. The study was conducted by Zogby International.

The study consisted of an online survey of 2443 adults with a mobile phone, 770 of which own smart phones. A sampling of Zogby International’s online panel, which is representative of the adult population of the US, was invited to participate. Slight weights were added to region, party, age, race, religion, gender, education to more accurately reflect the population. The margin of error is +/- 2.0 percentage points in the overall sample size, and +/-3.6 percentage points for the smartphone owner sub-group. Margins of error are higher in further sub-groups.

Press release:

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — CTIA WIRELESS® 2010 —MARCH 23, 2010 — Sybase, Inc. (NYSE: SY), an industry leader in enterprise and mobile software, today announced the results of a survey on mobile device usage, finding that the #1 reason U.S. consumers would use a tablet device such as the Apple iPad is for working on the go.

Study findings reveal that consumers are increasingly demanding mobile devices that blend consumer and enterprise functionality, exposing an unexpected emphasis on the iPad’s suitability for work-related activities, and demonstrating the iPad’s potential value to information workers.

Additionally, the study demonstrates that consumers want more access to information and work applications on their mobile devices, pointing to continuing challenges for businesses in enabling employees to effectively work on the go.

As new mobile devices come to market with increased functionality and battery life, the study shows that consumers are looking for devices they can use both at home and at work, with implications for the businesses being asked to support them.  Further, the findings show that while device functionality is important to satisfying people’s desire for a personal and work-ready mobile experience, that the experience is incomplete without greater access to data.  The results also emphasize the importance of enterprise mobility initiatives and the challenges that face operators and businesses alike in enabling a productive work experience on mobile devices.

The Potential Impact of the iPad and the Changing Role of Mobile Phones
The role of new tablet devices such as the iPad has been a subject of great debate recently, and while the study shows that entertainment activities such as watching video and playing games are some of the tasks for which consumers might choose an iPad over a smartphone, work-related activities unexpectedly ranked at the top:

• With the imminent introduction of the Apple iPad, more than half of smartphone users polled claimed that they are most likely to use a new tablet device like the iPad to conduct work (52.3%).
• Surprisingly, the idea of using an iPad or tablet device for work garnered the most interest from smartphone users, while watching movies and television programs, and playing games placed a close second and third respectively (48.2% and 35.4%).
• Three-quarters of smartphone users surveyed believe that smartphones and forthcoming devices like the iPad make people more productive at work, with one-third of those feeling that the productivity impact is significant.

Limited Access to Information
Despite thousands of applications being made available from app stores today, consumers say they still have limited access to common enterprise applications they need for work:

• Access to both personal and work information continues to be lacking for most consumers.  For respondents who have data on their mobile devices, the study shows that almost two-thirds estimate they have access to less than 10% of their personal data and work data (59.8% and 69.4% respectively). Access to work applications is also lacking, with almost three-quarters of respondents claiming they have access to less than 10% of the applications they need to do their jobs (72.3%).
• 67.6% of respondents with smartphones felt that if they could access twice the amount of information and applications they do today, it would benefit their productivity.
• When asked about what functions they wished their smartphones had, the ability to connect with work systems, and the ability to watch streaming television shows or movies topped users’ wish lists (27.1% and 27.2% respectively).

For further details on the results of the survey, download the PDF.

We’ve already heard that a full third of potential iPad users would use it to read books (though, reading books could be considered work for some..), and we’ve even heard that 44% of the iPad apps being tested so far are actually games.

The way it seems is that no one has any idea what we’ll be doing with our iPads when we actually get them. No, my guess is that people suspect that they will use an iPad for working, but in practice, they’ll use it more for what Apple expects them to use it for: games and consuming media. It could also be that “work” related apps take longer to develop on the iPad, which would explain why we’re seeing games made when most users believe they’ll be working. Considering that the iPad runs on the iPhone OS 3.2, it is easy for the developers to port their apps and games to the iPad. But of course, we’ll have to see — it’s possible that we may not know the main use for the iPad yet, as even Apple seems to be torn on what the real focus of the tablet will be.