• by Steve Smith  @popeyesm, October 3, 2011

If early adopter metrics are a fair indication, then the tablet is poised to be a genuine game changer in both the ways in which people access the Web and the sheer volume of their use.  

According to research from Knowledge Networks, tablet-owning consumers on average spend 48% more time each day with the Internet -- 4 hours and 19 minutes across platforms compared to 2 hours and 55 minutes for all users.

Knowledge Networks extracted the data from their MultiMedia Mentor database of metrics charting media usage across eight media for adults ages 18 to 64.

Owners of tablets spend just under an hour a day (55 minutes) with the Internet on these devices. The other major tablet uses -- social networking, search and gaming -- each account for about 15% or 8 minutes each of tablet time.

But tablets appear to be helping to move substantial amounts of Web time to devices. Among tablet owners, 38% of their total Internet time is now being spent with either tablets or smartphones -- more than twice the 14% share of Internet time spent on mobile devices by the general population. Knowledge Networks says that mobile Internet time among adults has tripled since last year, from seven minutes a day to 25.

According to Robert DeFelice, vice president, client services, Knowledge Networks, this substantial shift in access points for the Internet should have important implications for marketers. "Each device is its own experience, and to the extent that those experiences are different, marketers need to be aware of how consumers interact with and feel about them," he says.

"Messages sent to different devices may need to be different in order to be impactful," DeFelice notes, adding that marketers need to consider not only the technology their targets are using but also their varied media habits.

Knowledge Networks also found that tablet ownership is a strong marker for high-tech ownership overall. Ninety-two percent of people owning tablets also own a smartphone, for instance. This group also is 40% more likely than average to own a DVR.