Tablet computers have been available in Australia for only four years. In that short time, they have caused significant changes to the way we use communications technologies.

They include the rapid growth in data download demand and the increasing intensity of online participation, the wide availability of Wi-Fi networks, and the mobility offered by tablets themselves, user-friendly operating systems and larger screens for content consumption.

The report, available here, says the most popular tablet activities include communications, general online browsing and research, entertainment, and buying and selling. “Australians are more connected than ever before,” says the report.

“They have a wider choice of devices to access the Internet and are using the Internet to access a wider range of services.

Tablet computers, despite being relatively new, are now established as common devices in Australian households. Half of adult Australians used a tablet to access the Internet in the six months to May 2014.

Most (55%) of tablet owners have tablets that only access the Internet using Wi-Fi. 74% of Internet users who engaged in one or more activities on tablets did so at home. In addition, tablet owners increasingly have more options to use Wi-Fi hot spots while on the move.

While all tablets on the market are Wi-Fi capable, many tablets also offer 3G/4G connectivity. However, only one in six tablet owners have a 3G/4G data plan. A device with 3G/4G connectivity generally is more expensive to purchase and requires a data plan with a mobile service provider to access a 3G/4G mobile network.

Tablets are popular for a range of entertainment, research and general browsing activities, and have a similar use profile to mobile phones and computers. They are less popular than computers for communication (74% used tablets compared to 85% using computers). Banking and finance activities are more popular on mobile phones (49%) and computers (68%) than tablets (38%).

But tablets are more popular than mobile phones for buying, selling and shopping online (41% used tablets compared with 33% using mobile phones) but less popular than computers (56%) for these activities.

Users report that the biggest attractions for using tablets are their portability (91%) and light weight (88%). The additional product offering of smaller screen tablet devices, such as the iPad mini, further facilitates portability. Another popular reason for using tablets is their ease of use (88%), particularly for users over 55.

Tablets are primarily used at home (96%) and often used simultaneously with other activities such as watching free-to-air television, referred to as ‘dual-screening’. Among those with a tablet in their household, there is a high incidence of their use as the primary online multi-tasking device, with 60% making regular use of this device for dual-screening.

The research shows that 4.3 million Australians use over-the-top (OTT) communications services such as VoIP. Of this group, PCs and laptops (79%) are the most commonly used device to access OTT VOIP services, followed by mobile phones (35%) and tablets (33%).

Increases in television viewing have also been observed over tablet computers. Broadcast television viewing has remained relatively stable over the last five years, however, a growing number of tablet owners are using online services to view television shows or films at a time and place of their choosing to complement their television screen viewing.40% of adult Australian tablet users streamed or downloaded TV shows (e.g., catch-up TV), full-length movies or general video clips (such as YouTube) on their tablet.

Data from the US showed that in 2012, 50% of tablet users watched video or television content on their tablets. The data also indicated that tablet users are much more likely to watch video frequently. Almost 10% of tablet users watched video on their tablets daily and 19% at least once a week.

The ACMA reports says that tablet growth is set to continue. “The global tablet market has undergone considerable growth since tablets were introduced in 2010. This has been driven by the range of online activities consumers conduct via their tablets, such as communications and video viewing.

“IDC reports the market grew 11% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2014, with shipments reaching 49.3 million units. Similar to the Australian market, tablet ownership has increased across the UK and the US.

But the ACMA says that recent research shows that the growth in the table market may be slowing. “IDC notes that tablet market growth had slowed somewhat due to rise of larger screen smartphones (or phablets) and longer than anticipated tablet ownership cycles, and forecasts reduced growth in worldwide sales of tablets (7% in 2014 in comparison with the 53% growth in 2013), with growth to plateau by 2018.

Similarly, in Australia various industry and media reports have indicated a slow-down in the sale of tablets. Telsyte reported a 28% drop in sales of tablets over the first half of 2014. This drop was attributed to factors such as longer upgrade cycles, and Telsyte notes the first half-year retail cycle is traditionally slower. While sales are expected to increase towards the end of 2014, Telsyte forecasts that there will be a net decline in tablet sales in 2014 compared with 2013.”