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a n d D O N N A H A N A F I

"iPad - The Consumerator"
A study regarding iPad usage

BACHELOR THESIS
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

ABSTRACT

This Bachelor thesis' objective is to examine and analyse when and how the iPad is being used in Sweden. The study also looks closer at on which occasions the iPad replace other mobile devices. The main problem formulation is as follows: "During which fields of application has the iPad replaced the laptop and the smart phone?" The thesis will also look into if the iPad has brought any new user habits.

Apple launched their computer tablet iPad in April 2010. The company was alone on the market with the new generation for a long time, which in part explains their hold of the tablet market. Several companies presented their own version of the computer tablet during the following year. Because of the iPad market leader position on the Swedish tablet market during the time this thesis was written, it is focused entirely on the iPad and its usage.

The chosen methodology is a combination of a quantitative and a qualitative method. The former included an online survey with 894 respondents who answered 35 questions. The qualitative method was carried through by eight iPad users who documented their iPad usage during three days. This in order to get a more elaborated look into the actual iPad usage in Sweden.

The online survey showed that the iPad is being used around 16 hours per week and 82% of the respondents answered that they use their iPad several times per day. The main usage occurs between 6 p.m. and midnight. The study also shows that over 20% of the respondents has paid over 200 SEK for an application for the iPad.

The thesis presents the reasons to why, when and how the respondents rather use their iPad instead of their laptop, which is when they browse the web, e-mail, watch videos, read or play games. The size and mobility of the iPad as well as the fact that it is faster to start than the laptop also has a major affect to why the users considers the iPad to be more flexible and accessible than the laptop during different locations. The iPad has according to our study not replaced the laptop.

The iPad also had hardware and software limitations which could force the user during specific occasions to use the laptop instead of the iPad. The study has clearly exhibited an attitude trend towards the laptop since the iPad was launched. The iPad is for consuming and the laptop is for producing.

Susanna Berggren och Donna Hanafi