[NewsPoster]

Owners of Apple's iPad are largely using the device to surf the Internet and other entertainment purposes, not for business or educational purposes. This according to a new study out from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, which eWeek reports looked at activity patterns among iPad owners earlier this month. The controversial new study found that business-oriented usage is increasing on Apple's popular tablet, but it still lags far behind entertainment-oriented usage.

Among survey respondents, CIRP found that up to 40 percent use the iPad mainly to surf the Internet, play games, and consume entertainment. Among uses, business ranked fourth, with about 14 percent of iPad owners using it for business tasks. Interestingly, that figure was higher among owners of the newest iPad, with 16 percent of those owning that device reporting that they used it for professional purposes. The study also found that iPad owners who had purchased versions with larger storage capacity were more likely to use those devices for business purposes. Buyers of the 3G/4G variants, though, exhibited usage behaviors largely similar to those owning models only capable of a Wi-Fi connection. Perhaps counterintuitively, the study found that apps ranked second to last in regular use, with only four percent of iPad users saying they use the device primarily for this task. Shopping also ranked low on the list of iPad activities, with less than four percent of users saying they shop on their tablets.

[EdipisReks]

i would imagine that surfing the web and other entertainment uses are what most computing devices in general are used for.

[iphonerulez]

What the hell would they expect. The iPad was introduced mainly for consumers and not businesses. The iPad has never been pushed for businesses up until maybe recently. I think as time goes on, business use of iPads will increase to some degree. The desktop has always been pushed for business and corporate use and I'm willing to bet if Apple put more effort into turning the iPad into a business device, there would be even more use. I know Microsoft is going to claim that the ZunePad is more fit for business than the iPad, but I'm sure they'll work very hard at making it so because Apple already has them beat on the consumer side. I do think that any device that has a physical keyboard has a better chance at becoming a more productive business device than one without a physical keyboard. I think that most of us have grown up using a keyboard and it's probably the best input peripheral around. Maybe one day voice input will be as useful as a keyboard, but I don't see it happening any time soon.

[Paul Huang]

Well, I have news for you. Much of the activity at the work place is also not work-related.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by EdipisReks 

i would imagine that surfing the web and other entertainment uses are what most computing devices in general are used for.

My thoughts exactly.

This is 2012, not 1992.

[wrenchy]

Does not surprise me. The iPad has been and always will be a disposable internet appliance and toy. It is what it is...

[Orbifold]

I'm surprised native apps aren't used more and I'm surprised there isn't more shopping and banking with native apps. Web browsers are impossible to secure but iOS apps have good security from the kernel up to the UI. I'm tempted to buy an iPad for banking and shopping because of its security.

[gprovida]

From my personal experience this seems correct, but this is also how I used my laptop as well. I do find that the enterprise IT makes it hard to really leverage the iPad due to host of policies so aside from email with Good, you are consigned to Citirx h@@l using touch unfriendly windows 7.

As more apps but more importantly IT management grows comfortable with the iPad, then it's use will blossom. Like the early years of the PC and then Mac windowing environment the apps will evolve to leverage the iPad capability.

The potential is enormous and I anticipate a lot of growth in the Enterprise. Again, this really needs to correlated with laptop usage in these dimensions as well.

[bleee]

Not surprising since the iPad doesn't have as much cpu power as desktops or laptops. I am disappointed that Apple is letting iWork languish for SO long both desktop and iPad version. I was using the iPad to edit a friends resume last night, and I was shocked that there wasn't a shortcut for adding bullets of all things seriously Apple wtf...

[prl99]

I bought an iPad for my wife so she can use it for tutoring younger students. That's what it's primary use is. Of course, it's also used for everything else the iPad has to offer, just like any other computer device.

[[email protected]]

Bullshit! These guys are being paid off by the PC crowd :-)

Have they seen doctors and nurses use them in hospitals?

And schools? I know a few students who use them.

I am sure that the majority of the use is web surfing but that is changing.

[aristotles]

A couple of questions.
1. How did they arrive at these conclusions?
2. How could an organization called "Consumer Intelligence Research Partners" possibly know what businesses, government agencies, doctors, lawyers and schools are using their iPads for?

I am always a bit skeptical of "studies" that make broad sweeping generalization or "surveys".

I personally use me iPad mainly for gaming and some web surfing but again, I work as a developer so I cannot really use it for "work". At some point, I might be able to using it to test some enterprise applications if we start developing some for our internal customers.

[ggirton]

Without knowing the numbers for the laptop platform, and the the PC platform, this survey is "relatively" meaningless. Besides, who cares how people use their iPads? they obviously ARE using them!

[testudo]

Love the responses. Apparently it is immaterial and known how people use their iPads and so this report is just a waste of time.

[testudo]

Originally Posted by ggirton 

Without knowing the numbers for the laptop platform, and the the PC platform, this survey is "relatively" meaningless. Besides, who cares how people use their iPads? they obviously ARE using them!

Well, I guess you could argue that Apple doesn't care. But I would think application developers would care A LOT, wouldn't you? They could give a flying leap if people are using an iPad, they care more about what they're using it for. If very few use it for business-related purposes, maybe sinking $100k into a productivity app isn't the best use of your money!

[testudo]

Originally Posted by Orbifold 

I'm surprised native apps aren't used more and I'm surprised there isn't more shopping and banking with native apps. Web browsers are impossible to secure but iOS apps have good security from the kernel up to the UI. I'm tempted to buy an iPad for banking and shopping because of its security.

That's a boatload of misinformation there, though. Web browsers are in no way hard to secure. Go to secure web site via a trusted web connection (i.e. not an unknown 'free' one at a cafe or somewhere). Boom, you're done.

And what 'security from the kernel on up' are you talking about? Those apps still connect to the internet? Then they have the same security issues that you would have with a web browser. Duh.

And, BTW, it's actually worse with iOS apps. Unlike with a web browser, where you have some indication you are on a secure site, you have no idea how your data is being sent to the business. For all you know it's all in plain text!

And, if you don't believe that, maybe you need to review the recent app-store security breach where in-app purchases could be made for free. Turns out, and get this, Apple's own AppStore app sends the username and password in the clear. So where's your security now? Buy an app while at the airport, anyone could just have gotten your itunes credentials.