Profile of iPad Users

NPR iPad app

The full results of 2010 National iPad News Survey are out. Conducted by the Reynolds Journalism Institute between September and November, the 20-question online survey had 1,609 respondents from U.S. (92%) and 49 other countries. A follow-up panel survey is planned for March, June and September. The main findings are:

• iPad users are predominantly well-educated, affluent men between 35 and 64 who purchased the device within the first two months of its release.
• The overall satisfaction and time spent with the iPad are very high.
• Keeping up with news and current events is the most popular use.
• iPad news consumers prefer newspaper applications to newspaper websites and are less likely to use print publications.
• Positive iPad reading experience is influenced by age and traditional media habits.
• Low prices and ease of use are key factors in users’ decisions to purchase newspaper subscriptions on the iPad.

A similar survey was conducted by AP in July and August via links on AP, BBC and NPR iPad applications. It found that

• iPad users predominantly consumed news at home
• iPad users preferred reading long-form text stories on the iPad