Tablets and E-Reader Usage Rises Among NY Subway Commuters in January 2012
By Howard Polskin
February 2, 2012: Tablets and e-readers garnered 16% of all mobile media consumption among New York’s subway commuters for the month of January, a rise of 6% compared to the previous month. E-readers usage alone rose 4%, the biggest category increase among any form of media for the month that The Tab Farm tracked. Magazines posted the second-highest increase at 3%, followed by tablets. It’s worth noting that magazine consumption has remained fairly stable in this survey, even rising slightly. And of course The Tab Farm is not tracking if people are reading magazines or newspapers on their mobile devices. Speaking of newspapers, mobile usage dropped 3%. It may be early to draw this conclusion, but commuters may be turning to other electronic information sources to get their news. The Tab Farm also found that smartphone usage dropped 5% from December to January. It’s possible that smartphone users are turning to tablets and e-readers in the subways.
| Device | Month of January 2012 | Month of December 2011 |
| Smartphones | 40% | 45% |
| Newspapers | 16% | 19% |
| E-Readers | 10% | 6% |
| Tablets | 6% | 4% |
| iPods | 1% | 3% |
| Books | 18% | 17% |
| Magazines | 8% | 5% |