Tablets are the new black: Use in U.S. grows 19% in one year

The Online Publisher’s Assn. has released a study that puts cold, hard data to what you already know: Tablet use is exploding in the U.S.

And by exploding we mean growing at an insanely rapid rate: In 2011, 12% of Internet users in the U.S. said they owned tablets. In 2012, that number grew to 31% according to OPA.

And the organization projects that by 2013, 47% of the U.S. Internet population will own tablets. That’s a total of 117.4 million users.

KABLAM!

The information in the report comes from an online survey of 2,540 Internet users between the ages of 8 and 64, and the sample of participants was matched to the U.S. census in regard to race and gender.

The study, conducted in March 2012 and released on Monday, is chock full of other interesting insights as well.

For example, in the past year Android has almost totally closed the gap with iOS when it comes to platform operating systems.

In 2011, 72% of tablet users said they used the iOS system (iPad, iPad 2, iPad 3) and 32% said they used an Android system.

But by 2012 that split looks very different, with 52% of Tablet users saying they were using the iOS system compared with 51% using the Android system.

OPA said Android’s gains were mostly due to the success of the Kindle.

Other interesting facts:

The people surveyed spend an average of 13.9 hours with their tablet each week, and most of that time is at night, with 59% of tablet users saying they use the tablet from 5 to 8 p.m., and 53% using it from 8 to 11 p.m.

The study also found that in 2012 tablet owners are trending more female, and wealthier.

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