Back in June, Staples Advantage conducted a survey of a statistically sad 200 people. Staples Advantage is the business-to-business arm of Staples, and the aim of the survey was to see how people use their tablets. The overwhelming majority of respondents (80%) said that owning a tablet created a better work/life balance. It seems that a tablet might make quick work tasks easier when on the move, and would therefore free up time for life. According to the survey, that theory looks to be working too, because 60% of respondents said that they were able to get more work done with a tablet. 40% of respondents said they bought their tablet in order to stay more connected to colleagues. 75% said they checked e-mail on their tablet, but only 33% review and edit documents. So, it seems that tablets may be better for connections than productivity in general. 

Of course the survey wasn't all business. It also found that 78% of respondents used their tablet in bed, 30% in restaurants and 35% in the bathroom. And that last one is where we take issue. We all know that Steve Jobs' aim with the iPad was to create a device that was for more than just web browsing on the toilet. And, Steve was highly successful, because the iPad also allows you to browse the web, check e-mail, watch TV and movies, read books or magazines, play games, or (if you don't have much shame) chat with friends while on the throne. That said, we find it hard to believe that only 35% of people have used their tablets while taking the Browns to the Super Bowl. We'd guess that at least 40% of respondents were a bit shy, and lied on the survey. 

Interestingly, while 95% said that their tablet was a companion device to a laptop/PC right now, 60% think that eventually their tablet will be their primary computing device. We're not sure exactly what would constitute being the primary device, but it would seem likely that text input needs to be made a bit easier before tablets can really take over. 

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