1/4 of mobile business workers switched to tablet devices

­Over a quarter of business users surveyed by a Wi-Fi roaming provider are using a tablet, typically an iPad, for work. Most mobile employees think that in the next five years there will be just one ¼ber device.

According to researchers, tablet and smartphone use in the enterprise is being driven by the growth of cloud-based applications, in addition to the availability of these devices being reasonably priced.

The report, which drew from the experiences of more than 3,500 mobile employees at 1,100 enterprises worldwide, found a 10% decline in preference for laptops as mobile employees increasingly prefer smartphones and tablets.

The survey also found:

• 20% of mobile workers selected a Tablet as their one device of choice, while 49 percent selected the smartphone (down from 63 percent in 2010), compared to 27 percent who prefer a laptop (down from 37 percent).
• The tablet market is also experiencing phenomenal growth, especially among mobile employees. 65 percent of mobile workers surveyed reported that they use a tablet for applications like sending and receiving email, surfing the Internet, watching video content and reading electronic books, newspapers and magazines. 27 percent report that they use a tablet for work.
• 59 percent of mobile workers use Wi-Fi on their smartphone at least one hour a day. 57 percent are satisfied with their mobile operator’s network coverage but 22 percent are dissatisfied with the cellular network speed.
• 71 percent of mobile workers would go on a data diet if wireless carriers increased charges for cellular data access — 29 percent would not change their behavior mostly because their employer pays the phone bill, while 22 percent would limit use to critical access.
• 94 percent of mobile workers will troubleshoot a problem themselves, while 13 percent will not contact the IT help desk at all when they have a technical problem. These results are in line with last year’s prediction that a mobilocracy will rise in today’s workplace.
• Those 35 and older feel more productive working outside of the office, in contrast with those 34 and under who feel most productive working in the office — not the generation gap that most would expect.