"When it comes to media tablets, it's predominately a consumers' market - at least today. But businesses are increasingly seeing the potential for media tablets in the workplace - in sales, in the C-suite, and with field workers," said Krista Napier, senior analyst, Canadian Digital Media & Emerging Technology. "2011 will be a year full of pilots and trials for many Canadian organizations. Some devices have already made their way into companies through an increasingly common trend -- BYOD (bring your own device). Media tablets are expected to play an important role in business; however, many organizations are still unsure what the role will be."
This study highlights the results from surveys with business and IT executives in Canada, draws conclusions, and presents essential guidance for vendors and other businesses looking to better understand end users' needs to play in this market successfully. These survey results are coupled with interviews and conversations IDC has had with vendors and retailers as well as interviews from end users in a variety of different vertical markets to understand how they perceive the role of the media tablet in their work, how they use the media tablet today, and how they think they will use the media tablet moving forward.
Key findings from the study include the following:
- Top selection criteria for media tablets among Canadian businesses included quality/reliability and ease of integration with back-end IT systems.
- According to 21% of businesses, employees were the primary channel through which media tablets were being introduced into their companies.
- 2011 will be a year of testing and trials for many Canadian Businesses.
This study is part one of a two-part series, Canadian Digital Media: Tablets, Content and Digital Displays, that looks at media tablet usage in Canada. While part one focuses on the business user, part two will focus on the consumer. Part two is expected to be published in the fourth quarter of 2011.
source: idc
