More than one in three adult Americans now owns a tablet, more than double the number who owned one just a year ago, according to a study released by the Pew Research Center Tuesday.
Pew surveyed 2,252 U.S. adults, and found that 34% owned a tablet, up from 18% a year ago. In 2011, that number was just 8%; in 2010, 3%.
About half of adults ages 35 to 44 own a tablet, higher than any other age category. Not surprisingly, those with household incomes above $75,000 a year are the most likely to own tablets (56%), as are those with a college degree (49%).
The rapid uptick in tablet ownership is transforming not just the hardware industry -- Apple alone has sold some 150 million iPads to date -- but dozens of others, from media to advertising to retail. In fact, tablet alone are expected to generate more than $65 billion in U.S. retail sales by 2017.