In only two years since the release of Apple's iPad, tablets have reached critical mass in the US: One in four smartphone owners used a tablet during the three-month period ended April 2012, according to data from comScore.

Moreover, among those who viewed video via their tablets during the three-month period, one in four paid to watch content, highlighting the monetization potential of the platform.

Below, additional findings from comScore TabLens, the data provider's forthcoming monthly syndicated service providing insights into tablet ownership and use.

Tablets have reached critical mass

Typically, "critical mass" is viewed as a crucial stage in a product's development cycle, and a precondition for driving mainstream, self-sustained adoption (i.e., without having to add any more investment).

Some 16.5% of mobile phone subscribers used a tablet as of April, up 11.8 percentage points (PPs) from a year earlier. Growth in market penetration was even more apparent among the smartphone population: 23.6% used a tablet during the period, up 13.9% PPs over the previous year.

A lower 10.4% of feature phone owners use a tablet as of April, suggesting that smartphone ownership is highly predictive of tablet adoption in the current market.

Tablet users are nearly three times more likely than smartphone users to watch video

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Tablet Market Reaches 'Critical Mass' in US

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