Counting Down To 2012, One Trend At A Time: Students Will Have Tablets

We follow youth culture and media trends closely throughout the year, and we’re seeing some significant shifts in Millennial attitudes and habits that will have an impact going into 2012 and beyond. We’ve picked up on these trends by paying attention to expert opinions, by talking with students and watching their habits, and through our research of what matters to Millennials. Stay tuned all this week as we share five key trends.

Trend #4: Students Will Be Toting Tablets

No, most students won’t have an iPad, though they aspire to own one. The price tag on the Apple tablet is too high, and few have received one as a hand-me-down from their parents as they upgrade their own devices. Instead, they’ll be the proud new owners of a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet, which offer much of the same tablet functionality while fitting in the range of student’s budgets.

We expect many students unwrapped these hybrid tablet/readers as gifts this holiday season. They’re not a substitute for an iPad, but they’re a step in the right direction. Google stands to benefit from students’ getting tablets. Both the Kindle and Nook versions run Android software, introducing more users to the Android Market and Google Music stores, which could tip the scales in Android’s favor when it comes to other devices.

What’s more, as interactive touch-screen technology becomes ubiquitous, traditional brands are finding ways to leverage these devices to their advantage. To date, most extensions have focused on the iPad — Disney designed toys for its Cars franchise that interact with an app on the iPad; Duo has a few products that turn the iPad into board games; and even Atari has a plug-in that turns the device into an old-school arcade — but Android devices have similar potential.

Millennials are using mobile devices to facilitate their lives, from keeping track of their health to finding entertainment to facilitating learning. There are endless opportunities for tech and non-tech brands alike to make the most of this trend.

We learned a lot about how much students rely on technology when we asked them the devices they own and use daily. As a little holiday gift from Ypulse, today only, you can download the full Ypulse Report: Technology for free!