One third of Internet customers will use a tablet in 2014

The iPad has catapulted tablet use to the forefront of must-have devices.  By the end of this year, it is estimated that 33.7 million people in the United States will be using a tablet.

The growth of tablet users in the last year has been up by over 158%.  In December of last year, the first iPad had been around one year.

By the end of 2014, around 90 million people will be using a tablet.

The company eMarketer made these estimates.  They also estimate that 27.7% of the US population will have a tablet.

They believe that tablets will eventually be like smartphone ownership with people keeping tablet use to themselves.  Currently a lot of tablets are shared.

As far as Apple keeping the majority share of the tablet market for itself, eMarketer predicts that the iPad will have a 68% market share.  Other tablet makers will erode the iPad’s current lead, but Apple will remain supreme in the tablet market.

Women, who happen to have less than 50% of the tablet ownership are expected to pull even with the men.  By the end of 2011, youths under the age of 18 own 13% of the tablets.  That will increase to 15.9% in three years.

People who are between 18 to 34 years at the end of this year with 31.5% ownership will grow to 34.8% with the 35 and over slipping from 55.5% to 49.3%.

I will have to buy a tablet in 2014 to try and increase the 35+ crowd ownership.

Charts and analysis by eMarketer.