Data compiled by In-Stat reveals that the most widespread use of tablet computers is for PIM management and multimedia playback.In-Stat polled 1,132 people regarding tablet computers and how they are being (or will be) used. The results differ a bit from previously published polls. According to the responses to In-Stat's poll, most people use tablets to write emails, manage their contacts and calendar, and consume multimedia (movies, music, games).

Another poll conducted by Business Insider in 2010 shows tablet use skewing a bit differently. The number one activity for use of tablets (specifically the iPad) was browsing the web at 37.7% of respondents. Email came in second, with 23.6% of respondents claiming that as their number one tablet task. Gaming ranked fairly low as the top activity among iPad users, with 11.5% choosing that as their number one iPad use.

There are synergies between the two polls, though, that indicate people use tablets mostly to consume and communicate. With their larger screens and easy portability, tablets make for good emailing machines.

In-Stats numbers show that 55% of tablet owners use theirs for 9 or more hours per week. That's just above one hour per day.

This gels pretty well with my own personal use of tablets. I use the iPad mainly for web browsing, communication (Facebook and Twitter in addition to email), and watching movies.

In-Stat says 13.2% of those it polled actually own a tablet computer, though many plan to buy one. Of those planning to buy a tablet, 40% indicated they'd be purchasing the Apple iPad. In-Stat also queried pollees about what influenced them to purchase their tablet and whether or not they are early adopters. The majority, 62.2%, said their own research on the Internet is what led them to buy a specific tablet. One-fifth, or 20.3%, of respondents said that word-of-mouth from family/friends was what convinced them to buy a tablet. Only 14.8% described themselves as early adopters, while a whopping 72.1% said they wait for products to work out the bugs before adopting new technology.

Worldwide shipments of tablets are expected to reach 58 million units per year by 2014. Apple sold 14.8 million iPads in 2010.