The percentage of adults in the United States who own tablet computers nearly doubled over the holidays, making almost one out of every five grown-ups in the country a tablet user now, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. The dramatic rise in tablet ownership is almost certain to be felt in the enterprise down the road as more employees bring these shiny new devices to work.

Prior to the holiday gift-giving season, there had been little growth in tablet ownership for many months, culminating at 10 percent in mid-December. What the researchers at Pew found of particular note is that the holidays seemed to have sparked dramatic interest in the devices, leading to a 19 percent ownership among adults by early January. (The study also looked at e-reader ownership, which grew dramatically as well, from 10 percent to 19 percent over the same period.)

I can attest to the tablet mania first-hand. At our holiday gathering, the tablet my brother bought for his family was in nearly constant demand, passed from hand to hand throughout the celebrations. (He confessed to me that he originally planned to get the device for his wife, but once he tried it out he decided it would be a family gift. Don't worry--his wife got some very lovely jewelry instead.) The tablet provided an endless stream of fascination for one and all, from the preschoolers to the grandparents, from sunup to sundown.

Pew researchers, working with the Pew Internet & American Life Project, attribute the dramatic tablet sales growth to the introduction of new, competitively priced devices to the marketplace. The Kindle Fire from Amazon and the Nook Tablet from Barnes and Noble are priced considerably lower than other popular tablets.

What may be of particular note to businesses is that tablet ownership nearly doubled in the age ranges of 30 to 49 and 50 to 64. The growth was greatest among consumers with higher education and higher income. It should not come as a surprise to see employees finding ways to put these devices to work to make their jobs faster and easier.