It’s hard to say tablets are the next big thing, since there’s nothing “next” about it. They’re already big, and being used by professionals across all sorts of industries.

In order to get a better understanding of what tablets are being used for, CDW, a national provider of technology solutions, surveyed over 600 professionals about their tablet uses, and found some interesting results.

Out of those surveyed, over half of the responders have had their tablets for just a year. About a third have had theirs for two years, with less than 10 percent as old-school tablet users for three years.

Most of them still use other devices, such as desktop and laptop computers or smartphones – but 2 percent only use their tablet.

When it comes to apps, the most commonly used tools are e-mail and Web browsing, although file storage and productivity suites are also useful. Social media only ranks sixth in a list of applications users “can’t live without,” although that’s due to the ease of using social media from any other computer or device.

When it comes to functionality, e-mail is the most desired feature, followed by long battery life, Web browsing and 3G/4G. Ease of use, fast startups and a touchscreen interface are also important, as well as portability, a high-resolution display, and file storage.

So what benefits are they gaining from the tablets? On average, tablet users spend just over 2 hours a day using their tablets for work. As a result, though, they gain an hour in daily productivity, and feel they’re better multi-taskers as a result.

The rise of tablets is not going to slow down any time soon, but it has no reason to. They’re convenient, easy to travel with, and provide great functionality for working on the go. Those who use them seem to like them, and they can provide a boost in productivity.

Sure, they’re not likely to replace computers any time soon, but as CDW’s research has found, they do their jobs just fine.