People use connected devices to be productive, actively engaging in a broad set of activities spread among their various devices. The use of smartphones for productivity is growing while the use of computers has flattened or is even in decline. Younger adults have embraced productivity activities, although Gen X and millennials use different types of devices to get things done.
This MetaFAQs reports on the number and percentage of online adults who regularly perform a set of productivity activities, from work file collaboration to appointment scheduling. These results are further split by mean age and generation and trended by age and device type for Americans from 2020 through 2023. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0126_prod] in TUP Lenses: Activities, Mobile Phones, PCs, User Profile, Devices, Communication
Computer refresh rates keep on, buoyed by later generations
With the onset of the pandemic and related economic shifts, computer acquisition patterns did not spike substantially. After reaching a peak of new computer use in 2021, the share of Americans and Germans using a computer acquired in the prior 12 months has subsided.
This MetaFAQs reports the percentage of online adults using a computer acquired in the prior year, split by country and age generational group. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0125_newt] in TUP Lenses: Devices; PCs; User Profile
Printer market highlights and trends
The printer market enjoyed an early pandemic bump, but the long-term decline in printer use has returned, following the decline in computer use and the increase in smartphone, cloud, and social network usage. The latest generation – Gen Z – has not embraced printing, and when they do print, it’s often with a borrowed printer or printing service. A focus on certain groups of productivity and classic printing activities may renew attention to printing.
This TUPdate presentation highlights trends in the market demand for printers and printing, drawing on results from TUP in 2010 to the present, which are based on surveys of over 105,000 American online adults. In addition to printer-specific brands and printing activities, it includes the long-term trends affecting printers. These trends include: the growing shift to smartphone use, the declining use of personal computers, and the habits and preferences of later generations (Gen Z) versus those of earlier generations (Boomers and Silent Generation). It provides a review of printers in the market, who’s using them, why they’re using them (or not), and how forces in the economy and long-term trends in technology usage have an impact on the printer market. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0125_prtr] in TUP Lenses: Printers; Activities; User Profile
Creative activities niche may underpin AI for some
Generative AI has received much attention, and much of the hyperbole around widespread adoption rests on the assumption that people will suddenly become creative. A more likely adoption scenario is that the users already actively creating content will be the first to incorporate any AI into their workflows.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online adults worldwide and in the US who regularly do any of a set of selected creative activities—creating graphics or presentations or using professional creative software—further split by whether the activities are for personal or work-related needs. This is split by device type, age, and generation and trended from 2020 to 2023. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0122_crea] in TUP Lenses: Activities, User Profile
Youth using used smartphones
Economic pressures have supported younger adults, often with lower employment rates and limited funds, in turning toward acquiring technology from friends, family, or the refurbished device market. Refurbished or used smartphones are more widely used in the UK than in many other countries. Usage is especially high among adults aged 18 to 24 as compared to other age groups, a finding that is consistent across the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. Generally, the use of a used/refurbished smartphone shrinks with age.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of smartphone users who are using a used/refurbished smartphone by country. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0121_yref] in TUP Lenses: Devices; Mobile Phones; User Profile
Most remote workers expect remote work next year
Who will be right—the employers or the employees? Nearly all workers currently working remotely expect to be working remotely in one year. While the majority expect a hybrid arrangement, a sizable number expect to be always working remotely. Americans have the strongest expectations of always working from home.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of remote workers who expect to always work from home in one year, to never work remotely, and those who expect some hybrid remote work status. This is detailed by countries surveyed: the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0121_fwft] in TUP Lenses: User Profile; Work/Life Balance
Home computer use is age-skewed and continuing the pre-pandemic drop
Home computers began to decline in use in 2018, a drop that accelerated with the pandemic’s onset. Younger adults across multiple countries were the first to reduce their home computer use which older adults then followed. In 2023, all age groups across the countries surveyed have reduced the share that actively uses a home computer. Usage is lowest among younger adults, although rates are also lower among older adults than in 2017.
Thie MetaFAQ reports on the percentage of online adults who regularly use a home computer, split by country (US, Germany, UK, Japan, and China) and age group. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0120_pcat] in TUP Lenses: PCs; User Profile
Home computer use is age-skewed and continuing the pre-pandemic drop
Home computers began to decline in use in 2018, a drop that accelerated with the pandemic’s onset. Younger adults across multiple countries were the first to reduce their home computer use which older adults then followed. In 2023, all age groups across the countries surveyed have reduced the share that actively uses a home computer. Usage is lowest among younger adults, although rates are also lower among older adults than in 2017.
Thie MetaFAQ reports on the percentage of online adults who regularly use a home computer, split by country (US, Germany, UK, Japan, and China) and age group. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0120_pcat] in TUP Lenses: PCs; User Profile
Family size influences connected device use
In larger households, adults tend to spend more time on digital devices compared to those in smaller households. Adults in larger households use their connected devices more hours per week than those in smaller households. This pattern holds among online Americans, Britons, Japanese, and Chinese. Among German adults, the pattern is bimodal, with usage highest among German adults with 3 persons in their household.
This MetaFAQs reports on the average (mean) weekly hours online adults use their connected devices (computers, smartphones, tablets) during a week. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0119_busy] in TUP Lenses: Devices; PCs; Mobile Phones; Tablets; User Profile; Households
HP has the highest printer share among nearly all generations
HP has maintained consistent brand dominance across many countries it serves, including the US, Germany, the UK, and among China’s upper-socioeconomic adults. HP’s share has wavered among Americans, having reached a peak just before the pandemic, and currently dropping to be slightly lower than it was in 2018. HP’s share has similarly dropped somewhat in Germany and the UK.
This MetaFAQ reports on the percentage of online adults using an HP printer as their primary printer, split by country and age generation group. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0118_hppt] in TUP Lenses: Printers; User Profile