Smartphones have rapidly, although not completely, replaced feature phones. Smartphone users have expanded their range of activities with new uses while also increasingly migrating activities from computers and tablets. This TUP Highlights Report profiles smartphones – their market penetration, user demographic profile, regular activities, usage profile, key competitors, and purchase plans.
This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: penetration of smartphones versus feature phones, smartphone brand share, top activities for smartphones, smartphone carrier share, smartphone usage profile, trends in technology ecosystems, major activities for a market segment, and the profile of smartphone users.
Virtual reality headset use among socioeconomic groups
VR headsets have received recent attention again after more than a decade of on-again/off-again experimentation with limited market acceptance. While the overall penetration rate of actively-used VR headsets has reached 5% for the first time in 2021, usage rates vary considerably across socioeconomic groups. Having the means to acquire all that’s needed to fully enjoy VR headsets isn’t the only factor affecting adoption as even some upper-income groups are only nominally further ahead than other less advantaged groups. The groups being reported consider age group, employment status, household size, ethnicity, presence of children, educational attainment, and other socioeconomic factors.
Home printer use among socioeconomic groups
Among socioeconomically advantaged groups of American online adults, the use of home printers has grown between 2018 and 2021. Nationwide, however, and especially among disadvantaged groups, home printer use has declined. This MetaFAQs reports on the active use of home printers by American socioeconomic groups. The groups being reported consider age group, employment status, household size, ethnicity, presence of children, educational attainment, and other socioeconomic factors.
Home PC penetration by socioeconomic groups
How different are advantaged from disadvantaged Americans in whether or not they use a home PC? How much has this changed since before the pandemic? How do historically socioeconomically advantaged groups such as high-income or college graduates compare to disadvantaged groups such as single parents, low-income, less-educated, elderly, or people of color? This TUP analysis reports on the penetration of home PCs within each socioeconomic group.
PC penetration by socioeconomic groups
How different are advantaged from disadvantaged Americans in whether or not they use a PC, whether personally owned, employer-provided, for self-employment, school, or another one? How much has this changed since before the pandemic? How do historically socioeconomically advantaged groups such as high-income or college graduates compare to disadvantaged groups such as single parents, low-income, less-educated, elderly, or people of color? This TUP analysis reports on the penetration of PCs within each socioeconomic group.
Communication patterns shift showing Zoom fatigue
Email continues to lead as the major communication activity across all devices. One-to-one video calls have grown rapidly. Worldwide and US employees are showing their Zoom/Webex fatigue, as both work and personal web-based group meetings have subsided.
Highlights: Printers
Who’s printing—and what are they printing? TUP Highlights include a broad and deep dive into an essential technology usage topic.
This highlights report focuses on printers, including: top printer brands, purchase plans for printers, top printing activities, profile of intensive printer users, ink use, trends in printing, major activities for a market segment, top printer form factors, and profile of printer user by activity. The research results showcase the TUP/Technology User Profile study, MetaFacts’ survey of a representative sample of online adults profiling the full market’s use of technology products and services during the wave of TUP/Technology User Profile 2021, which is TUP’s 39th annual. TUP Highlights typically also include results from previous waves of TUP.
Tablets dissolving into a split market [TUPdate]
Tablet use has been on the decline. American online adult tablet use has dropped from 60% in 2016 to 36% in 2020. But to what extent is this the case depending on country and types of device users? This TUPdate reports on online adults who actively use a tablet by country (US, Germany, and UK), year (2016-2020), age, hourly usage, household size, and top tablet activities. It also considers iPad use in comparison to overall tablet use and non-Apple tablet use, as well as the association between iPhone/Android smartphones and iPad/non-Apple tablet use.
Active use of social networks Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp by country [MetaFAQs]
Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, December 28, 2020
How many adults actively use Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp? How does this vary by country? How has their share shifted over time? This MetaFAQs shows the number of online adults who reported using these social networks in the previous 30 days in the US, Germany, and the UK.
Active use of Instagram by age group and country [MetaFAQs]
Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, December 18, 2020 How many adults regularly use Instagram? Is there an age skew? How does any age skew vary by country? This MetaFAQs reports on the active use of Instagram by age group and country. About MetaFAQs MetaFAQs are answers to frequently asked questions about technology users. The research…