Smartphones and computers are top of mind for near-term purchases by nearly half of American online adults. Laptops lead desktops and tablets. Purchase plans for home printers are very low. This MetaFAQs reports on the percent of American adults who are planning to buy specific types of technology products in the next 12 months. The products include home computers, smartphones, laptops, desktops, tablets, wearables, and printers.
Trend in weekly hours with connected devices
In 2020, COVID-19 and related shutdowns drove up the average number of hours spent on devices around the world. Average device usage has been on a downward trend ever since. Despite this, we continue to see a strong long-term trend of 40-60 hours per week of usage. This MetaFAQs considers how frequently Americans and global device users use their PCs, smartphones, and tablets. Report [TUP_doc_2022_0827_hour] in TUP Lenses: Devices, PCs, Mobile Phones, Tablets.
Foldable smartphone early adopters
Foldables – smartphones with screens that can be folded – have received substantial media attention while actual sales have been limited. MetaFacts tested the actual acceptance of foldable smartphones among the general online public. (Note: This survey is of the general online public, not only of early adopters, technology enthusiasts, or influencers.) MetaFacts added one question to the annual TUP/Technology User Profile questionnaire and we found 121 respondents that report using a foldable smartphone out of 13,641 online adult respondents across the US, UK, Germany, Japan, and China. The highest share of usage was for Huawei foldable in China.
This sample size is too tiny to profile or size foldables users definitively. Treat the following as directional about the earliest foldables adopters. We can use these research results as confirmation that actual current foldables usage is minimal.
Consumer tech sentiment weakened
Forward consumer sentiment for buying technology products has weakened substantially in the last year, impacting many products from computers to Apple Watch. This MetaFAQs reports on the change in purchase plans between 2021 and 2022 for many products: smartphones, laptops, desktops, wearables, printers, and Chromebooks.