Active use of a smartwatch grew strongly among Americans, rising from 20% of online Americans in 2018 prior to the pandemic and reaching 27% in 2021. Growth has not been uniform, however, as some groups have penetration of two-thirds where others are less than five percent. This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of Americans regularly using a smartwatch by socioeconomic group. The groups being reported consider age group, employment status, household size, ethnicity, presence of children, educational attainment, and other socioeconomic factors.
Declining hours of connected device use
After peaking at the start of the COVID pandemic, the hours online adults use their connected devices have broadly declined. Across the US, Germany, and the UK, total device hours have even dropped below their pre-pandemic levels. This MetaFAQs report, based on the results of TUP research from 2016 through 2021, details the hours spent using home PCs, work PCs, smartphones, and tablets and how those hours have shifted.
Purchase plans for smartphones and tablets by OS, country, and age
Globally, more online adults plan to buy an iPhone than buy an Android smartphone. In purchase plans, iPads lead Android tablets even more substantially. The gap and direction vary by country and age of the respondent. This MetaFAQs reports purchase plans among online adults by device type, country, and age group.
Profile of American tablet game players
For most Americans, tablets are used for passive activities, from watching videos to web browsing. Game-playing is a regular activity for many. This MetaFAQs profiles the group of tablet game-players, representing 11% of online Americans, detailing the critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age, gender, age within gender, life stage, and number of PCs used.
User activities reveal ecosystem strengths
While some may argue that a smartphone is a smartphone regardless of its ecosystem, users beg to differ, as shown by their actions. This MetaFAQs profiles activity usage differences between iPhones and Android smartphones, Windows PCs, Apple Macs, and Chromebooks, and iPads, Android, and Windows tablets.
Video doorbell use among socioeconomic groups
Smart home devices such as video doorbells are a helpful indicator of technology users’ interest and acumen. This MetaFAQs reports on the penetration rates for video doorbells among socioeconomically disadvantaged and advantaged groups, each defined by a combination of homeownership, ethnicity, age, employment status, racial/ethnic identity, and other factors.
Profile of American smartphone game-players
Fun is essential, even when standing in line, and a unique segment of game-players reach for their smartphones to play. This MetaFAQs profiles the sizable, if a casual, group of smartphone game-players, the 32% of online Americans using a smartphone to play games, detailing the critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age, gender, age within gender, employment status, household size, and life stage.
How older and younger adults use technology differently [TUPdate]
A user’s age is often used as shorthand for estimating the sophistication, eagerness, or purchase likelihood levels of adults with technology devices and services. While age does have some explanatory power, there is much more information needed for understanding. This TUPdate looks at what people do with their devices, which types of devices they use for certain activities, and how this varies by age.
Mobile Phones TUP Lens
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.