Recent MetaFAQs, TUPdates, and Highlights

MetaFacts periodically releases research findings that are highlighted in a newsletter. These are primarily based on our ongoing TUP/Technology User Profile study research. Each issue includes highlights from MetaFAQs – addressing a specific current or frequently-asked question, TUPdates – drilling down more deeply to cover a topic in more detail, the even more comprehensive TUP Profile reports, and other deliverables.

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Recent MetaFAQs, TUPdates, and Highlights

• Number of printer users using refilled ink or toner by country and generationFebruary 20, 2025
  Background: Printer users have various options to refresh their printing supplies, from buying new cartridges, using refilling services, or refilling a tank or cartridge themselves. As printer users continue to evolve in how they use printers, their choice of printing supplies is likely to evolve and essential to monitor. Approach: MetaFacts surveyed 81,608 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan from 2018 through 2024 as part of its annual TUP/Technology User Profile study. Within the survey, as part of detailing the printers that respondents regularly use, we have them report on how they get ink or toner for their printers. This includes whether the ink or toner is original to the same brand as the printer, original to a different brand, refilled using their empties, refilled using someone else’s empties, or refilled by the printer users themselves.
• Dell’s moribund home computer baseJanuary 27, 2025
  Background: Home computers are not being used by the same people or in the same way as they were a few years ago. Economic shifts exacerbated by the pandemic, digital transformation, and smartphones’ ubiquity have challenged the traditional order. While the installed base of home computers continues to be dominated by a few manufacturers, including Dell, each brand’s users have a different profile than before. Approach: This one-time TUP data cut profiles active home computer users: both those who use Dell home computers and those who use non-Dell home computers. Starting with those who intend to refresh their PCs within specific time frames, we profile the age of PCs in active use, many other demographics, and usage levels in hours and activities. Additionally, we profile home computer users’ attitudes about AI and their use of AI tools for specific computer activities. MetaFacts further identifies the activities conducted most often, including remote work status. These results are based on the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 datasets. Of these, 7,689 respondents represent online adults in the US, Germany, the UK, and Japan who actively use a home computer. The TUP data cut features a set of standardized cross-tabulations from TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 in Excel format. It also includes a topline summary.
• Lenovo’s leading edge – in home computingJanuary 22, 2025
  Background: Lenovo continues to steward the well-established IBM ThinkPad brand of mobile computers, extending its reach into both commercial and consumer markets. However, the market for home notebooks/laptops has faced headwinds in recent years as consumers continue migrating their personal activities to smartphones. Also, since many employees, especially information workers, continue working remotely, many employers have supplied them with work notebooks. This has contributed to the decline of overall active home notebook use and caused challenges for Lenovo. Approach: This one-time TUP data cut profiles active home computer users by those using Lenovo versus users of any other home computer brand. Including users’ intentions to refresh their PCs within specific time frames, we profile the age of PCs in active use, a comprehensive demographic profile of current customers, and usage levels in hours and breadth of activities. MetaFacts further identifies the activities conducted most often, including remote work status. Furthermore, we profile the AI attitudes and behaviors of Lenovo and non-Lenovo home computer users. These results are based on the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 datasets. Of these, 7,689 respondents represent online adults in the US, Germany, the UK, and Japan who actively use a home computer. The TUP data cut features a set of standardized cross-tabulations from TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 in Excel format. It also includes a topline summary.
• Brother home printer successes may lead to future challengesJanuary 17, 2025
  Background: Printer users and printing shifted dramatically during the pandemic and ensuing economic changes. As many employees worked remotely for the first time, many struggled to establish a functional workspace at home, most often with little support from their employers. Students also adapted to many changes, with many shifting to virtual classrooms, including both adult and K-12 students. During this same time, the wave of digital transformation sped up, as employees and consumers alike found ways to product and share documents and information with less paper. During these broad shifts, printer manufacturers found ways to adapt and position their offerings to unique sets of customers, many times ousting their entrenched competitors. Approach: For this one-time TUP data cut, MetaFacts tapped into the TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 wave to profile the users of home printers, specifically those using Brother home printers. MetaFacts also includes detailed data on user’s attitudes about AI, how they use their printers, details on their printing volume, and the printer consumables they use. In addition, MetaFacts has included their printer purchase intentions for the next 12 months. The one-time TUP data cut features a set of standardized cross-tabulations from TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 in Excel format.
• Inertia and tradition defend Epson home printer installed baseJanuary 16, 2025
  Background: Printer users and printing shifted dramatically during the pandemic and ensuing economic changes. As many employees worked remotely for the first time, many struggled to establish a functional workspace at home, most often with little support from their employers. Students also adapted to many changes, with many shifting to virtual classrooms, including both adult and K-12 students. During this same time, the wave of digital transformation sped up, as employees and consumers alike found ways to produce and share documents and information with less paper. During these broad shifts, printer manufacturers found ways to adapt and position their offerings to unique sets of customers, many times ousting their entrenched competitors. Approach: For this one-time TUP data cut, MetaFacts tapped into the TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 wave to profile the users of home printers, specifically those using Epson home printers. MetaFacts also includes detailed data on users’ attitudes about AI, how they use their printers, details on their printing volume, and the printer consumables they use. In addition, MetaFacts has included their printer purchase intentions for the next 12 months. The one-time TUP data cut features a set of standardized cross-tabulations from TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 in Excel format.
• Windows 10 PC users up for grabsJanuary 7, 2025
  Background: Microsoft Windows 10 has marked the end of an era in many ways. As fewer online adults actively use computers, Microsoft and its OEM partners have felt increasing pressure to encourage users to use PCs again. Most Windows 10 users already use other devices to complete their online activities, from smartphones and tablets to a Windows 11 PC or Apple Macintosh. Microsoft has publicized an October 2025 end-of-support date, after which it will not support users of Windows 10 and earlier versions as it did in the past. However, the large and slow-moving active installed base makes it unlikely that all users will have fully migrated to Windows 11 by then. Instead, many users are likely to migrate elsewhere – to Apple Macintosh computers, smartphones, tablets, or Chromebooks. Current Windows 10 users include those who have already migrated their activities to smartphones, those who are economically constrained, and those not predisposed to buying a new PC. While most PC makers have joined Microsoft and others in touting AI and crafting AI-enhanced computers, early indications show a mixed reception. Approach: This one-time TUP data cut profiles the current users of Windows 10 and earlier Windows versions along several dimensions. Starting with intentions to refresh their PCs within specific time frames, we profile the age of PCs in active use, the brand share of the installed base, and usage levels in hours and activities. MetaFacts further identifies the activities done more often with PCs than smartphones and vice versa, including remote work, writing/presentations, entertainment, programming/coding, and printing. These results are based on the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 datasets, with 13,561 respondents representing online adults in the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. Additional trends from 2022 through 2024 are included based on data from 36,105 respondents in the US, Germany, the UK, and Japan reporting on the penetration rates and active market size of Windows 11 PCs, Windows 10 or earlier PCs, Apple Mac computers, and Chromebooks. The TUP data cut features a set of standardized cross-tabulations from TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 in Excel format. It also includes trending information and a topline summary.
• Home mobile computing in the balance, as users chooseJanuary 6, 2025
  Background: Mobile computing has extended the lifetime of computer use, especially home computer use, over the last half decade. However, users are increasingly turning to their smartphones as their primary mobile device, using them for activities formerly done with home notebooks/laptops. During this same time, the pandemic and subsequent remote work bolstered home notebook/laptop purchases. Home notebook/laptop acquisition trends benefitted because many employers were reticent to provide mobile computers to employees. The usage of home notebooks/laptops has not been evenly distributed, with brands focusing on different market segments or use cases. More recently, the push toward AI-enhanced computers has met with mixed results. The next three years will be pivotal and depend substantially on consumers’ choices for their home technology. Approach: This one-time TUP data cut profiles active home notebook/laptop users by brand and other dimensions. Starting with intentions to refresh their PCs within specific time frames, we profile the age of PCs in active use, the brand share of the installed base, and usage levels in hours and activities. MetaFacts further identifies the activities done most often, including remote work status. These results are based on the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 datasets, with 13,561 respondents representing online adults in the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. Additional trends from 2018 through 2024 are included based on data from 84,608 respondents in the US, Germany, the UK, and Japan reporting on the penetration rates and active market size of home notebooks/laptops. The TUP data cut features a set of standardized cross-tabulations from TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 in Excel format. It also includes trending information and a topline summary.
• Gen Z gets the used/refurbished work PCs December 29, 2024
  Background: Economic pressures on employers have encouraged many to carefully manage the computers they provide to employees. This includes some employees being provided used or refurbished computers. Approach: MetaFacts surveyed 81,608 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan from 2018 through 2024 as part of its annual TUP/Technology User Profile study. Within the survey, as part of detailing the multiple devices that respondents regularly use – smartphones, computers, tablets, and game consoles – we have them report on whether the employer-provided computers they use were obtained new or used/refurbished. This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of adults who actively use a used or refurbished work computer and details the trend from 2018 to 2024 by country and age generation.
• Which generations and countries actively use used or refurbished smartphones at the highest rates?December 19, 2024
  Background: Despite a continuous stream of new smartphones, used and refurbished smartphones continue to be actively used. With continued economic pressures in many countries, smartphone users, like users of other technology products, have sought to find ways to extend their technology spending. Approach: MetaFacts surveyed 81,608 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan from 2018 through 2024 as part of its annual TUP/Technology User Profile study. Within the survey, as part of detailing the multiple devices that respondents regularly use – smartphones, computers, tablets, and game consoles – we have them report on whether the smartphone they actively use was acquired new or used/refurbished. This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of smartphone users who use a used or refurbished smartphone and details the trend from 2019 to 2024 by country and age generation.
• Profile of American wireless item tracker usersNovember 13, 2024
  Background: Wireless item trackers such as Apple AirTags or from Tile have reached beyond double-digit market penetration. For technology market leader Apple, the devices hold the promise of extending the depth of user engagement with and reliance on the Apple ecosystem. Location sharing is a double-edged sword, since it increases the risk of a privacy breach while simultaneously offering enhanced convenience. Approach: This MetaFAQs is based on the responses of 7,537 online adults from the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 wave. It reports the percentage of online adults using an item tracking device such as an Apple AirTag or Tile. Respondents are profiled by age, gender, generational life phase, detailed employment status, presence of children, household size, use of Apple, Windows, and Android devices, and plans to acquire a wireless item tracker in the next 12 months.
• Profile of Copilot+ PC early adopters – their AI attitudes, use cases, activity trends, and profileOctober 23, 2024
  Background: Many major PC makers have recently launched AI Copilot+ PCs, enabling consumers and employees to make the most of many AI tools. The earliest brands include HP, Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, Microsoft, Dell, and Samsung, including Qualcomm technology. With so much promotional hype and confusion around AI, getting a reality check from users is essential. Are early adopters of Copilot+ PCs very different from users of non-Copilot+ Windows 11 PCs? Windows 10 PCs? Apple Macs? The general online public? Who are these newest buyers? Which types of use cases are the early adopters getting AI assistance with? How are their attitudes about AI different from the rest of the online world? Are they more positive, or are they more negative? What are their concerns? Privacy? Wrong answers? Are they underwhelmed? And how strongly are they concerned? What do they enjoy about using AI assistance? Creativity? Productivity? Learning new things? Why did they buy a Copilot+ PC? Approach: This research is based on a survey of 11,852 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan, drawn and weighted to be representative of the online population. From this dataset, MetaFacts screened and profiled 3,131 respondents who use AI assistance with their regular activities. These use cases most used with Copilot+ PCs include personal creativity, professional creative software for work purposes, creating videos for work purposes, writing, and using professional creative software for personal purposes. Furthermore, the study details more than 80 activities, the share that are regularly done, and the percentage that are done using AI tools.
• Employees expect remote work arrangements to endureOctober 11, 2024
  Background: How long will remote work continue? Will the hybrid arrangements persist, or will we be back to all or nothing? Working remotely suddenly expanded into the mainstream in early 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In each subsequent year, employees and employers have been adapting to shifting conditions, each wondering about the road ahead. The unknowns hold many implications, including the type of technology employees will use, buy, or that employers may provide to them. Approach: This MetaFAQs is based on the responses of 23,671 employees over three years from the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2022 through 2024 waves, spanning the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. It reports the percentage of online adults expecting to work remotely in the next 12 months—ranging from never, to occasionally, and up to always. This is further split by age group (18-39 and 40+) and global and US views. These results are drawn from the standard published TUP tables named 200 WFHxEMPAGE.
• Sustained interest in smartwatches, although generations differOctober 10, 2024
  Background: Wearables have extended the literal attachment many consumers maintain to their respective ecosystems. Smartwatches are more than a fashion accessory; they can act as a visible sign of one’s brand choice, much like white headphones or blue text messages. Watching the forward interest in watches is one key indicator of Apple’s future and that of its rivals. Approach: This MetaFAQs is based on the responses of 54,619 respondents over four years from the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2021 through 2024 waves, spanning the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. It reports the percentage of online adults planning to purchase wearables in the next twelve months, specifically an Apple Watch, an Android Smartwatch, some other smartwatch, or a fitness tracker. This is further split by generations for global and US views. These results are drawn from the standard published TUP tables named 810 PLANSxAGEGEN.
• An Apple or Android future – the generations speakOctober 9, 2024
  Background:  As the smartphone market approaches saturation and ubiquity, the competition between ecosystems has become the most closely scrutinized. Will future smartphone consumers choose an Apple iPhone or an Android smartphone? Is Gen X more interested in iPhones, or are they going with Android? Approach: This MetaFAQs is based on the responses of 54,619 respondents over four years from the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2021 through 2024 waves, spanning the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. It reports on the percentage of online adults in three mutually exclusive groups: Those who are planning to purchase an iPhone and not an Android smartphone, those planning to purchase an Android and not an iPhone, and those on the fence – planning to buy either. This is further split by generations for and with a global and US view. These results are drawn from the standard published TUP tables named 810 PLANSxAGEGEN.
• Smartphones overtake computers: Device hour shifts since pre-pandemic timesOctober 3, 2024
  Background: Before the pandemic and economic shifts, online adults worldwide have adjusted which devices they use, how they use them, and how often they use them. Two major changes are the shift from feature phones to smartphones and, following that, the transition from computers to smartphones. One measure of this shift is the time users spend with each type of device. Approach: MetaFacts surveyed 81,608 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan from 2018 through 2024 as part of its annual TUP/Technology User Profile study. Within the survey, as part of detailing the multiple devices that respondents regularly use – smartphones, computers, tablets, and game consoles – we have them report the number of hours they use each device weekly. We aggregate these results for each respondent and then report the mean (average) hours within their country and generational age group.
• The technology remote workers wantSeptember 27, 2024
  Background: As employees continue to work from home, they also continue to seek ways to enhance the technology they rely on for both work and personal needs. The shopping list of desired tech products shifts as employees gain experience working remotely. Approach: MetaFacts surveyed 5,653 online employed adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan as part of its annual TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 study. Within the survey, we have them report their technology purchase plans for the next 12 months, ranging from computers and smartphones to wearables. We also have them report their remote working experience and status – both before the pandemic and currently.
• The sizzle is fizzling in game-specific devices while gamers find ways to play with whatever they haveSeptember 26, 2024
  Fun is a persistent driver of technology usage, especially playing games. However, not all age generations are as interested in playing games as others are. Also, the devices people choose to play games on are evolving, with software becoming more efficient, graphics getting better, and connections getting faster. Also, the adoption of mobile devices, especially smartphones, has made game-playing more easily in reach to even casual gamers. Approach: This MetaFAQs is based on the surveys of 52,618 respondents in the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China from 2021 through 2024. In the TUP/Technology User Profile questionnaire, we asked respondents to specific the activities they do regularly with their devices – smartphones, feature phones, computers, tablets, and game consoles. Among those activities are playing immersive/action games and other games. In addition, we gathered demographics such as age which allows us to group results into generations. The results in this MetaFAQs include tables for 2021 through 2024 detailing the active use of the following activities and devices by country and generation: Online adults (000), Any smartphone, Any PC, Any home PC, Any game console, Any tablet, Any gaming desktop or laptop PC (NET), Any VR headset, Any device – play a game (NET), Any mobile device – game-playing (Net), Any smartphone – game-playing (Net) , Any PC game-playing or gaming PC (Net), Any PC – game-playing (Net), Any home PC – game-playing (Net), Any game console – game-playing (Net), Any tablet – play a game (NET), Any gaming PC – game-playing (Net)
• The aging home computer installed base as most generations delay refreshingSeptember 26, 2024
  Background: Headwinds have faced home computers for years. Prior to the pandemic, adults worldwide were relying less on home computers and more on smartphones, tablets, or for some of the employed, work computers. With the onset of the pandemic, many employees, students, and parents turned to home computers for entertainment, shopping, or to get work done. Now, as many employees and students are returning to previously-established routines, home computer usage levels are returning to the established long-term trend. Approach: MetaFacts surveyed 81,608 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan from 2018 through 2024 as part of its annual TUP/Technology User Profile study. Within the survey, as part of detailing the multiple devices that respondents regularly use – smartphones, computers, tablets, and game consoles – we have them report if they are using a home computer, and how recently they acquired it.
• AI’s adoption easier path among American Apple and ASUS work computer usersSeptember 24, 2024
  AI (artificial intelligence, primarily generative AI tools) has received substantial market attention. Employees are strongly affected, mainly because many AI tools are marketed for productivity and work-related use cases. However, measuring the impact of the media and investor attention is essential to determine the level of interest, receptivity, and caution. There has been enough widespread awareness to measure employee sentiment. Furthermore, commercial computer makers have much of their future contingent upon how well their solutions are put into active use by employees and valued by their employers. Suitability of today’s AI tools aligns better with some occupations more so than others. Approach: This TUPdate is based on the surveys of 1,404 respondents in the US in August 2024 as part of the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile survey. Relevant to this TUPdate, we asked respondents to report their strong agreement to strong disagreement with a series of statements about AI on a five-point scale. The survey further gathered demographics, such as employee role. Current TUP/Technology User Profile service subscribers can find these results on their client portal.
• Home printer market growth quadrants & long-term trendsSeptember 24, 2024
  Background: The use of home printers has declined as a growing share of technology users increasingly transform their images, documents and interactions to digital. Furthermore, users have migrated many activities away from home computers. This TUPdate identifies the areas with the highest potential for growth and near-term acquisition of home printers. Approach: This research measures the active market penetration rates among global and American adults. Results are based on a survey of 13,561 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, Japan, and China, drawn and weighted to be representative of the online population. From this dataset, MetaFacts screened and profiled 6,609 respondents who are using a home printer or plan to acquire one within the next 12 months. This analysis reports on the market based on user’s current and planned use of a home printer in four quadrants: growth, replacement, holding, and uninvolved. MetaFacts also tapped into its surveys of 109,946 respondents from 2017 through 2024 to detail trends in active home printer and home computer usage. This analysis uses data on home printer brand, home printing activities, current and expected remote work status, employment status, respondent age, and home printer age.