Apple – MetaFacts TUP Client Portal

February 2, 2025March 25, 2025

Apple work computer users at a crossroads

Background:

Apple has continued to remain an underdog within the commercial computer market, with a consistently lower market share than Windows-based computers. With Apple’s growing emphasis on its own silicon and other technical innovations from displays to operating system integration, Apple has managed to maintain loyalty among employees as well as commercial IT/IS decision-makers.

The looming prospect of Microsoft withdrawing support from Windows 10, the chance to leverage AI and ML using Apple’s silicon, and to tap into the continued expansion of Apple’s footprint with its many consumer products and services presents opportunities for Apple to expand its reach into the hands of employees.

However, with the prospect of higher costs spurred by challenges brought on by US tariff uncertainty, likely supply chain challenges, and general economic disruptions, employers are at a crossroads with their technology investments. Remote work patterns have remained generally unchanged since the first year of Covid lockdowns, and the expectation is that they will continue for most employers.

Approach:

This one-time TUP data cut profiles active employed computer users by those using Apple computers versus users of any other work computer brand. We profile the age of computers 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 Apple and non-Apple work computer users.

These results are based on the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 datasets. Of these, 2,340 respondents represent employed online adults in the US, Germany, the UK, and Japan who actively use a work/employer-provided 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.

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Usage guidelines: This document may be freely shared within and outside your organization in its entirety and unaltered. It may not be used with a generative AI system without separate licensing and express written permission. To share or quote excerpts, please contact MetaFacts.

January 25, 2025March 13, 2025

iPhone user base – broader and still somehow different

Background:

Apple is well known for being marketers, more so than simply being device makers. Their focus has helped them attract and retain a unique set of customers, historically earlier adopters and those of upper-socioeconomic standing. However, as Apple has continued to broaden its market to sustain growth, the “different” qualities of its active customer may diminish, causing their customer base to become less different than the average consumer.

Approach:

This one-time TUP data cut profiles smartphone users by those using an Apple iPhone versus users of any other smartphone. We provide a comprehensive demographic profile of current iPhone users’ 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 iPhone and non-Apple smartphone users.

The TUP data cut features a set of standardized cross-tabulations from TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 in Excel format. The results are drawn from 10,844 smartphone users across the US, Germany, the UK, and Japan. It also includes a topline summary.

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January 7, 2025January 28, 2025

Windows 10 PC users up for grabs

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.

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January 6, 2025February 18, 2025

Home mobile computing in the balance, as users choose

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.

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November 13, 2024December 5, 2024

Profile of American wireless item tracker users

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.

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October 10, 2024November 1, 2024

Sustained interest in smartwatches, although generations differ

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.

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October 9, 2024November 1, 2024

An Apple or Android future – the generations speak

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.

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September 27, 2024December 2, 2024

The technology remote workers want

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.

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September 24, 2024November 1, 2024

AI’s adoption easier path among American Apple and ASUS work computer users

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.

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September 23, 2024November 6, 2024

iPhone and Android switchers swayed by privacy, learning, and AI attitudes

Background:
A hotly contested group of consumers and employees includes those switching between using iPhones and Android smartphones. Attitudes about and experiences with AI will likely influence consumer’s choices of ecosystems. Apple recently announced Apple Intelligence, its own adaptation of user-facing AI, beyond the machine learning horsepower in its devices. Google has increasingly developed AI tools, with some being consumer-facing and others further back in the stack.

Approach:
MetaFacts surveyed 12,032 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan as part of its annual TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 study. Within the survey, along with detailing the smartphones they use, we have them report their purchase plans for the coming 12 months. We also assess their attitudes about AI’s ability to help them be more creative, productive, or to learn new things along with many other positive and negative attitudes about AI.

We analyzed the iPhone/Android switcher market by dividing the market into 16 segments based on their current use of an iPhone or Android smartphone and their intention to acquire an iPhone or Android or not refresh their device.

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