Sociodemographically distinct groups vary in composition, technology devices and services, and how they use what they have. Most advantaged groups have bolstered their technology collection during the pandemic and increased their usage levels. Most disadvantaged segments, meanwhile, have used what they have at hand more so than acquiring newer technology. Older millennials have the wealthiest collection of technology devices, well above that of every other age group. This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: usage segments, segments, and trends in segments.
Highlights: Technology Ecosystems
While some device makers focus on speeds, feeds, and features, others are playing the long game to build long-term customer loyalty through ecosystems. This TUP Technology Ecosystems Highlights report reports on the size of leading technology ecosystems, which types of devices are dominating (or not), and their longer-term trends. It details the unique activities users focus on within certain ecosystems, and profiles each ecosystem’s users.
Highlights: Activities
What we do paints a richer picture than what we carry or own. All computers are not used the same and nor are smartphones or tablets. Each user has their preference about how they spend their time. Also, each user expresses their choices about which connected devices they turn to for each type of activity. While some see their tablets as passive movie screens, others rely on them as communication hubs. Some users prefer to shop on a computer, while others rely more on their smartphones.
This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: main activities across all tech devices, major activities for each device type, activities unique to which device type, cross-device activities, the profile of activity type users, major activities for a market segment, home entertainment activities, the profile by key activities, and listening activities.
Highlights: Wearables, Hearables, Listening & Speaking
Entertainment, communication, and smart homes have all evolved beyond requiring typing on a keyboard or sitting near PC speakers. Wearable and hearables have extended a broad range of audible activities further towards a more personal convenience. However, active usage of any wearables or hearables has varied considerably across market segments. While Bluetooth headphones are widespread, VR headsets persist as niche products among a younger, more affluent, and tech-savvy segment. Smart speakers, in contrast, are showing signs of having peaked after rising in use among a middle market.
This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: wearables penetration, hearables penetration, wearable devices used, trends in wearables and hearables, purchase plans for wearables, listening activities, penetration of voice assistant usage, the profile of voice assistant users, the profile of hearables users, and the profile of wearables users.
Highlights: Consumer Electronics
Hearables are having a tumultuous time during the pandemic, and users adapt to shifting situations. Webcams are a significant force, as are wireless Bluetooth headsets, both pivotal for users working or schooling from home. Meanwhile, voice-enabled speakers have reached a plateau, reaching their largest share among neither the youngest nor oldest adults. Smartwatches have made inroads across nearly all age groups, especially younger employed adults.
This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: purchase plans for wearables, hearables penetration, wearables penetration, trends in consumer electronics, the profile of hearables users, the profile of wearables users, the profile of key consumer electronics users, and device activities compared to consumer electronics.
Digital health usage among Americans
Digital technology has empowered people worldwide to be more involved with and aware of their health, with a growing and rich collection of devices and information sources. However, has supply outpaced the demand? This TUPdate reports on the active usage of critical health devices and health-oriented activities. It details the number of online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Germany who track their steps using a smartphone, uses a smartwatch or fitness tracker, or regularly search for health information online.
Wearing a smartwatch or fitness tracker
Smartwatches and fitness trackers are about more than athletic pursuits and telling the time. Market penetration has grown, and adoption has expanded beyond the earliest wearables users. The US has higher market penetration than the UK or Germany, and Japan has less than the other three.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan that regularly use a smartwatch or fitness tracker, further split by age group in each country.
Profile of Americans who wear a fitness tracker
Who’s tracking their fitness? Are online Americans still using fitness trackers to count their steps—and more? 17% of all online American adults report using a wearable electronic activity tracker (like FitBit) at least once per month.
This MetaFAQs reports on Americans in 2021 who wear a fitness tracker by age group, age within gender, employment status, household size, life stage, educational attainment, home PCs, technology ecosystem involvement, and technology ecosystem entrenchment.
Profile of Americans who wear an Apple Watch
Smartwatches are about more than telling the time. Apple Watch has made its most substantial inroads among employed Americans, with children and neither the youngest nor the oldest adults. This MetaFAQs profiles the 32.7 million (17%) online Americans actively using an Apple Watch, detailing the critical demographic and behavioral factors that distinguish them from the average American online adult: age, age within gender, employment status, household size, life stage, number of home PCs, and technology ecosystems.
Highest ecosystem penetrations [MetaFAQs]
All it takes is one—especially when it comes to joining an ecosystems or brand footprint. A basic measure of ecosystem strength or brand footprint is how many customers are using at least one of its products or services.
This MetaFAQs reports on the use of one or more products or services by online adults spanning: Microsoft Windows and Xbox; Facebook networks or Portals; HP PCs or printers; Amazon shoppers and Alexa users; Apple iPhones, iPads, Watches, and Macs; Google Android/ChromeOS smartphones and tablets; and Samsung smartphones, PCs, and tablets. This report measures online adults in the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, China, and India from TUP/Technology User Profile 2020, which is TUP’s 38th annual.