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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The iPhone and Android smartphone switchers, holders, and refreshers
The undecided are scrutinized not only in the political realm. The switchers wavering between iPhone and Android smartphones are a small yet significant group of interest. Add to that the remaining group of users who are (finally) moving from their feature phones to smartphones, and there is much movement in the marketplace.
The smartphone market has evolved into replacement mode. Both Apple and Android smartphone makers know too well that a user beginning with their ecosystem is no guarantee that they will continue.
Many factors also affect whether smartphone users upgrade their smartphones. In China, in particular, a host of influences has affected purchase plans. These include shifts in the economy, nationalistic pressures, and increased challenges from Apple’s rivals based in China, such as Huawei and Xiaomi. Although speeds and feeds have been the fascination of technology media, users have other qualities in mind when they choose a platform. This is especially true for first-time smartphone users.
This analysis reports on the number of adults by their current and planned status, identifying the size of the market for those who intend to switch, plan to hold, are new to the market, and all other combinations of current and intended smartphone platforms.
Approach
To help measure the smartphone switcher market, we divided online adults into 16 groups. These are based on their usage and upcoming purchase plans for acquiring an iPhone or Android smartphone. Our analysis is of all online adults and includes adults who do not actively use smartphones, will be new to smartphones, and those who use more than one type. This TUPdate is based on the surveys of 13,561 online adults in the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China in August 2024. As part of the TUP/Technology User Profile questionnaire, we asked respondents to identify each smartphone they actively use, including its brand, operating system, and many other details. We also gathered their technology purchase plans for the upcoming twelve months, including purchase intentions for iPhone and Android smartphones.
The shock undermining monoculture or ecosystem dominance
The recent cybersecurity event involving Microsoft and Crowdstrike garnered much attention. It also renewed concern among consumers who may worry their Windows devices will be next to fail.
This TUPdate double-clicks on the devices people use in addition to a single computer, smartphone, or tablet. It splits out the share of online adults around the world (in the US, Germany, UK, Japan, and China) who use a computer, Windows 11 PC, Windows 10 or earlier PC, or Apple computer by the percentage of those who use other devices such as iPhones or Android tablets. It splits out the share of smartphone, iPhone, and Android smartphone users who use computers with Windows 11, 10, or earlier versions, Apple computers, iPads, or Android tablets. It also reports the multi-year shift in how many devices people use regularly. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0723_mono] in TUP Lenses: Devices; PCs; Mobile Phones; Tablets; Technology Ecosystems
Apple’s consistently youthful multi-product customers
Across the US, UK, and China, adults actively use an average of 0.9 Apple OS devices (iPhones, iPads, or Macs). Users in the US consistently lead in the number of Apple devices in use, while the UK has shown the highest recent increase. Germany’s average is lower but has risen since 2017. Younger adults have more Apple devices on average, and successively older adults use fewer. Notably, German adults aged 18 to 24 have the highest mean number of devices, a sharp increase since 2021.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of adults with two or more Apple OS devices from 2017 to 2023, revealing market penetration trends. The statistics are split by country and age group. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0307_2apt] in TUP Lenses: Devices; PCs; Mobile Phones; Tablets; User Profile; Technology Ecosystems
Used and refurbished smartphones are increasing in share, especially among the young
Used or refurbished smartphones are a small but growing trend across all countries surveyed. Younger adults are using them at a higher rate. In the UK, rates have also risen among smartphone users aged 50 and up. Overall rates are highest in the UK and Germany.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of smartphone users actively using a used or refurbished smartphone, split by country and age group. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0302_yret] in TUP Lenses: Devices; Mobile Phones; User Profile