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.
Profile of American Chromebook users
Chromebooks have maintained a larger-than-life aspect, acting as a looming threat to Windows & Apple computers. However, their promise of lower price and connected collaboration has not yet been proven since the products are only being regularly used by 6% of American adults. This MetaFAQs profiles the small, hardy group of active Chromebook users, numbering 12.7 million online Americans, detailing the critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age group within gender, employment status, life stage, and mix of technology ecosystems.
Profile of Americans using Facebook
Facebook is the legacy service of the Meta family. With a nearly two-thirds penetration rate, Facebook mirrors the American online population in many respects except two. Middle-aged and older female homemakers have the highest penetration rates. This MetaFAQs report briefly profiles American Facebook users by two vital demographic factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age group and age within gender, and employment status.
Profile of Americans using ad blocking apps
Stop (or limit) the ads! So say nearly a third of Americans consistently since 2019. While advertising drives much of the Internet, a substantial number of online adults use ad-blocking apps on their computers, smartphones, or tablets. This MetaFAQs reports on the levels since 2019, on which platforms ad-blocking apps are being used and which market segments use the apps more or less than others. The segments span the vulnerable to the advantaged, and details differences by racial/ethnic groups, employment status, the mix of technology ecosystems in use, and other characteristics.
Profile of Americans using Samsung computers
Samsung is a leading manufacturer of various products, from smartphones and computer displays to kitchen appliances. Its personal computers have not earned widespread market acceptance among American adults, with its share of the active installed base at five percent. Male Americans aged 35 to 44 are one of Samsung’s most vital demographic groups.
This MetaFAQs profiles current American Samsung computer users by age group, age within gender, employment status, life stage, and mix of technology ecosystems.
Profile of Americans using Windows PCs
Most online Americans use a Windows PC, although currently reaching 59% is not the same as being at everyone’s fingertips. Slightly older American adults are using Windows PCs, with market penetration somewhat higher among men than women.
This MetaFAQs details two characteristics that separate Windows PC users from the general online adult public – age within gender and the number of home PCs in active use. It also details the declining usage of Windows PCs between 2018 and 2021 by employment status and age group segments, contrasting it with the progress of Apple computers and Chromebooks.
Profile of Americans using HP computers
21% of all online American adults regularly use an HP computer. Although not dominating the market, HP computer customers still make a significant dent in the industry. The average age of American HP computer users skews toward older men.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online Americans who regularly use an HP PC by age group, age and gender, employment status, life stage, and technology ecosystem.
Profile of active American iPad users
Apple’s iPads hold the title as the tablets used more than any other. This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of Americans who regularly use an iPad, their unique demographic characteristics, their Apple/Windows/Google combination, and even how they use iPads differently than other tablets are used.
Using tablets to play games
Although the pandemic increased tech use in many areas, tablet gameplay was not one of them. 2020 saw a steep drop in tablet gaming, with a slow resurgence in 2021—a stronger rebound among some groups more than others. This MetaFAQs profiles all online adults who use tablets to play games. This analysis considers online tablet game players by life stage with a look at tablet users in the United States and globally. Report [TUP_doc_2022_0127_tabl] in TUP Lenses: Tablets; Activities; User Profile; Game Consoles, Gaming PCs, and Game-Playing.