In larger households, adults tend to spend more time on digital devices compared to those in smaller households. Adults in larger households use their connected devices more hours per week than those in smaller households. This pattern holds among online Americans, Britons, Japanese, and Chinese. Among German adults, the pattern is bimodal, with usage highest among German adults with 3 persons in their household.
This MetaFAQs reports on the average (mean) weekly hours online adults use their connected devices (computers, smartphones, tablets) during a week. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0119_busy] in TUP Lenses: Devices; PCs; Mobile Phones; Tablets; User Profile; Households
Gen Z and Millennial voices are heard, by assistants
Voice commands preceded the hype of AI with the promise that technology users would be able to get things done with their voices. Market reception was robust initially, then sagged, and has since returned to moderate levels among certain age groups. A skew toward higher market penetration among younger adults is apparent in the US and UK but less in Germany and China.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online adults who use a voice assistant through their primary connected device – a smartphone, computer, tablet, or game console, divided by age group and country. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0113_yvoi] in TUP Lenses: Mobile Phones; Consumer Electronics; User Profile; Activities; Technology Ecosystems; Wearables, Hearables, Listening, and Speaking
Gameplayers shift platforms, drifting from consoles and PCs
Playing games is a regular activity for around half of online adults in the US, Germany, the UK, and Japan, a practice that has remained relatively steady since 2021. What has changed is the play platform of choice, as smartphones grow in favor while PCs and game consoles diminish. While Gen Z leads in gameplaying activity, the Boomer/Silent generations have increased their fun behavior, especially with smartphones.
This MetaFAQ reports on the percentage of online adults who regularly play games using a game console, smartphone, PC, gaming PC, or other connected device from 2021 through 2023. This information is split into generational age groups among Americans. Report [TUP_doc_2023_1227_gamt] in TUP Lenses: Mobile Phones; User Profile; Activities; Game Consoles, Gaming PCs, and Game-Playing
Gamers pass the halfway mark
Gamers pass the halfway mark – Over half of the online adults in the US, UK, and highly-educated segments in China regularly play games using their connected devices. While Generation Z leads in game-playing rates, it’s a popular activity across all age groups. Interestingly, there’s no single predominant device for gaming. Smartphones are more prevalent for gaming than consoles among adults in many countries, particularly among Gen X and Boomers. While gaming PCs are gaining traction, their presence is still less than most platforms, barring tablets. Notably, only a minority of Gen X and Boomer players prefer tablets over gaming PCs. This MetaFAQs provides the detailed penetration of game-playing activity, segmented by platform, country, and generation. Report [TUP_doc_2023_1009_game] in TUP Lenses: User Profile; Activities; Game Consoles, Gaming PCs, and Game-Playing
Home entertainment activities among online Americans
Having fun is one of the main activities for which online Americans use their connected devices – smartphones, home computers, or tablets. In the time prior to and since Covid, there has been a shift in which devices online Americans mostly use for entertainment.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online Americans who regularly use their connected devices for entertainment activities, showing the four-year trend from 2019 through 2022 and drilling down into generational age groups and device types: smartphone, home computers, and tablets.
Home PC trends and generational shifts – 2011-2022 – US
Home computers are losing their preeminence among online Americans. Since 2011, home computers have fallen from near ubiquity among online Americans to being regularly used by a dwindling majority.
This TUPdate reports on the penetration rates of home computers, Windows home PCs, Apple home computers, and Google OS (Chromebook) computers and overall level detailed by age generation. It also identifies how people have changed how they use home computers since the onset of the pandemic.
Brief profile of Americans regularly playing games using connected devices
Fun is a major pastime for most, but not all, American adults using connected devices. Whether they use a game console, gaming PC, regular computer, tablet, or mobile phone, most Americans regularly play immersive or other games.
This TUPdate briefly profiles Americans who regularly play immersive/video or other games, detailing their age, gender, employment status, presence of children, life stage, and use of game-specific devices such as a VR headset.
Brief profile of American game console users
American adults actively using game consoles are not all young males, even while this group dominates. Many are employed full-time or part-time and raising families. Game consoles are just one device they use for fun.
This MetaFAQs profiles active adult users of game consoles by age, gender, life stage, and employment status. It also reports on the penetration of game consoles among users of other devices for play – VR headsets, gaming computers, and everyday computers, smartphones, and tablets.
Consumer electronics penetration among American generations and employees
Younger American adults, especially those employed, use more consumer electronics products and services than other online Americans, with a few notable exceptions. This MetaFAQs reports several highlights from the published TUP tables focused on the key technology devices Americans actively use. This table set is labeled 480 CE, and the selected tables for this MetaFAQs are split by age group, household size, and work-from-home status. It specifically focuses on the key device metrics which show the penetration of consumer electronics products and services such as wearables, smart home, digital entertainment, and printing services.
Profile of Americans actively using Apple Siri voice assistant
Controlling one’s environment by simply speaking has been the stuff of science fiction for decades. Apple was an early entrant with its PlainTalk speech recognition technology on certain Macintoshes in the 1990’s. Since its renewed entrance with Apple Siri on iPhones a decade ago, active market penetration has climbed to exceed one in five online Americans. This MetaFAQs profiles American active Apple Siri users by several critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age group and age within gender, employment status, household size, life stage, and number of PCs used.