PCs continue to hold a central role among online adults, especially as a substantial number work from home or find ways to stay connected. However, PC users are not all the same in the type of PC they use nor how they use them. This TUP Highlights report details the shifting market penetration of PCs, how ownership has changed, and which brands are leading. It details how often PCs are being used as well as how they are being used for everything from remote work to communication, shopping, and entertainment.
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.
Profile of Americans using WhatsApp
WhatsApp is one of the cornerstone services keeping many Americans within the Meta sphere. Working Dads have the highest penetration rates. This MetaFAQs report profiles American WhatsApp 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, number of home PCs used, and mix of technology ecosystems.
Profile of American iPhone users
Apple iPhones have reached nearly every type of online American, although gaps and skews persist. Younger adult students and employees have the highest penetration rates. This MetaFAQs report profiles American iPhone users by four critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age group, employment status, life stage, and mix of technology ecosystems.
Profile of Active American Siri or HomePod users
Apple’s Siri is enjoying steady progress where other voice assistants have not. A third or more of younger Americans – male and female – are active users. Working parents are also being listened to, if not by their children, then at least by Siri. This MetaFAQs report profiles active users of Apple Siri or who have HomePods by a range of distinctive characteristics: age group, employment status, life stage, technology ecosystems, and others.
Profile of Americans expecting to be working from home in one year
The COVID pandemic continues to change many lives, including those working from home as never before. As employers are adapting to shifting conditions, some have brought employees back to the workplace while others are still adapting. This MetaFAQs reports on the expectations by employees about whether or not they expect to be working from home in one year. The brief report is based on 2,681 employed Americans who are currently working from home at least occasionally, profiling them by their age and gender, employment status, educational attainment, and other characteristics.
Technology of single American parents
During the pandemic, parents without a spouse or partner have faced extra stresses, as they deal with school closures, childcare being less available, and other similar challenges. This TUPdate investigates this socially disadvantaged group to report on their current use of technology products and services – penetration by device type, hours of usage, number of devices, and work-from-home status.
Technology profile of Hispanic Americans aged 18-49
During the pandemic, socioeconomically advantaged groups changed their collection and usage of technology devices differently than historically disadvantaged groups. Age 18-49 Hispanic Americans have a higher-than-average share of technology devices than disadvantaged Americans as a group. This group has significantly increased its connected device usage between 2020 and 2021. This TUPdate reports on this group’s status and change in connected devices by type – PCs, home PCs, work PCs, smartphones, game consoles, tablets, and feature phones. It also reports their work-from-home status, hourly device usage, number of devices, and market size.