How different are advantaged from disadvantaged Americans in how intensively they use their technology devices? How much has this changed since before the pandemic? How do historically socioeconomically advantaged groups such as high-income or college graduates compare to disadvantaged groups such as single parents, low-income, less-educated, elderly, or people of color? This TUP analysis reports on the average number of hours connected devices – mobile phones, computers, and tablets – being used by each socioeconomic group.
Profile of Americans playing games using a connected device
Game-playing is more widespread than many people realize; a regular activity of 128.8 million online Americans. Those who only follow game consoles may not realize the extent of game-playing extending to smartphones, PCs, and tablets. Game-playing is an everyday activity for 59% of online Americans. This MetaFAQs profiles the group of game-players using connected devices, detailing the critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age, age within gender, employment status, household size, and life stage.
Declining hours of connected device use
After peaking at the start of the COVID pandemic, the hours online adults use their connected devices have broadly declined. Across the US, Germany, and the UK, total device hours have even dropped below their pre-pandemic levels. This MetaFAQs report, based on the results of TUP research from 2016 through 2021, details the hours spent using home PCs, work PCs, smartphones, and tablets and how those hours have shifted.
Purchase plans for smartphones and tablets by OS, country, and age
Globally, more online adults plan to buy an iPhone than buy an Android smartphone. In purchase plans, iPads lead Android tablets even more substantially. The gap and direction vary by country and age of the respondent. This MetaFAQs reports purchase plans among online adults by device type, country, and age group.
User activities reveal ecosystem strengths
While some may argue that a smartphone is a smartphone regardless of its ecosystem, users beg to differ, as shown by their actions. This MetaFAQs profiles activity usage differences between iPhones and Android smartphones, Windows PCs, Apple Macs, and Chromebooks, and iPads, Android, and Windows tablets.
Mobile Phones TUP Lens
Smartphones have rapidly, although not completely, replaced feature phones. Smartphone users have expanded their range of activities with new uses while also increasingly migrating activities from computers and tablets. This TUP Highlights Report profiles smartphones – their market penetration, user demographic profile, regular activities, usage profile, key competitors, and purchase plans.
This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: penetration of smartphones versus feature phones, smartphone brand share, top activities for smartphones, smartphone carrier share, smartphone usage profile, trends in technology ecosystems, major activities for a market segment, and the profile of smartphone users.
Virtual reality headset use among socioeconomic groups
VR headsets have received recent attention again after more than a decade of on-again/off-again experimentation with limited market acceptance. While the overall penetration rate of actively-used VR headsets has reached 5% for the first time in 2021, usage rates vary considerably across socioeconomic groups. Having the means to acquire all that’s needed to fully enjoy VR headsets isn’t the only factor affecting adoption as even some upper-income groups are only nominally further ahead than other less advantaged groups. The groups being reported consider age group, employment status, household size, ethnicity, presence of children, educational attainment, and other socioeconomic factors.
User profile by operating system ecosystem
Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, October 13, 2021
Apple for youngest adults and Windows for the middle
- Windows has the broadest overall market penetration of any OS family
- Globally, Windows is strongest among adults who are employed, in larger households, working from home, and neither the oldest nor youngest
- Apple OS devices have their strongest market penetration among younger adults, especially those employed and working from home
- Apple’s global market penetration is supported in three ways: iPhones, Macs, and iPads
- The global penetration of Google OS devices is primarily supported by Android smartphones.
Technology ecosystem device penetration by country, age, and employment status
One measure of an ecosystem’s breadth is its market penetration. This MetaFAQs splits out the percentage of online adults using major OS families and form factors – such as Windows PCs and iPhones – by country and by age and employment status.
Windows leads what Apple and Google divide [MetaFAQs]
Windows, Apple, and Google (Android, Chromebook) are each stronger or weaker by form factor and country. This MetaFAQs reports on the share of each OS ecosystem by country and within the US, by age group.