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.
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.
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 Grows as 1st Device, Especially Among Gen Z
Apple cannot claim to be the dominant primary device of adults in the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, or China. However, among Gen X adults, Apple has the clear majority, and the percentage using an iOS, iPadOS, or MacOS device has been growing. Other generational age groups – millennials, Gen X, and the Boomer/Silent generations – have also increased their share primarily using an Apple OS device.
This MetaFAQ reports on the percentage of online adults using an Apple OS device – an iPhone with iOS, an iPad with iPadOS, or an Apple computer with MacOS – split by country and generational age group. Report [TUP_doc_2023_1225_gent] in TUP Lenses: PCs; Mobile Phones; Tablets; User Profile; Technology Ecosystems
Apple Leads for 1st Device, Especially Among Gen Z
Apple Leads for 1st Device, Especially Among Gen Z – Among online adults, Apple devices are emerging as the most frequently used, surpassing Google and Windows ecosystems. This trend is particularly pronounced among Gen Z adults worldwide. Nearly 50% of global Gen Z adults rely on an Apple OS iPhone, iPad, or Mac as their main device. In the U.S., this statistic rises impressively, with two-thirds of online Gen Z adults favoring Apple. Among the highly-educated Gen Z elite in China, Apple holds a more challenged one-third share, yet this still outpaces both Google Android and Windows.
This MetaFAQs offers vital data, detailing the primary operating system choices of online adults. This information is invaluable for tech professionals, aiding them in understanding and navigating the evolving preferences of the digital population. Such insights are key for technology marketers, researchers, and analysts to strategize effectively in an ever-shifting tech landscape. Report [TUP_doc_2023_1007_genz] in TUP Lenses: PCs; Mobile Phones; Tablets; User Profile; Technology Ecosystems
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.
Microsoft CoPilot – generative AI as an enterprise Office 365 service for creatives
Microsoft announced an upcoming service for its Microsoft 365 service that integrates the user’s data using generative AI. Called Microsoft CoPilot, the service will first be offered to enterprises. This TUPdate measures the potential market of those most likely to adopt and benefit from the service.
Active game-players by platforms
Game consoles get most of the attention in the gaming market. Many more online adults actively play immersive or other games using their connected devices – smartphones, tablets, or computers – than use game consoles. Outside of the US, Windows PCs outnumber smartphones as the game-playing platform of choice, especially in Germany and Japan. This TUP analysis reports the number of online adults actively playing immersive or other games by platform type and country.
Windows notebook usage by socioeconomic groups
Windows laptop/notebook computers have declined in use during the pandemic, especially among traditionally disadvantaged groups of Americans. No traditionally disadvantaged groups have higher market penetration rates than those historically advantaged. Employment status is a major factor associated with Windows laptop usage, less so than age.
This TUPdate looks at the profile of American adults who currently use a Windows laptop/notebook along several lines: the socioeconomic group they are part of, their life stage, employment status, and age.
Windows PC usage & plans by socioeconomic groups
Windows PCs have declined in use during the pandemic, especially among traditionally disadvantaged groups of Americans. No traditionally disadvantaged groups have higher market penetration rates than those historically advantaged. Older employed Americans have sustained their Windows PC use while rates among Gen Z adults have plummeted.
This TUPdate looks at the profile of American adults who currently use a Windows PC along several lines: the socioeconomic group they are part of, their life stage, employment status, and age.