In The era of hypermobility, people around the world strive to get and stay connected wherever they are via multiple technologies devices, abundant app choices and a growing set of service alternatives from the cloud. Consumers can now choose from an array of devices capable of satisfying their need for access to news, information, friends and entertainment anytime.
Gadget Ownership
Mobile
As the internet has increasingly gone mobile, the rise of mobile computing is quite phenomenal and the availability of internet on the go has definitely changed the way mobile devices are used. The cell phone remains the « gadget of choice » among consumers —fully 85% of all adults (Men 88%,Women 82%) and 96% of young adults (18-29 year olds).Yet even among seniors ages 65 and older—a group not traditionally known for its high levels of technology use—nearly six in ten (58%) now own a mobile phone. (Pew Internet.2003-2010)
Mobile phones have become a necessity of modern communications. About 7.8 trillion SMS trillion messages were sent in 2011. SMS traffic is expected to reach 9.6 trillion in 2012. By 2013 worldwide SMS revenue is forecast to break the USD 150 billion mark for the first time next, and is expected to reach 9.4 trillion messages by 2016. 669.5 million people used mobile email in 2011, this is expected to grow to 2.4 billion by 2016.(Informa, Portio Research. 2012)
Computers
Computers are the second-most commonly owned piece of personal technology, as six in ten Americans own a desktop computer and half own a laptop. Just under half of all adults own an mp3 player (47%) or console gaming device (42%), while e-book readers and tablet computers are currently each owned by around one in twenty adults.
Since 2006, Laptop ownership has grown dramatically while desktop ownership has declined slightly. 18-29 year olds are currently the only major demographic group for whom laptops are notably more commonplace than desktop computers. Nearly three-quarters of 18-29 year olds (72%) own a laptop computer, compared with 56% who have a desktop computer. Overall, computer ownership is most prevalent within higher-income households, as more than nine in ten house holds with an annual income of $50,000 or more contain a computer of some kind.(Portio Research. 2012)
Mp3 players
Just under half of adults (47%) own an mp3 player such as an iPod, a nearly five-fold increase from the 11% who owned this type of device in early 2005). As with cell phones, young adults are especially likely to own an mp3 player—75% of 18-29 year olds do so.(Pew Internet.2010)
Game consoles
While six in ten adults between the ages of 18 and 49 own a gaming device, this drops to one-quarter for 50-64 year olds and just 6% for those ages 65 and older. Similarly, adults with children living at home are nearly twice as likely as non-parents to own a game console (64% of parents do so, compared with 33% of non-parents)Men 45 Women 40 Age Game consoles – Console gaming devices like the Xbox and PlayStation are nearly as common as mp3 players, as 42% of Americans own a home gaming device. Parents (64%) are nearly twice as likely as non-parents (33%) to own a game console (Pew Internet.2010).
e-Book Readers and Tablet Computers
Compared to the other devices, e-book readers (such as the Kindle) and tablet computers are relatively new arrivals to the consumer technology scene. In fact, Smartphones have quickly moved from being “new” to “mainstream” as the phone of choice. While tablet computers are still in their infancy, ownership of these devices grew by 50% last year (from 8 % of consumers owning them to 12 % percent). The iPad is currently the dominant tablet device across all geographies, contributing more than 89 % of tablet traffic across all markets(comScore.2011). Most notably, Smartphones and tablets are to a higher extent owned by younger consumers (Accenture’s Electronics.2012).
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