Are Americans really a nation of early adopters? Are early adopters mostly age 18-24 in the U.S. and other countries? While Americans pride themselves on many forward-thinking attributes, it is not ranked first for early PC adopters compared with many developed and developing countries.

Think back to how old you were the first time you used a personal computer. If you are American and were 17 or younger, then you’re in the youngest 21% of American early adopters and ranked 10th among 16 major countries. As an under-18 adopter in Brazil, you’re less unique, being in the same group as 31% of today’s Brazilian online adults, and ranked 1st for youthful PC adoption. If you were 26 and Italian, Australian, or Saudi Arabian, then you were younger than average in your country.

There are many reasons that some countries have a higher share of young first-time PC users than other countries. One element is how evenly income is distributed, as shown by measures such as the Gini coefficient. Countries such as Brazil and Mexico have a similar distribution of income today as they had when PCs were becoming widely available there in the 1980’s, so today’s wealthier adults were most often in wealthy families which had better access to technology. There are also cultural differences, some of which encourage younger people to use technology for their education or economic future. Other cultures may discourage youngsters from using technology, such as for their safety and privacy. Saudi Arabia is affected by this cultural preference, even though its wealthiest citizens are still the strongest adopters.

South Korea is at the latest end of the age-adoption spectrum. On first glance, this may seem counterintuitive to Korea-watchers, since South Korea has enacted and maintained national policy to narrow its digital divide and to get its population online and connected to the Internet. In fact, in doing so, South Korea leapfrogged many other countries in the speed and breadth of its citizens’ connectivity. However, since this was enacted relatively recently, it accelerated the adoption rate among adults in the workplace, and to some degree less among younger children in homes.

Why is this important?

Assuming that early adopters are all young Millennial Gen Y or Gen Z oversimplifies the market and misses the mark. Experience matters, since tech-savvy users make different decisions than relative newbies, particularly when correcting for age.

The age of first PC use as well as the years of usage tell a lot about the person’s experience, with the past pointing the way toward their likeliest future choices. After all, someone who has gone through 10 versions of Microsoft Windows (including Millennium Edition) will have a different perspective than a similarly-aged first-time PC user.

In conducting factor analysis with the Technology User Profile datasets, MetaFacts finds that both earliest age of adoption and length of experience are strong additional factors to explain the variance when predicting the heaviest and lightest consumers of new information technology and consumer electronics products and services. These factors are in addition to other other more standard demographics. In other words, likelihood to adopt new technology is not only about youth; early adopters are more likely to act like early adopters even as they age.

This has implications for any tech marketers seeking a more effective path than the simplified approach of focusing marketing primarily to certain younger age groups. The first implication is to lower the risk of wasting resources with misdirected energy. Another implication is that new & stronger markets may emerge beyond the stereotypical young adopter as early adopter, leading to even more effective results.

Source

The findings in this TUPdate are drawn from the MetaFacts Technology User Profile Survey. In each wave of Technology User Profile, we survey a representative sample of respondents about their use of mobile phones, computers, technology attitudes, and many other consumer electronics products and services, behavioral and socioeconomic factors. Current TUP subscribers can access and drill down more deeply into this phenomenon using TUP Interactive Access or with their datasets.

We began the above analysis by first looking at the answers from over 30,889 respondents in the Technology User Profile service and then drilled down further into their profiles to get a more complete picture.

To see other research coverage of Internet products and activities  – from smartphones to feature phones, desktops to notebooks, social networking, demographics, and attitudes – see the many other questions TUP answers on www.technologyuser.com. Tech market research professionals can license direct access to TUP.

The MetaFacts Technology User Profile Overview Edition report is available immediately on www.metafactsstore.com, which covers the broader range of key trends. View findings in 25 pages of executive summary analysis, 200+ pages of charts and graphs, all supported by 95+ pages of detailed tables. The complete, 300+ page report is delivered to you electronically.

About TUPdates

MetaFacts releases ongoing syndicated original research on the market shifts, trends and consumer profiles for Smartphones, Netbooks, Mobile PCs, Workplace PCs, Home PCs, Web Creators, Broadband, and many other technology products and services. These TUPdates are short analytical articles in a series of specific topics utilizing the Technology User Profile Annual Edition study, which reveals the changing patterns of technology adoption around the world. Interested technology professionals can sign up at www.metafacts.com for complimentary TUPdates – periodic snapshots of technology markets.

About MetaFacts

MetaFacts helps technology marketers find and measure their best and future customers. MetaFacts’ Technology User Profile (TUP) survey is the longest-running, large-scale comprehensive study of its kind, conducted continuously since 1983, the year before Apple released the Apple Macintosh. The detailed results are a primary market sizing and segmentation resource for leading companies providing consumer-oriented technology products and services, such as PCs, printers, software applications, peripherals, consumer electronics, mobile computing, and related services and products. TUP analyzes key trends and the data-rich source can be dived into more deeply for custom analysis. For more information about the syndicated research service, analysis tools, publications and datasets, contact MetaFacts at 1-760-635-4300.

A MetaFacts TUPdate by Dan Ness, MetaFacts Principal Analyst

How much does a weak AT&T signal affect how its subscribers use their smartphones? Now that Apple’s iPhone is officially being launched on Verizon’s network, will disgruntled subscribers simply jump carriers? Also, how large is the gap between this perception of AT&T’s network and Verizon’s?

There has been a lot of press about AT&T’s smartphone subscribers not getting the signal they want when they want it, particularly for its Apple iPhone users.

Based on our most recent wave of Technology User Profile (TUP) surveys, there is a relationship between how well subscribers perceive they are getting signal and how fully they use their smartphones.

Just under half (49%) of light-usage AT&T smartphone subscribers agree or strongly agree with the statement “My mobile phone is able to get signal any time so I can use it anywhere.” These light-usage Smartphone subscribers use their Smartphone more like a Basic Mobile Phone, with a below–average number of activities, focusing on core activities such as phone calls and text messages.

By comparison, 61% of heavy-usage AT&T Smartphone subscribers agree or strongly agree they can get signal when & where they want. The enjoy their Smartphones for a much richer range of activities, including downloading paid apps at 36 times the rate of light users. Other activities enjoyed by more than 30% of smartphone users and much more often by heavy-usage smartphone users are managing tasks (20x), watching movies (19x), keeping a calendar (12x), and checking sports, news, movie times, and weather (9x). In essence, when smartphone users can’t connect, they can’t fully enjoy what a smartphone can and will do for them.

Perception of signal-AT&T and Verizon

Will Verizon be that different?

By comparison, Verizon’s current smartphone subscribers cite fewer problems with the network. While 86% of AT&T’s smartphone subscribers agree or are neutral about their ability to get signal when they want, 94% of Verizon’s subscribers similarly agree or are neutral.

This signal perception gap is not wide enough by itself to fully sway subscriber’s future choices. While it will continue to get a lot of press, other issues may not get as much attention, yet may have stronger damping effects.

Dissatisfied Smartphone subscribers may simply move to a Basic Mobile Phone. The idea of moving to a mobile phone that’s not sexy or advanced may seem like heresy, particularly within some parts of tech media. Reliability and simplicity appear to be growing in their importance as key buying factors. After all is said and done, subscribers do want to actually use what they’re carrying and paying for.

Furthermore, most buyers of new technology don’t often like to admit their frustrations and difficulties. There’s a personal identification with products like Smartphones, particularly among the least-technical earliest adopters. In other research MetaFacts has publicly released, we’ve identified a strong market for prepaid wireless and for the use of Basic Mobile Phones, and not only among the unemployed or socioeconomically disadvantaged.

Although Smartphones and signal issue get a lot of attention, consumers prove repeatedly that their choices, and subsequently the marketplace, is more complex than on first look.

Signal perception by mobile phone usage for AT&T Smartphone subscribers

Source

MetaFacts Technology User Profile Overview Edition – report available immediately on www.metafactsstore.com. View findings in 25 pages of executive summary analysis, 200+ pages of charts and graphs, all supported by 95+ pages of detailed tables. The complete, 300+ page report is delivered to you electronically. This edition is for the U.S. based on the 2010 wave of Technology User Profile gathered among a scrupulously selected set of representative respondents, surveyed both online and offline.

To see other research coverage of communication products and activities – from smartphones to feature phones, desktops to notebooks, social networking, chat, and webcams – see the other communication-oriented questions TUP covers on www.technologyuser.com

About TUPdates

MetaFacts releases ongoing research on the market shifts and profiles for Smartphones, Netbooks, Windows Vista, Mobile PCs, Workplace PCs, Home PCs, Moms and Dads, Web Creators, Broadband, and many other technology industry trends and facts. These TUPdates are short analytical articles in a series of specific topics utilizing the Technology User Profile Annual Edition study, which reveals the changing patterns of technology adoption around the world. Interested technology professionals can sign up at www.metafacts.com for complimentary TUPdates – periodic snapshots of technology markets.

Is it a myth or is it reality?

The tech industry gets a lot of its juice from myths. After all, creating a future can rely on science fiction and imagination when there isn’t any better information.

However, when things aren’t moving as quickly as hoped or seeming as certain as during the early ’80′s or late 90′s, then it’s worth it to check the myths to see how far along they are towards reality.

One decades-old story features handheld, wearable, or tablet technology that displaces and replace desktop and notebook PCs. Today, the closest thing to that vision is the Smartphone, from the venerable RIM Blackberry to Apple’s iPhone and the flock of Android, Symbian, and Windows-based mobile phones.

While the ever-enthusiastic band of designers, engineers, early adopters and fanboys will describe, ad perpetuam, the many capabilities available in the newest smartphones, what actual users end up actually using often falls short of what is possible. It’s the gap between the possible and the reality where the seriously interested can understand when and how which segment of the market will and won’t adopt technology.

True veterans of the technology industry have seen many grand castles in the air fade into the mist.

Based on our latest waves of Technology User Profile surveys, it’s too early to declare the PC dead. In fact, at present, PCs are more engrained in American’s everyday lives than ever.

The MetaFacts: At present, Smartphone users use more PCs than other adults, and they PCs they use, they use for more activities than other adults (including communication activities)

The MetaFacts: A higher share of Smartphone users say their computer is even more useful than in the previous year.

The MetaFacts: One in four Smartphone users feel their current computer is outdated, and this is the same percentage among users of Basic Mobile Phones.

So, even though Smartphones are increasingly getting closer to the capabilities of PCs, based on how people actually use their Smartphones, it’s too early to declare that this particular myth “Smartphones have replaced PCs” as a reality.

Further Resources

This particular TUPdate draws on the recently released Technology User Profile Overview Report. Contact MetaFacts for more information.

To see other coverage of communication – from cell phones to PC with social networking, chat and webcams – see the other communication-oriented questions TUP covers.

About TUPdates

MetaFacts releases ongoing research on the market shifts and profiles for Smartphones, Netbooks, Windows Vista, Mobile PCs, Workplace PCs, Home PCs, Moms and Dads, Web Creators, Broadband, and many other technology industry trends and facts. These TUPdates are short analytical articles in a series of specific topics utilizing the Technology User Profile Annual Edition study, which reveals the changing patterns of technology adoption around the world. Interested technology professionals can sign up at www.metafacts.com for complimentary TUPdates – periodic snapshots of technology markets.

About MetaFacts

MetaFacts, Inc. is a national market research firm focusing exclusively on the technology industries. MetaFacts’ Technology User Profile survey is the longest-running, large-scale comprehensive study of its kind, conducted continuously since 1983, the year before Apple released the Apple Macintosh. The detailed results are widely recognized as a primary market sizing and segmentation resource for leading companies providing consumer-oriented technology products and services, such as PCs, printers, software applications, peripherals, consumer electronics, mobile computing, and related services and products. For more information about the syndicated research service, publications and datasets, contact MetaFacts at 1-760-635-4300.

Extensive solid information about multi-platform usage shifts–who accesses what technology, and where and how they do it–is available in TUP – Technology User Profile.

As consumers’ options for communication, entertainment, and organization grow, one thing seems to stay the same:  change. The more choices that choosy consumers have, the more choices they want, and if they can get it all in one package–even better. But that may not mean that smartphones are replacing PCs–when you can have all the options in one place, certain consumers prefer a few devices to choose between.

Below are a few examples of questions addressed in TUP related to the multi-platform reality. The full TUP service enables drilling down beyond the answers to these questions to identify which other technologies, services and behaviors are disruptive and to profile which market segments are and aren’t adopting. TUP is much more than a one-dimensional market view or opinion piece, since it provides dynamic data to answer the following key questions, as well as many others.

• Is the smartphone killing PC shopping?
• Which segments are keeping their files, calendars, or other information synchronized or backed up online?
• How are users communicating, given all their communication options?
• Primacy – what is the center of the user’s world? Their home PC, work PC, mobile phone? Is it one device or many?
• How many screens do people view? Which market segments view more screens than other segments?
• Are PC users primarily accessing the Internet at home, in the workplace, using friends or neighbor’s computers, or in public places such as libraries or cybercafés? Which users use other’s PCs and which have many to choose from? Are smartphones or netbooks changing this?
• What is the mix of communication products and services – landline, wireless, email, IM, etc. – by segment?
• Who is videoconferencing, and using which platform?
• Which segments are the most music-intensive? What is the overlap of music-centered products and services by segment?
• To what extent does game-playing drive online usage specifically and tech usage overall?
• How many and which segments are watching and renting movies on which platforms?
• Netbooks – how soon and with which market segments?
• Multitasking – who’s using lots of devices for lots of apps, few devices many apps, etc.?
• What is the impact on privacy in use of social networking?
• Who is using mobile payments?
• How have PC/Online & Mobile Phone activities changed? How might this affect apps?
• Do game players bring their gaming with them into the workplace? To what extent? Which market segment does this the most?
• Who are the true early adopters and laggards? How does this vary by actual usage of specific products and technologies?
• Which smartphone OS is leading, and with which market segments?
• How much have PC users integrated PCs into their personal lives?
• What do most people do with their mobile phone as compared to their PC? Which align with which platforms?
• What do users sync or store in the cloud? How does this differ between mobile phones and PCs? How do users share images – social networking sites or photo-specific sites? Which users are the most active?
• When do you grow up and give up on your Apple? When do get one again, if you do?
• Who’s busiest – desktop users or notebook users? How do their profiles differ?
• Netbooks – are they replacing notebooks? Stalling smartphones? Withering?
• Which segments are using which devices & carriers? For which activities?
• Age-related market adoption – which products and services are age-skewed? Which are skewed toward older rather than younger users?
• Who is buying the highest-end PCs? Are there brand differences? What else do users buy and what else do they use?
• What other activities are just outside the box for gamers? Online dating? Social Networking? Music? Movies? Entertainment in general?
• Most-mobile customers – where do they go and what do they do?
• iPhone users – who are they really? How do they compare with Android, Windows, and Blackberry users?
• Entertainment primacy – what is the center of the user’s home entertainment world? Is it one device or many?
• Which devices and services, and among which segments?
• What types and combinations of consumer electronics are homes using and planning to use?
• In reality, how deeply has the Apple iPod penetrated the market, and into which market segments?
• How many people use calendars on their PC, their mobile phone, or both? Which types of people are these?
• How are smartphones challenging mobile PCs? Which market segments are coalescing around which platforms?
• Is email being replaced by alternatives such as social networking, texting, or IM?
• How prominent is Home PC renting versus outright purchase?
• Have game-players been the first to adopt new products such as the Apple iPhone? Or, are they generally later adopters?
• Is it really one to a customer? How often are PCs shared? Which market segments use more than one PC?
• What are the overall future trends for the Internet?
• How has the division of work vs. personal use of technology products continued to blur?
• Which tech buyers focus more on retail than shopping online and vice versa?
• Which operating systems dominate within which segments?
• How much of the game-playing population is older versus younger?
• Special printer paper? Who uses it and what for? Is it only photos, or something else?
• How are users incorporating digital images, through the use of digital cameras, scanners, downloading images, as well as how are they producing output?
• What makes a smartphone a smartphone in the consumer’s eyes? How does usage compare to basic mobile phones? What are the user segments?
• Which market segments are dating online? What else do they frequently do online?
• What about the anti-social – those that aren’t in an online social network? Who are they?
• How does the life and lifespan of a PC vary by form factor? Does it vary by brand? By user segment?
• How prominent is printing images from mobile phones?
• Tech adoption cycles may not be as fast as the tech-focused think. How many and which users still use film cameras?
• Which segments are utilizing the cloud? For which activities?
• Navigation, online maps, location-based mobile phone services, and GPS – who’s getting directions?
• Are mobile computers used longer or shorter than desktops? If so, what’s the difference, and who uses them longest?
• What are consumers planning to buy? (in consumer electronics, connected home, computers, Internet, etc.)
• How much is assisted navigation part of life – and on which platform?
• Do users find their PCs to be more useful or less useful? Which users are the most practically-oriented?
• How tech-experienced are game-players?
• Which market segments are renting movies? Are they renting DVDs at a retailer, by mail, or at a kiosk? Do they watch them online?
• What happens to old PCs? Are they dumped? Recycled? Sold? Which segments dispose in which way?
• What are the major activities that people do with their printers?
• What is the tech-owning profile of active gamers? High-bandwidth or dial-up? Many consumer electronics entertainment products or focused on gaming? Many computers or few? How does this vary by segment?
• How rich is the user’s printing experience? Do they use only one printer or more than one? For multi-printer users, which ones do they use? Who are the most-active printer users?
• Do PC users behave differently as they gain more experience? Are Newbies or Vets mostly focusing on certain activities versus a broad mixture?
• How do the market segments of mobile phone platforms vary?
• How social-network active are the various tiers of gamers?
• How central is game-playing to the general population? How about within certain key market segments?

If solid answers any of these questions would help your work in creating the future, please contact MetaFacts.

MetaFacts, Inc. helps technology marketers find and measure their best and future customers.

Current subscribers of Technology User Profile may obtain this information directly from MetaFacts, as well as additional customized drilling down into the full dataset.

For more information on the results delivered in TUP and about how to subscribe, please contact MetaFacts.

The above questions are answered with the TUP 2010 edition, and even more questions are answered in the TUP 2011 edition.

Today’s media-savvy consumers may want their MTV, but they might seek alternative methods to get it.  Advertising seems to have become an option for the consumer, who today is able to bypass commercials, salespeople, and even email in favor of social networking and other sites.  Advertisers in this day and age have to be both flexible and targeted while ubiquitous in order to get their message across.

Below are a few examples of questions addressed in TUP related to tech media, advertising, and television. The full TUP service enables drilling down beyond the answers to these questions to identify which other technologies, services and behaviors are disruptive and to profile which market segments are and aren’t adopting. TUP is much more than a one-dimensional market view or opinion piece, since it delivers solid answers to the following questions, and more.

• Which tech buyers focus more on retail than shopping online and vice versa?
• Which segments are the most music-intensive? What is the overlap of music-centered products and services by segment?
• What is the impact on privacy in use of social networking?
• Most-mobile customers – where do they go and what do they do?
• Who are the people who shop for technology products on the web, but purchase at a local retail outlet?
• How many screens do people view? Which market segments view more screens than other segments?
• How many and which segments are watching and renting movies on which platforms?
• Entertainment primacy – what is the center of the user’s home entertainment world? Is it one device or many? Which devices and services, and among which segments?
• Which smartphone OS is leading, and with which market segments?
• Online shoppers – are they everyone, or unique?
• How do online shopping activities differ between Hewlett Packard, Apple and Dell customers?
• What do users sync or store in the cloud? How does this differ between mobile phones and PCs? How do users share images – social networking sites or photo-specific sites? Which users are the most active?
• Who is videoconferencing, and using which platform?
• How prominent is Home PC renting versus outright purchase?
• How much of the game-playing population is older versus younger?
• In reality, how deeply has the Apple iPod penetrated the market, and into which market segments?
• Are PC users primarily accessing the Internet at home, in the workplace, using friends or neighbor’s computers, or in public places such as libraries or cybercafés? Which users use other’s PCs and which have many to choose from? Are smartphones or netbooks changing this?
• Which market segments are blogging? How do they compare to social networkers?
• Who are the true early adopters and laggards? How does this vary by actual usage of specific products and technologies?
• What makes a smartphone a smartphone in the consumer’s eyes? How does usage compare to basic mobile phones? What are the user segments?
• Who is buying the highest-end PCs? Are there brand differences? What else do users buy and what else do they use?
• How have PC/Online & Mobile Phone activities changed? How might this affect apps?
• Primacy – what is the center of the user’s world? Their home PC, work PC, mobile phone? Is it one device or many?
• How does the life and lifespan of a PC vary by form factor? Does it vary by brand? By user segment?
• Which PC brands dominate the PC market? How does this vary within brand segment?
• Tech adoption cycles may not be as fast as the tech-focused think. How many and which users still use film cameras?
• Is email dying being replaced by alternatives such as social networking, texting, or IM?
• Which market segments are renting movies? Are they renting DVDs at a retailer, by mail, or at a kiosk? Do they watch them online?
• How much have PC users integrated PCs into their personal lives?
• How rich is the user’s printing experience? Do they use only one printer or more than one? For multi-printer users, which ones do they use? Who are the most-active printer users?
• How has the division of work vs. personal use of technology products continued to blur?
• What about the anti-social – those that aren’t in an online social network? Who are they?
• What are consumers planning to buy? (in consumer electronics, connected home, computers, Internet, etc.)
• Are Apple’s best customers really unique?
• Beyond paper or plastic: which types of ink & toner are printer users buying? New or refilled? Original or competitor?
• Which social networking sites are used most frequently by which segments?
• What are the overall future trends for the Internet?
• What about the unemployed? Are they more or are they less tech-focused?
• What channels do people use for buying PCs? How about printers and printer supplies?
• How tech-sophisticated are game-players, within key gaming segments?
• What do most people do with their mobile phone as compared to their PC? Which align with which platforms?
• Which industry groups have varied levels of adoption?
• Where are printer users buying their printer supplies? Are these the same channels as where they buy their printers?
• Do PC users behave differently as they gain more experience? Are Newbies or Vets mostly focusing on certain activities versus a broad mixture?
• How are smartphones challenging mobile PCs? Which market segments are coalescing around which platforms?
  Used/Refurbished PCs – who buys them?
• Which activities are different for dial-up than broadband? What’s driving bandwidth needs?
• Which segments are using which devices & carriers? For which activities?
• Which segments have recently paid for a downloaded mobile phone app?
• Which market segments are dating online? What else do they frequently do online?
• When do you grow up and give up on your Apple? When do get one again, if you do?
• How many seniors are online? How is their behavior different than younger online users?
• How important is privacy when getting rid of old computers?
• Is it really one to a customer? How often are PCs shared? Which market segments use more than one PC?
• Do users find their PCs to be more useful or less useful? Which users are the most practically-oriented?
• How prominent is printing images from mobile phones?
• Who is using mobile payments?
• Is the smartphone killing PC shopping?
• Netbooks – how soon and with which market segments?
• Who’s busiest – desktop users or notebook users? How do their profiles differ?
• Do game players bring their gaming with them into the workplace? To what extent? Which market segment does this the most?
• To what extent have Dell and Lexmark penetrated the printer market? Which segments have they penetrated?
• What is Hewlett Packard’s share among Dell computer owners and Dell or Lexmark printer owners and has this changed?
• How do the market segments of mobile phone platforms vary?
• How social-network active are the various tiers of gamers?
• How are users communicating, given all their communication options?

If solid answers any of these questions would help your work in creating the future, please contact MetaFacts.

MetaFacts, Inc. helps technology marketers find and measure their best and future customers.

For more information on the results delivered in TUP and about how to subscribe, please contact MetaFacts.

The above questions are answered with the TUP 2010 edition, and even more questions are answered in the TUP 2011 edition.

It’s been decades since Marvin Gaye “heard it through the grapevine,” and there are more “grapevines” today than you can shake a stick at.  It’s important to know which one your target audience uses–social networking, email, texting?  Do they grab their cellphone or type a text or email? How do they combine or trade off these modes of communication? TUP’s research gives you demographic and market details that might easily be overlooked, and that can be the difference between having a well-defined market or missing out.

Below are a few examples of questions addressed in TUP related to communication. The full TUP service enables drilling down beyond the answers to these questions to identify which other technologies, services and behaviors are disruptive and to profile which market segments are and aren’t adopting. TUP is much more than a one-dimensional market view or opinion piece, since it offers ready, solid answers to the following and many other key questions.

• What is the mix of communication products and services – landline, wireless, email, IM, etc. – by segment?
• Who is videoconferencing, and using which platform?
• What makes a smartphone a smartphone in the consumer’s eyes? How does usage compare to basic mobile phones? What are the user segments?
• How do the market segments of mobile phone platforms vary?
• How are users communicating, given all their communication options?
• Is email dying because of ads? Being replaced by alternatives such as social networking, texting, or IM?
• iPhone users – who are they really? How do they compare with Android, Windows and Blackberry users?
• How do ad volumes affect usage?
• How many screens do people view? Which market segments view more screens than other segments?
• How are smartphones challenging mobile PCs? Which market segments are coalescing around which platforms?
• Are PC users primarily accessing the Internet at home, in the workplace, using friends or neighbor’s computers, or in public places such as libraries or cybercafés? Which users use other’s PCs and which have many to choose from? Are smartphones or netbooks changing this?
• Netbooks – are they replacing notebooks? Stalling smartphones? Withering?
• Primacy – what is the center of the user’s world? Their home PC, work PC, mobile phone? Is it one device or many?
• Which smartphone OS is leading, and with which market segments?
• What is the impact on privacy in use of social networking?
• Which segments are using which devices & carriers? For which activities?
• What about the anti-social – those that aren’t in an online social network? Who are they?
• Most-mobile customers – where do they go and what do they do?
• How much have PC users integrated PCs into their personal lives?
• How do Verizon’s subscribers compare to AT&T’s?
• Entertainment primacy – what is the center of the user’s home entertainment world? Is it one device or many? Which devices and services, and among which segments?
• How has the division of work vs. personal use of technology products continued to blur?
• Which social networking sites are used most frequently by which segments?
• Multitasking – who’s using lots of devices for lots of apps, few devices many apps, etc.?
• Which market segments are blogging? How do they compare to social networkers?
• Is social networking only for certain age groups?
• Have game-players been the first to adopt new products such as the Apple iPhone? Or, are they generally later adopters?
• How have PC/Online & Mobile Phone activities changed? How might this affect apps?
• Age-related market adoption – which products and services are age-skewed? Which are skewed toward older rather than younger users?
• Which segments have recently paid for a downloaded mobile phone app?
• How do countries vary in demand opportunities for tech products and services?
• In reality, how deeply has the Apple iPod penetrated the market, and into which market segments?
• Which segments are keeping their files, calendars, or other information synchronized or backed up online?
• Which tech buyers focus more on retail than shopping online and vice versa?
• What are the overall future trends for the Internet?
• Do PC users behave differently as they gain more experience? Are Newbies or Vets mostly focusing on certain activities versus a broad mixture?
• Special printer paper? Who uses it and what for? Is it only photos, or something else?
• Who are the true early adopters and laggards? How does this vary by actual usage of specific products and technologies?
• How prominent is printing images from mobile phones?
• Which activities are different for dial-up than broadband? What’s driving bandwidth needs?
• Who is buying the highest-end PCs? Are there brand differences? What else do users buy and what else do they use?
• What do users sync or store in the cloud? How does this differ between mobile phones and PCs? How do users share images – social networking sites or photo-specific sites? Which users are the most active?
• How many seniors are online? How is their behavior different than younger online users?
• Tech adoption cycles may not be as fast as the tech-focused think. How many and which users still use film cameras?
• What do most people do with their mobile phone as compared to their PC? Which align with which platforms?
• Do users find their PCs to be more useful or less useful? Which users are the most practically-oriented?
• Who’s busiest – desktop users or notebook users? How do their profiles differ?
• Which market segments are dating online? What else do they frequently do online?
• How many and which segments are watching and renting movies on which platforms?
• Netbooks – how soon and with which market segments?
• What other activities are just outside the box for gamers? Online dating? Social Networking? Music? Movies? Entertainment in general?
• How rich is the user’s printing experience? Do they use only one printer or more than one? For multi-printer users, which ones do they use? Who are the most-active printer users?
• What are the most common documents (maps, spreadsheets, photos, etc.) that consumers print on their ink-jet printers? How about their laser printers?
• How social-network active are the various tiers of gamers?
• Which segments are utilizing the cloud? For which activities?
• How are users incorporating digital images, through the use of digital cameras, scanners, downloading images, as well as how are they producing output?

If solid answers any of these questions would help your work in creating the future, please contact MetaFacts.

MetaFacts, Inc. helps technology marketers find and measure their best and future customers.

Current subscribers of the Technology User Profile Global Insights Edition may obtain this information directly from MetaFacts, as well as additional customized drilling down into the full dataset.

For more information on the results delivered in TUP and about how to subscribe, please contact MetaFacts.

The above questions are answered with the TUP 2010 edition, and even more questions are answered in the TUP 2011 edition.

Both smartphone and basic feature phones today are much more than a phone.  At least, they can be.  With all the capabilities of the modern mobile device, it can be difficult to discern what exactly which consumers are after which capabilities, and what they ultimately use.  Do they use their phone for the texting, for the web, or as a PDA?  As a camera or a gaming tool?  Or do they use it mostly as a traditional telephone?  These questions beg for extensive answers that only careful, detailed market research can provide.

Below are a few examples of questions addressed in TUP related to mobile phones. The full TUP service enables drilling down beyond the answers to these questions to identify which other technologies, services and behaviors are disruptive and to profile which market segments are and aren’t adopting. TUP is much more than a one-dimensional market view or opinion piece, since it provides answers to these and many other key questions.

• iPhone users – who are they really? How do they compare with Android, Windows and Blackberry users?
• How do the market segments of mobile phone platforms vary?
• How are smartphones challenging mobile PCs? Which market segments are coalescing around which platforms?
• What makes a smartphone a smartphone in the consumer’s eyes? How does usage compare to basic mobile phones? What are the user segments?
• Which segments have recently paid for a downloaded mobile phone app?
• Which smartphone OS is leading, and with which market segments?
• Who is using mobile payments?
• Which segments are the most music-intensive? What is the overlap of music-centered products and services by segment?
• How have PC/Online & Mobile Phone activities changed? How might this affect apps?
• What is the mix of communication products and services – landline, wireless, email, IM, etc. – by segment?
• How many and which segments are watching and renting movies on which platforms?
• What is the impact on privacy in use of social networking?
• Most-mobile customers – where do they go and what do they do?
• Who is videoconferencing, and using which platform?
• What do most people do with their mobile phone as compared to their PC? Which align with which platforms?
• Is email dying because of ads? Being replaced by alternatives such as social networking, texting, or IM?
• Are Apple’s best customers really unique?
• Who are the true early adopters and laggards? How does this vary by actual usage of specific products and technologies?
• Is the smartphone killing PC shopping?
• Which segments are using which devices & carriers? For which activities?
• What’s the expected market demand for a Google Droid – Verizon – Motorola trio?
• How much have PC users integrated PCs into their personal lives?
• Multitasking – who’s using lots of devices for lots of apps, few devices many apps, etc.?
• Have game-players been the first to adopt new products such as the Apple iPhone? Or, are they generally later adopters?
• What is surprisingly strong “killer app” on both basic mobile phones and smartphones?
• How are users communicating, given all their communication options?
• How do Verizon’s subscribers compare to AT&T’s?
• How prominent is Home PC renting versus outright purchase?
• How prominent is printing images from mobile phones?
• Netbooks – are they replacing notebooks? Stalling smartphones? Withering?
• Are mobile computers used longer or shorter than desktops? If so, what’s the difference, and who uses them longest?
• What about the anti-social – those that aren’t in an online social network? Who are they?
• Primacy – what is the center of the user’s world? Their home PC, work PC, mobile phone? Is it one device or many?
• Age-related market adoption – which products and services are age-skewed? Which are skewed toward older rather than younger users?
• To what extent does game-playing drive online usage specifically and tech usage overall?
• How many screens do people view? Which market segments view more screens than other segments?
• How strong is name-brand dominance?
• How social-network active are the various tiers of gamers?
• Which social networking sites are used most frequently by which segments?
• Do PC users behave differently as they gain more experience? Are Newbies or Vets mostly focusing on certain activities versus a broad mixture?
• What do users sync or “store” in the cloud? How does this differ between mobile phones and PCs? How do users share images – social networking sites or photo-specific sites? Which users are the most active?
• Which market segments are dating online? What else do they frequently do online?
• Which market segments are renting movies? Are they renting DVDs at a retailer, by mail, or at a kiosk? Do they watch them online?
• What about the unemployed? Are they more or are they less tech-focused?
• How many seniors are online? How is their behavior different than younger online users?
• How tech-sophisticated are game-players, within key gaming segments?
• Entertainment primacy – what is the center of the user’s home entertainment world? Is it one device or many? Which devices and services, and among which segments?
• Which industry groups have varied levels of adoption?
• In reality, how deeply has the Apple iPod penetrated the market, and into which market segments?
• Which segments are keeping their files, calendars, or other information synchronized or backed up online?
• Which tech buyers focus more on retail than shopping online and vice versa?
• Is social networking only for certain age groups?
• How has the division of work vs. personal use of technology products continued to blur?
• How much of the game-playing population is older versus younger?
• Special printer paper? Who uses it and what for? Is it only photos, or something else?
• Online shoppers – are they everyone, or unique?
• How many people use calendars on their PC, their mobile phone, or both? Which types of people are these?
• How much is assisted navigation part of life – and on which platform?
• What is the tech-owning profile of active gamers? High-bandwidth or dial-up? Many consumer electronics entertainment products or focused on gaming? Many computers or few? How does this vary by segment?
  What are consumers planning to buy? (in consumer electronics, connected home, computers, Internet, etc.)
• Do game players bring their gaming with them into the workplace? To what extent? Which market segment does this the most?
• Tech adoption cycles may not be as fast as the tech-focused think. How many and which users still use film cameras?
• Navigation, online maps, location-based mobile phone services, and GPS – who’s getting directions?
• What are the overall future trends for the Internet?
• How are users incorporating digital images, through the use of digital cameras, scanners, downloading images, as well as how are they producing output?
• Are PC users primarily accessing the Internet at home, in the workplace, using friends or neighbor’s computers, or in public places such as libraries or cybercafés? Which users use other’s PCs and which have many to choose from? Are smartphones or netbooks changing this?
• Netbooks – how soon and with which market segments?
• What other activities are just outside the box for gamers? Online dating? Social Networking? Music? Movies? Entertainment in general?
• Who’s busiest – desktop users or notebook users? How do their profiles differ?
• Which market segments are blogging? How do they compare to social networkers?

If solid answers any of these questions would help your work in creating the future, please contact MetaFacts.

MetaFacts, Inc. helps technology marketers find and measure their best and future customers.

Current subscribers of Technology User Profile may obtain this information directly from MetaFacts, as well as additional customized drilling down into the full dataset.

For more information on the results delivered in TUP and about how to subscribe, please contact MetaFacts.

The above questions are answered with the TUP 2010 edition, and even more questions are answered in the TUP 2011 edition.

Social networking, like other forms of communication and community, is what makes technology usage expand.  People will always be on the lookout for new ways to communicate, whether it be with friends, strangers, or prospective colleagues.  The popularity of social networking sites can make ordinary phones and email less interesting to the modern consumer, increasing demand for smarter smartphones and faster Internet connections.

At the same time, privacy concerns, information overload, and innocent and criminal abuses can dampen the enthusiasm or participation for some market segments.

Below are a few examples of questions addressed in TUP related to social networking. The full TUP service enables drilling down beyond the answers to these questions to identify which other technologies, services and behaviors are disruptive and to profile which market segments are and aren’t adopting. TUP is much more than a one-dimensional market view or opinion piece; it’s a resource that can answer these and other key questions.

• Which social networking sites are used most frequently by which segments?
• What is the impact on privacy concerns in use of social networking?
• How do ad volumes affect usage?
• Is social networking only for certain age groups? How different are usage patterns by age?
• How social-network active are the various tiers of gamers?
• Who is videoconferencing, and using which platform?
• Entertainment primacy – what is the center of the user’s home entertainment world? Is it one device or many? Which devices and services, and among which segments?
• Is email being replaced by alternatives such as social networking, texting, or IM?
• Which market segments are dating online? What else do they frequently do online?
• What about the anti-social – those that aren’t in an online social network? Who are they?
• Which social networking sites dominate? How does this vary by country and demographic group?
• How much have PC users integrated PCs into their personal lives?
• How has the division of work vs. personal use of technology products continued to blur?
• What is the mix of communication products and services – landline, wireless, email, IM, etc. – by segment?
• iPhone users – who are they really? How do they compare with Android, Windows and Blackberry users?
• How many screens do people view? Which market segments view more screens than other segments?
• Are PC users primarily accessing the Internet at home, in the workplace, using friends or neighbor’s computers, or in public places such as libraries or cybercafés? Which users use other’s PCs and which have many to choose from? Are smartphones or netbooks changing this?
• Multitasking – who’s using lots of devices for lots of apps, few devices many apps, etc.?
• How many online adults use dial-up to go online, and which countries stand out?
• Which market segments are blogging? How do they compare to social networkers?
• How much of the game-playing population is older versus younger?
• How are users communicating, given all their communication options?
• Do game players bring their gaming with them into the workplace? To what extent? Which market segment does this the most?
• Age-related market adoption – which products and services are age-skewed? Which are skewed toward older rather than younger users?
• What do users sync or “store” in the cloud? How does this differ between mobile phones and PCs? How do users share images – social networking sites or photo-specific sites? Which users are the most active?
• Most-mobile customers – where they go and what they do
• Is it really one to a customer? How often are PCs shared? Which market segments use more than one PC?
• What about the unemployed? Are they more or are they less tech-focused?
• Which smartphone OS is leading, and with which market segments?
• How tech-sophisticated are game-players, within key gaming segments?
• Which activities are different for dial-up than broadband? What’s driving bandwidth needs?
• Who’s busiest – desktop users or notebook users? How do their profiles differ?
• How central is game-playing to the general population? How about within certain key market segments?
• How many seniors are online? How is their behavior different than younger online users?
• To what extent does game-playing drive online usage specifically and tech usage overall?
• Who is buying the highest-end PCs? Are there brand differences? What else do users buy and what else do they use?
• Which segments are utilizing the cloud? For which activities?
• What do most people do with their mobile phone as compared to their PC? Which align with which platforms?
• Which segments have recently paid for a downloaded mobile phone app?
• How important is privacy when getting rid of old computers?
• Which tech buyers focus more on retail than shopping online and vice versa?
• How many and which segments are watching and renting movies on which platforms?
• How are smartphones challenging mobile PCs? Which market segments are coalescing around which platforms?
• Primacy – what is the center of the user’s world? Their home PC, work PC, mobile phone? Is it one device or many?
• Special printer paper? Who uses it and what for? Is it only photos, or something else?
• Online shoppers – are they everyone, or unique?
• How are users incorporating digital images, through the use of digital cameras, scanners, downloading images, as well as how are they producing output?
• What are consumers planning to buy? (in consumer electronics, connected home, computers, Internet, etc.)
• Tech adoption cycles may not be as fast as the tech-focused think. How many and which users still use film cameras?
• How have PC/Online & Mobile Phone activities changed? How might this affect apps?
• What is the tech-owning profile of active gamers? High-bandwidth or dial-up? Many consumer electronics entertainment products or focused on gaming? Many computers or few? How does this vary by segment?
• Do users find their PCs to be more useful or less useful? Which users are the most practically-oriented?
• How do online shopping activities differ between Hewlett Packard, Apple and Dell customers?
• Who is using mobile payments?
• Which industry groups have varied levels of adoption?
• Netbooks – how soon and with which market segments?
• When do you grow up and give up on your Apple? When do get one again, if you do?
• How do the market segments of mobile phone platforms vary?
• What other activities are just outside the box for gamers? Online dating? Social Networking? Music? Movies? Entertainment in general?
• Which market segments are renting movies? Are they renting DVDs at a retailer, by mail, or at a kiosk? Do they watch them online?

If solid answers any of these questions would help your work in creating the future, please contact MetaFacts.

MetaFacts, Inc. helps technology marketers find and measure their best and future customers.

Current subscribers of Technology User Profile may obtain this information directly from MetaFacts, as well as additional customized drilling down into the full dataset.

For more information on the results delivered in TUP and about how to subscribe, please contact MetaFacts.

The above questions are answered with the TUP 2010 edition, and even more questions are answered in the TUP 2011 edition.

Not all access to the Internet is equal and consumers know it – voting with their fingers. In today’s multi-platform age, computers are not the only way online, and email may be losing ground as the king of activities.  Are fun, compelling, and emerging technologies making PCs a thing of the past?  Is social networking replacing snailish email?

Below are a few examples of questions addressed in TUP related to internet use. The full TUP service enables drilling down beyond the answers to these questions to identify which other technologies, services and behaviors are disruptive and to profile which market segments are and aren’t adopting. TUP is much more than a one-dimensional market view or opinion piece, since it provides a comprehensive source to answer the following questions, as well as many others.

• How many and which segments are watching and renting movies on which platforms?
• Which activities are different for dial-up than broadband? What’s driving bandwidth needs?
• What is the mix of communication products and services – landline, wireless, email, IM, etc. – by segment?
• Who is videoconferencing, and using which platform?
• What are the overall future trends for the Internet?
• Which segments are keeping their files, calendars, or other information synchronized or backed up online?
• How have PC/Online & Mobile Phone activities changed? How might this affect apps?
• iPhone users – who are they really? How do they compare with Droid and blackberry users?
• To what extent does game-playing drive online usage specifically and tech usage overall?
• Are PC users primarily accessing the Internet at home, in the workplace, using friends or neighbor’s computers, or in public places such as libraries or cybercafés? Which users use other’s PCs and which have many to choose from? Are smartphones or netbooks changing this?
• Netbooks – how soon and with which market segments?
• Is email dying because of ads? Being replaced by alternatives such as social networking, texting, or IM?
• Which industry groups have varied levels of adoption?
• Most-mobile customers – where do they go and what do they do?
• Who is using mobile payments?
• Who’s busiest – desktop users or notebook users? How do their profiles differ?
• What is the impact on privacy in use of social networking?
• How much have PC users integrated PCs into their personal lives?
• What about the unemployed? Are they more or are they less tech-focused?
• What makes a smartphone a smartphone in the consumer’s eyes? How does usage compare to basic mobile phones? What are the user segments?
• What do most people do with their mobile phone as compared to their PC? Which align with which platforms?
• What do users sync or “store” in the cloud? How does this differ between mobile phones and PCs? How do users share images – social networking sites or photo-specific sites? Which users are the most active?
• Which market segments are dating online? What else do they frequently do online?
• How do ad volumes affect usage?
• How are smartphones challenging mobile PCs? Which market segments are coalescing around which platforms?
• Is social networking only for certain age groups?
• How are users communicating, given all their communication options?
• What is the tech-owning profile of active gamers? High-bandwidth or dial-up? Many consumer electronics entertainment products or focused on gaming? Many computers or few? How does this vary by segment?
• Which segments have recently paid for a downloaded mobile phone app?
• Do PC users behave differently as they gain more experience? Are Newbies or Vets mostly focusing on certain activities versus a broad mixture?
• Age-related market adoption – which products and services are age-skewed? Which are skewed toward older rather than younger users?
• Multitasking – who’s using lots of devices for lots of apps, few devices many apps, etc.?
• Which market segments are blogging? How do they compare to social networkers?
• Netbooks – are they replacing notebooks? Stalling smartphones? Withering?
• What other activities are just outside the box for gamers? Online dating? Social Networking? Music? Movies? Entertainment in general?
• Which segments are using which devices & carriers?  For which activities?
• Which segments are the most music-intensive? What is the overlap of music-centered products and services by segment?
• Who is buying the highest-end PCs? Are there brand differences? What else do users buy and what else do they use?
• How prominent is printing images from mobile phones?
• How many people use calendars on their PC, their mobile phone, or both? Which types of people are these?
• Entertainment primacy – what is the center of the user’s home entertainment world? Is it one device or many?
• Which devices and services, and among which segments?
• Which segments are utilizing the cloud? For which activities?
• Which tech buyers focus more on retail than shopping online and vice versa?
• Primacy – what is the center of the user’s world? Their home PC, work PC, mobile phone? Is it one device or many?
• How much of the game-playing population is older versus younger?
• How social-network active are the various tiers of gamers?
• In reality, how deeply has the Apple iPod penetrated the market, and into which market segments?
• What types and combinations of consumer electronics are homes using and planning to use?
• How are users incorporating digital images, through the use of digital cameras, scanners, downloading images, as well as how are they producing output?
• How has the division of work vs. personal use of technology products continued to blur?
• Which market segments are renting movies? Are they renting DVDs at a retailer, by mail, or at a kiosk? Do they watch them online?
• Which types of software (packages and SaaS) are used and intended for near-term use? (apps, appstore)
• Special printer paper? Who uses it and what for? Is it only photos, or something else?
• What are consumers planning to buy? (in consumer electronics, connected home, computers, Internet, etc.)
• Online shoppers – are they everyone, or unique?
• How do online shopping activities differ between Hewlett Packard, Apple and Dell customers?
• What about the anti-social – those that aren’t in an online social network? Who are they?
• How does the life and lifespan of a PC vary by form factor? Does it vary by brand? By user segment?
• How many seniors are online? How is their behavior different than younger online users?
• Tech adoption cycles may not be as fast as the tech-focused think. How many and which users still use film cameras?
• Is the smartphone killing PC shopping?
• Is it really one to a customer? How often are PCs shared? Which market segments use more than one PC?
• Which social networking sites are used most frequently by which segments?
• Do users find their PCs to be more useful or less useful? Which users are the most practically-oriented?
• Who are the people who shop for technology products on the web, but purchase at a local retail outlet?
• Which smartphone OS is leading, and with which market segments?
• How tech-sophisticated are game-players, within key gaming segments?
• Do game players bring their gaming with them into the workplace? To what extent? Which market segment does this the most?
• Who are the true early adopters and laggards? How does this vary by actual usage of specific products and technologies?
• How rich is the user’s printing experience? Do they use only one printer or more than one? For multi-printer users, which ones do they use? Who are the most-active printer users?
• How do the market segments of mobile phone platforms vary?
• How tech-experienced are game-players?
• How many screens do people view? Which market segments view more screens than other segments?

If solid answers any of these questions would help your work in creating the future, please contact MetaFacts.

MetaFacts, Inc. helps technology marketers find and measure their best and future customers.

Current subscribers of Technology User Profile may obtain this information directly from MetaFacts, as well as additional customized drilling down into the full dataset.

For more information on the results delivered in TUP and about how to subscribe, please contact MetaFacts.

The above questions are answered with the TUP 2010 edition, and even more questions are answered in the TUP 2011 edition.

Consumer opinions on imaging and printing can urge a market toward higher-level technologies in what once seemed like unexpected places for imaging, such as mobile devices.  An increase in camera phone use, or printing images from one’s mobile device might signal both digital camera and smartphone developers to step it up a notch.

Below are a few examples of questions addressed in TUP related to technology consumer demographics. The full TUP service enables drilling down beyond the answers to these questions to identify which other technologies, services and behaviors are disruptive and to profile which market segments are and aren’t adopting. TUP is much more than a one-dimensional market view or opinion piece.

• To what extent have Dell and Lexmark penetrated the printer market? Which segments have they penetrated?
• What is Hewlett Packard’s share among Dell computer owners and Dell or Lexmark printer owners and has this changed?
• What is the breakdown of printer types and brands among workplace PCs users? How does this compare to printers used in the home?
• How is HP’s PC penetration within the overall HP market footprint?
• How rich is the user’s printing experience? Do they use only one printer or more than one? For multi-printer users, which ones do they use? Who are the most-active printer users?
• Tech adoption cycles may not be as fast as the tech-focused think. How many and which users still use film cameras?
• Special printer paper? Who uses it and what for? Is it only photos, or something else?
• Where are printer users buying their printer supplies? Are these the same channels as where they buy their printers?
• How does PC and online usage vary cross segments such as workplace company size or industry?
• Where do people buy their printer supplies?
• What is the frequency of printer consumables purchased?
• Who are the people moving from ink-jet printers to laser printers? How about the other way around? Are these new printers replacement printers, or additional printers?
• What are the leading PC brands among Hewlett Packard printer users? How does this differ for the other major printer vendors?
• What do users sync or “store” in the cloud? How does this differ between mobile phones and PCs? How do users share images – social networking sites or photo-specific sites? Which users are the most active?
• What are the major activities that people do with their printers?
• Who are the people who shop for technology products on the web, but purchase at a local retail outlet?
• What are the most common documents (maps, spreadsheets, photos, etc.) that consumers print on their ink-jet printers? How about their laser printers?
• How prominent is printing images from mobile phones?
• Beyond paper or plastic: which types of ink & toner are printer users buying? New or refilled? Original or competitor?
• How does Hewlett Packard’s market share differ between the different types of printers (inkjet, multifunction, laser, etc.)?
• How much have PC users integrated PCs into their personal lives?
• What other items (printers, software, monitors/displays, extended service plan, etc.) do people typically buy with their PC purchase?
• Which tech buyers focus more on retail than shopping online and vice versa?
• How are users incorporating digital images, through the use of digital cameras, scanners, downloading images, as well as how are they producing output?
• What channels do people use for buying PCs? How about printers and printer supplies?
• How do online shopping activities differ between Hewlett Packard, Apple and Dell customers?
• What peripherals and options do users purchase before they purchase their PC, with their PC, and after they’ve purchased their PC?
• How has the division of work vs. personal use of technology products continued to blur?
• Who is buying the highest-end PCs? Are there brand differences? What else do users buy and what else do they use?
• Entertainment primacy – what is the center of the user’s home entertainment world? Is it one device or many?
• Which segments are keeping their files, calendars, or other information synchronized or backed up online?
• Which segments are utilizing the cloud? For which activities? Image sharing? Storage?
• Do PC users behave differently as they gain more experience? Are Newbies or Vets mostly focusing on certain activities versus a broad mixture? Do they print differently?
• What are the overall future trends for the Internet?
• Who’s busiest – desktop users or notebook users? How do their profiles differ?
• What are consumers planning to buy? (in consumer electronics, connected home, computers, Internet, etc.)
• Is it really one to a customer? How often are PCs shared? Which market segments use more than one PC?
• Is social networking only for certain age groups?
• Do users find their PCs to be more useful or less useful? Which users are the most practically-oriented?
• Which smartphone OS is leading, and with which market segments?
• What about the anti-social – those that aren’t in an online social network? Who are they?
• What’s typically bundled with a PC?
• How many screens do people view? Which market segments view more screens than other segments?

If solid answers any of these questions would help your work in creating the future, please contact MetaFacts.

MetaFacts, Inc. helps technology marketers find and measure their best and future customers.

Current subscribers of Technology User Profile may obtain this information directly from MetaFacts, as well as additional customized drilling down into the full dataset.

For more information on the results delivered in TUP and about how to subscribe, please contact MetaFacts.

The above questions are answered with the TUP 2010 edition, and even more questions are answered in the TUP 2011 edition.