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, Principal Analyst

Are Smartphone subscribers more about fun than communication? Is entertainment that much stronger for Smartphone subscribers than for users of Basic Mobile Phones? Is the lack of a boss key because mobile phone users feel freer to have fun with their handsets than their PCs?

For Smartphone users, it’s not only playing games like Angry Birds that is widespread. Activities such as listening to music, watching movies, and checking sports and weather also are prevalent.

These fun activities are much more popular on Smartphones than on Basic Mobile Phones. For most key entertainment activities, more than three times the rate of Smartphone users find ways to play than the percentage of Basic Mobile Phone users.

Entertainment Activities by Mobile Phone Type-MetaFacts

Playing Games and Listening to Music are activities for more than half of Smartphone users, and for only one-fifth or less of Basic Mobile Phone users.

High-end app developers may be amazed that any Basic Mobile Phone users find ways to use their simpler phones to have any fun at all. That might be considered a glass half-full view, with the prospect that someone eager enough to struggle with the limited games and web access on most Basic Mobile Phones may be a great candidate to switch to a smartphone. The half-empty types may see this as a reality that for many consumers, good enough is good enough. They may be satisfied with simple games for casual play, and may be less prone to upgrade their platform. In either case, this highlights that app developers, handset makers and carriers need to look at the demand across multiple platforms so they don’t miss out on market opportunity or dissatisfy important customers.

Diving a little deeper into the Technology User Profile survey responses, fun is also age-linked. The game-playing rate among age 18-34 mobile phone users is 42% versus half that (21%) among those aged 35+. Although to a great extent, Smartphones have been more strongly adopted among younger than older adults, taking age into account; Smartphone users are simply more fun-oriented than users of Basic Mobile Phones.

Fun isn’t the only driver for Smartphones; communication does rate more highly for Smartphones than for Basic Mobile Phones, with usage broadly spanning phone calls, text messages, voicemail, and email for two-thirds or more of Smartphone users. For Basic Mobile Phone users, only phone calls and text messaging are used by over half of the users.

Looking ahead, bandwidth-hogs such as multi-player games and video calls are likely to drive demand for Smartphones as well as underlying wireless networks. However, as carriers seek to optimize their spectrum and profits, data caps or throttled apps may discourage the most active subscribers. Then, these users will either revert to other devices, or app makers and service providers will find ways to further optimize precious bandwidth, likely increasing supply to satisfy the demand driven by so many consumers.

Source

The results in this TUPdate are drawn from the MetaFacts Technology User Profile Survey. In our most recent wave of Technology User Profile, we surveyed American adults about their use of mobile phones, technology attitudes, and many other 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 started this analysis by first looking at the answers from 8,175 U.S. respondents in the Technology User Profile service and then drilled down further into their profiles to get a more complete picture.

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.

These editions are 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 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 who want a solid resource they can use immediately after industry events such as mergers, or even use prior to anticipated events, can license direct access to TUP.

About TUPdates

MetaFacts releases ongoing research on the market shifts and profiles for Smartphones, Netbooks, Mobile PCs, Workplace PCs, Home PCs, 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 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.

Busiest Road Warriors want to Text or Email While Driving - MetaFacts

Calling the Shots While Driving the Wagon: Renegades say they should be allowed to text or email while driving

A MetaFacts TUPDate by Dan Ness, Principal Analyst

When you change lanes on the highway, you hope that the guy next to you isn’t a distracted driver looking at his smartphone instead of at the road. Ninety percent of the time, you’d be fine. On the other hand, a recent MetaFacts Technology User Profile survey showed 9% of online Americans agree or strongly agree with this statement: “I should be allowed to text or email while I am driving a car.” Nine percent isn’t 100%, but considering the concentration of people on the road in any ordinary rush hour, that 9% adds up to a lot of road risk.

Who are these renegades? It seems they have a few commonalities, ranging from age, state, and parental status to privacy attitudes. Eighteen percent of 18 to 24-year olds surveyed felt that they should be allowed to text and email while driving, and the concentration of renegades indeed appears to be in the young-uns: that 18% is double the national average. The 25 to 34-year-old group come in second, with 16% wanting to multitask in their vehicles, followed only slightly more slowly by the 35-44 age bracket with 10%. After that, percentages drop down to 5% and lower in older age groups—it seems that most of these rebels get hit with a dose of safety-juice by the time they hit their mid-forties.

Yet, there is something these folks have in common which points to a concern for safety, even coupled with their desire to type and drive, and that is their tendency toward device-security consciousness. 71% of renegades agree: “For security, I do things such as password-protecting my phone or limiting what is stored on it,” compared to the national average of 30%. Is the line between physical safety and the safety of our information becoming blurred, or is this issue just holding the door for better voice-recognition technology?

Are these renegades simply using mobiles for texting or emailing more than average? MetaFacts survey shows the links between age and texting in general, where 18 to 24-year olds top the charts as well. That age group’s attitude about texting while driving reflects this inclination. Mobile emailers, on the other hand, are led in a close race by the 25 to 34-year-old demographic (42% of 25-34-year-olds use their mobile devices for email vs. 37% of 18-24-year-olds and 32% of 35-44-year-olds).

While age seems one of the main things renegades have in common, gender does not appear to be a significant factor in who texts and drives; only slightly fewer women than men surveyed wanted to use their keypad en route (7% and 11%, respectively). But be they men or women, what might tie these people together is a hunger for better, more streamlined technology.

Judging from the types of phones renegades use, it seems their thirst for new technology may be comparable to their need for untimely texting and emailing. 21% of Android users are renegades, followed close behind by 20% of Apple iPhone users and 16% of Blackberry users. This tech-heavy crowd might just be waiting for the right technology to help them send an email in the car, without having to type it out the old-fashioned way.

Clearly, this scary finding implies a need for a shift in the world of smartphones, and mobile companies should take note. While safety-inducing apps exist to render texting and emailing applications defunct while operating a vehicle, they tend to be geared toward the protective parenting set, which make them seem unlikely that they would appeal to the renegade mindset. In that case, better voice-recognition technology ought to be on the forefront of this issue. Some of this technology is already in place, and the renegade wordsmiths on the roads today seem likely to keep up their bad behavior, favoring accessibility and convenience over safety.

This seems as much an issue for marketing as R&D. The demand for voice-activated texting and email for this niche of rebels, with their busy lifestyles and need for constant quick communication, may lie more in the convenience and speed of the new technology rather than its image as a safety feature.

MetaFacts expects the first early adopters for this technology to include several unique and dissimilar segments: ultra-mobile road warriors, tech-savvy soccer moms, hyperactive smartphone users, Twitter addicts, certain ethnic groups, particularly in states enforcing distracted-driver laws. With that as the case, these texting renegades may be leading voice-activated texting and email out of the periphery so that it can, so to speak, take the wheel.

Source

The results in this TUPdate are drawn from the MetaFacts Technology User Profile Survey. Results specific to this topic can be obtained through a customized report and analysis. 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. 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 Internet products and activities – from smartphones to feature phones, desktops to notebooks, social networking, demographics, and attitudes – see the many other Internet-oriented questions TUP covers on www.technologyuser.com

About TUPdates

MetaFacts releases ongoing research on the market shifts and profiles for Smartphones, Netbooks, 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 market research firm focusing exclusively on the technology industries. 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.

Internet Fun by Age Group

Is the Internet still fun, or is the novelty gone? – reported in MetaFacts TUP survey

A MetaFacts TUPdate by Dan Ness, MetaFacts Principal Analyst

Fun is one of the strongest gravitational forces drawing people to use the Internet. There are of course many other factors influencing usage and adoption levels, such as productivity and connection with friends, yet fun and enjoyment are key human needs.

As part of Technology User Profile, we asked respondents whether they are finding more ways to use the Internet for fun. Nearly two-thirds (64%) agreed or strongly agreed. This is from a carefully balanced sample of 8,175 adults in the second phase of the Technology User Profile survey.

Even at surface level, this finding is a positive sign for the continued growth and strength of the Internet and the many technology products and services relying on it. As adults continue to explore new ways to use the Internet it is a positive sign, and it’s even better to see that the majority of adults do so.

Not all adults agree, however, and some groups show more enthusiasm than others. Younger adults (age 18-34) more strongly agree that they are finding more fun online, with nearly 7 in 10 (69%) agreeing or strongly agreeing. Fewer older adults (age 35 and up) are as enthusiastic, with just under half (49%) agreeing or strongly agreeing.

We also looked more closely to compare Smartphone subscribers to users of Basic Mobile Phones. We wanted to see whether Smartphone users are so charmed with their newer technology that they aren’t enjoying their Internet experience as much for fun. Smartphone subscribers actually have a higher enthusiasm for the web than users of Basic Mobile Phones. Over two-thirds (70%) of Smartphone users agree or strongly agreed with the statement “I keep finding more ways to use the Internet for fun.” This is stronger than the 54% of Basic Mobile Phone users who similarly agree.

This is due only in part to the generally younger age of Smartphone subscribers, because other factors also define the difference: marital status, presence of children (particularly teens), and gender.

Looking more deeply, we examined whether technology experience made a difference. Correcting for age, long-time PC users had the same attitude as those newer to using a PC. There was no significant difference between the attitudes of younger adults (age 18-34) who are Younger PC Newbies – who have used a PC for less than a quarter of their lifetime and Younger PC Veterans, those who have more experience. Also, within older adults (age 35+) the attitudes are the same for Older PC Newbies and Older PC Veterans.

In related analysis, lack of interest is a key deterrent to many that are not using social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or MySpace.

Analysis

The technology industry thrives on change and exploration, and while there have been cycles of irrational exuberance and retrenchment, true and sustainable growth or contraction is based on the attitudes and behaviors of technology consumers.

Fun and home entertainment is one key component of the most enthusiastic tech consumers, and for these fans, the Internet is a strong part of their home entertainment experience. With Smartphones and Tablets vying for tech consumers’ attention, PCs stand to be threatened as user’s core Internet portal. Furthermore, different groups of tech consumers react differently to key damping issues such as over-advertising, spam, and privacy concerns.

Fortunately for the tech industry, the quest for fun continues to be a major and positive part of the leading indicators defining technology adoption.

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 Internet products and activities – from smartphones to feature phones, desktops to notebooks, social networking, demographics, and attitudes – see the many other Internet-oriented questions TUP covers on www.technologyuser.com.

About TUPdates

MetaFacts releases ongoing research on the market shifts and profiles for Smartphones, Netbooks, 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 market research firm focusing exclusively on the technology industries. 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 or send an electronic request.

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.

The market for changing technologies is always in flux, and mobile PCs are not exception to the rule. It’s important to know your market, and know it well–is the coffee-shop CEO the leader of the mobile PC pack, or is it the high-school gamer?

Oftentimes the original die-hards for a product are no longer its current audience.  Strong research on changing demographics brings the new market to the forefront.

Below are a few examples of questions addressed in TUP related to the mobile PC market. 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 provide solid answers to the following questions as well as many others.

• What do most people do with their mobile phone as compared to their PC? Which align with which platforms?
• Netbooks – how soon and with which market segments?
• Are mobile computers used longer or shorter than desktops? If so, what’s the difference, and who uses them longest?
• Primacy – what is the center of the user’s world? Their home PC, work PC, mobile phone? Is it one device or many?
• How are smartphones challenging mobile PCs? Which market segments are coalescing around which platforms?
• How does PC and online usage vary cross segments such as workplace company size or industry?
• Most-mobile customers – where do they go and what do they do?
• 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?
• Who’s busiest – desktop users or notebook users? How do their profiles differ?
• Used/Refurbished PCs – who buys them?
• Who is buying the highest-end PCs? Are there brand differences? What else do users buy and what else do they use?
• What are the leading PC brands among Hewlett Packard printer users?  How does this differ for the other major printer vendors?
• How have PC/Online & Mobile Phone activities changed? How might this affect apps?
• What channels do people use for buying PCs? How about printers and printer supplies?
• Age-related market adoption – which products and services are age-skewed? Which are skewed toward older rather than younger 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 does the life and lifespan of a PC vary by form factor? Does it vary by brand? By user segment?
• Which industry groups have varied levels of adoption?
• Do users find their PCs to be more useful or less useful? Which users are the most practically-oriented?
• Who is using mobile payments?
• What is the impact on privacy in use of social networking?
• How is HP’s PC penetration within the overall HP footprint?
• Birth order = brand order? Does top brand have similar draw cross-countries?
• Who is videoconferencing, and using which platform?
• Netbooks – are they replacing notebooks? Stalling smartphones? Withering?
• Which segments are keeping their files, calendars, or other information synchronized or backed up online?
• Do game players bring their gaming with them into the workplace? To what extent? Which market segment does this the most?
• Which operating systems dominate within which segments?
• What are the overall future trends for the Internet?
• iPhone users – who are they really? How do they compare with Android, Windows and Blackberry users?
• What’s typically bundled with a PC?
• 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?
• When do you grow up and give up on your Apple? When do get one again, if you do?
• Which PC brands dominate the PC market? How does this vary within brand segment?
• How many screens do people view? Which market segments view more screens than other segments?
• How much is assisted navigation part of life – and on which platform?
• 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 prominent is printing images from mobile phones?
• How do consumer attitudes about purchasing technology differ between Apple, Hewlett Packard and Dell customers?
• 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 is the mix of communication products and services – landline, wireless, email, IM, etc. – by segment?
• Which tech buyers focus more on retail than shopping online and vice versa?
• How are users communicating, given all their communication options?
• 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?
• Multitasking – who’s using lots of devices for lots of apps, few devices many apps, etc.?
• Which segments are utilizing the cloud? For which activities?
• Is it really one to a customer? How often are PCs shared? Which market segments use more than one PC?
• Which segments are using which devices & carriers?  For which activities?
• What other activities are just outside the box for gamers? Online dating? Social Networking? Music? Movies? Entertainment in general?
• How does Hewlett Packard’s market share differ between the different types of printers (inkjet, multifunction, laser, etc.)?
• What other items (printers, software, monitors/displays, extended service plan, etc.) do people typically buy with their PC purchase?
• 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’s the likely near-term outcome for an OS upgrade?
• Which segments are the most music-intensive? What is the overlap of music-centered products and services by segment?
• Which activities are different for dial-up than broadband? What’s driving bandwidth needs?
• Are Apple’s best customers really unique?
• What happens to old PCs? Are they dumped? Recycled? Sold? Which segments dispose in which way?
• 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?
• How social-network active are the various tiers of gamers?
• 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?
• What makes a smartphone a smartphone in the consumer’s eyes? How does usage compare to basic mobile phones? What are the user segments?
• Is the smartphone killing PC shopping?
• Which social networking sites are used most frequently by which segments?
• What are consumers planning to buy? (in consumer electronics, connected home, computers, Internet, etc.)
• To what extent does game-playing drive online usage specifically and tech usage overall?
• Which segments have recently paid for a downloaded mobile phone app?
• Tech adoption cycles may not be as fast as the tech-focused think. How many and which users still use film cameras?
• How many people use calendars on their PC, their mobile phone, or both? Which types of people are these?
• Navigation, online maps, location-based mobile phone services, and GPS – who’s getting directions?
• How do ad volumes affect usage?
• Which market segments are blogging? How do they compare to social networkers?
• How tech-sophisticated are game-players, within key gaming segments?
• How do online shopping activities differ between Hewlett Packard, Apple and Dell customers?
• Is social networking only for certain age groups?
• How many seniors are online? How is their behavior different than younger online users?
• 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?

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.

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?

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

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