TUPdates – MetaFacts' TUP findings

December 10, 2020February 17, 2021

Headsets – our sound islands [TUPdate]

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts – December 10, 2020

Wireless Bluetooth headsets get a booster

Wireless Bluetooth headsets have been in the news lately, widely promoted as a year-end gift accessory. As a category, they have been available for decades, so why the latest emphasis, and is there enough demand for them?

Market demand has gotten stronger during 2020 in large part due to changed playing and working conditions. With the pandemic and stay-at-home restrictions worldwide, many people are now nearby a distinct set of people than they might interact with at their workplace or school. While quarantines can be a bonding experience, there can be added pressure when the sounds we make or listen to impinge on others.

Listening widespread, although differs by device type

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or perhaps the ear. The music some may consider beautiful may seem like noise to others. Similarly, the phone call we may think thoughtful may sound to others like distracting chatter.

November 19, 2020February 17, 2021

Smartphone activities by watch OS [TUPdate]

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, November 19, 2020

The Smartphone-smartwatch connection

Smartwatches offer the promise to extend the user’s experiences. Most are tightly coupled with a smartphone and its ecosystem. We looked into whether smartwatch user’s behaviors are different between iPhones and Android smartphones. Drilling into the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2020 results, showed there is not only a gap between OS but also between countries.

November 13, 2020February 17, 2021

Notebooks midmost in mobility [TUPdate]

Notebook Penetration – Now in the Middle of Mobility

Notebooks have continued their long march into widespread use, fueled by the desire to get things done regardless of location. The years-long drive towards mobility continues. However, users have shown that notebooks are not their only choice to support their mobility fix. Even while notebooks have continued to be made thinner, lighter, faster, and less expensive, users have adopted other mobile devices. Smartphones have reached around 85% of online adults in the US, Germany, and the UK, surpassing notebook penetration.

Users have not embraced smartphones as a full substitute for notebooks, preferring certain activities using their notebooks or desktops. However, over the last five years, users have migrated many of their regular PC activities to smartphones, one by one and unceasingly.

Nor have users adopted tablets as notebook substitutes. Several years ago, tablets posed a growing challenge, although they have since seen reduced active market penetration. Part of this decline has been due to users choosing to use fewer devices to simplify their lives. Another dampening factor has been by carriers giving less attention to tablets. Since most users choose tablets connected through Wi-Fi over built-in cellular connections (with additional subscriptions), carriers are less interested in promoting them.

October 2, 2020

Home notebooks – stuck at home and getting things done [TUPdate]

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, October 2, 2020

Home mobile notebooks are popular for keeping at home

Mobile computing means much more than being able to work or play while traveling. Despite travel restrictions and worldwide stay-at-home orders during the pandemic, mobile computers reign as the most popular home computer. Well over half (57%) of online adults use a home notebook, compared to 46% using at least one home desktop. MetaFacts surveyed online adults in six countries for the 2020 wave of TUP/Technology User Profile: the US, UK, Germany, China, Japan, and India. Notebook use is strongest in Japan (72% of online adults) and Germany (67%), and the lightest in the US (50%).

May 22, 2020January 15, 2021

The work from home privilege [MetaFacts Pulse Survey]

By Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, May 22, 2020

Working from home. While it is a blessing for some and may feel like a curse for others, only the few get the privilege. Being able to work from home during widespread public health safety shutdowns has sustained employment for many employees. It has also brought new challenges for those with school-age children or insufficient technology. It has also brought about faster adoption of certain technology products and services while revealing long-present sociological differences. The differences may persist while many of the technological changes will be temporary and evolutionary, not revolutionary.