Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, November 3, 2021
Smartphones passed PCs among all employment/age groups
- The penetration rate of smartphones has passed PCs for all groups of online Americans by employment status and age group
- More adults not employed outside the home have had smartphones than PCs throughout 2018 to 2021
- Employed adults followed the trend between 2019 and 2020
- In 2020, younger employed adults had a wider gap between smartphone and PC use
- Older adults not employed outside the home were the last to have more use of a smartphone than a PC
- Tablet use has dropped substantially between 2018 and 2021
Apple has gained as Android Smartphones have lost
- From 2018 to 2021, the penetration of Apple iPhones has grown mostly among older (40+) adults, whether employed or not employed outside the home
- iPhone penetration rose from 31% of American employed older (40+) adults in 2018 to 44% in 2021
- Similarly, iPhone penetration rose from 23% to 34%
- Apple’s gain was partly by taking share from Android smartphones while also gaining net new users
- Android smartphone penetration has dropped among all segments except employed younger (18-39) online Americans
Windows PCs continue to dominate
- The penetration of Windows PCs has dropped among all employment status/age group segments from 2018 to 2021
- Most of the decline is due to the reduced use of any type of PC by most segments
- Apple computers have expanded penetration among older (40+) Americans
- Between 2018 and 2019, Apple computer penetration nearly doubled from 7% to 13%
- Between 2018 and 2020, Apple’s penetration rose from 12% to 21%
- Chromebooks have only had a nominal presence among online Americans
- There has been growth, although rising to a small share from a smaller share
Tablet use has shrunk, mostly due to less iPad use
- The penetration rate for active tablet use has dropped among all online Americans between 2018 and 2021
- The rate among employed younger adults dropped the most
- Use of Android tablets and Windows tablets has remained nominal
- iPads continue to be strongest among older (40+) online Americans, regardless of employment status
About MetaFAQs
MetaFAQs are answers to frequently asked questions about technology users. The research results showcase the TUP/Technology User Profile study, MetaFacts’ survey of a representative sample of online adults profiling the full market’s use of technology products and services. The current wave of TUP is TUP/Technology User Profile 2021, which is TUP’s 39th annual.
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Indexing
Lenses: Technology Ecosystems, User Profile, Devices, Mobile Phones, PCs, Tablets
Tables: DEV_KEYxEMPAGE
Tags: Technology ecosystems, Ecosystems, Operating systems, Windows, Microsoft Windows, Apple, Apple Mac, Devices, Macintosh, PCs, Apple iOS, iOS, MacOS, Google Android, iPadOS, Smartphones, Age group, Employment status
Waves: TUP 2021, TUP 2020, TUP 2019, TUP 2018
Item: TUP_doc_2021_1103_tren
