ENCINITAS,
Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Most mobile PCs, although portable,
are used in only two locations, and are used very
differently than desktop PCs, according to the 2006 Mobile
PC Profile Report from MetaFacts, Inc. Most employer-owned
mobile PCs stay in the workplace, although when mobilized,
are often used in hotels, home offices and client locations.
Home-owned mobile PCs spend more time outside the home than
work mobile PCs do outside the workplace. Besides various
rooms of the home, such as adult bedrooms, living rooms and
home offices, home-owned mobile PCs are used twice as often
as work mobile PCs in a school, at the library, in a
cybercafé, or at a restaurant.
“Notebook and tablet PCs are bought for the promise of
portability and freedom, yet only get used in a couple types
of locations,” said Dan Ness, Principal Analyst at
MetaFacts. “Even though Mobile PCs are more powerful and
lighter than ever, Americans seek the convenience of always
on and always connected. Also, someone you see using a
notebook in public is probably using their home, not work,
PC.”
Mobile PCs also have some surprisingly different uses
than desktops. Mobile PCs are used three times more often
than desktops for online betting, and two times more often
to create presentations, write blogs, access
community/social networking groups like Friendster or
LinkedIn, and watch DVDs. Work mobile PCs are more likely to
be used for CAD/CAM design. Report results also indicate
that mobile PCs are used more by the 18-34 group than among
the 55+ group.
“Mobile PC users are highly sought by both online and
brick-and-mortar retailers, because they’re more active
buyers than desktop users,” said Dan Ness, Principal Analyst
at MetaFacts. “Also, mobile PC users shop at different
locations. They’re twice as often as desktop PC users to
have recently shopped or purchased in person at an Apple or
Sony store, and online from BJ's, CompUSA, Fry's
Electronics, Apple, Staples, Radio Shack, Office Depot,
Borders, Dell, or Costco.”
Other findings in the Mobile PC Profile Report involve
consumer electronics use. “Mobile PC users enjoy their
nomadic lifestyle, being twice as likely as desktop PC users
to be using a handheld GPS, Apple iPod, other portable MP3
player or digital camcorder,” said Ness.
In addition to the Mobile PC Profile Report, MetaFacts
has recently produced the Workplace PC Brand Profile Report,
which focuses on PCs used in the workplace, and the Home PC
Brand Profile Report, which profiles home PC use. These
reports are part of a series of summary reports on specific
topics based on the results of the MetaFacts 2006 Technology
User Profile (TUP) study, which reveal the changing patterns
of technology adoption and use in American households and
businesses. Companies can also subscribe to the TUP Full
Edition to receive complete survey results. Those new to the
information provided in TUP can sign up at www.metafacts.com
for complimentary TUPdates, which give insights on topics
and findings in the full Technology User Profile. Finally,
companies who need to delve further into findings can engage
MetaFacts for a TUP Custom Re-Contact Study that further
probes TUP respondents on issues relative to their specific
industry, markets, and products.
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 detailed
results are widely recognized as a primary marketing
resource for Fortune 1000 companies providing
consumer-oriented technology products and services, such as
PCs, printers, peripherals, mobile devices, and related
services and products. For more information, contact
MetaFacts at 1-760-635-4300, sales@metafacts.com, or
www.metafacts.com. |
