Cisco Research: Smartphones rival laptops as most desired device by 18-30 year-olds globally

Findings from a just-released Cisco study on the internet habits of 18-30 year olds indicates that smartphones now rival laptops as the single most desired device by 18-30 year olds as they are seen as the most versatile and compact.

The report, titled Cisco Connected World Technology Report (CCWTR) 2012, states that were the respondents to choose only one device, a third of them preferred a smartphone, while slightly more than a third favored laptops.

The study notes that Smartphones have surpassed desktop computers as the preferred workplace device from a global perspective and are rated twice as popular as a desktop PC and three times as popular as a tablet.

“Mobile devices are just the beginning and only the tip of the iceberg – the world is only just beginning to reap the benefits of this ever-changing Internet era. As more and more people, devices, sensors, crops, animals and other living things connect to the Internet, the volume and potential value of all the data generated by those connections will grow exponentially,” said Dr Gilbert Saggia, Cisco East Africa general manager, adding that in the very near future, the Kenyan people and businesses will be able to take advantage of device-to-device communication to make decisions and deliver services and applications in real time.

The results are based on a survey commissioned by Cisco of 1800 university students and young professionals aged 18 to 30. The report examines how this generation uses the Internet and mobile devices to connect with the world around them, and reveals their behaviors, attitudes, issues, and concerns about the creation, access, management, and privacy of the enormous amounts of data being generated daily by smartphones, sensors, video cameras, monitors, and other connected devices.

Key Findings from the 2012 Cisco Connected World Technology Report

• Sixty percent of 18-30 year olds find themselves sub-consciously or compulsively checking their smartphones for emails, texts or social media updates.
• Of those, women are more driven to connect:  85 percent of women versus 63 percent of men find themselves often compulsively checking their smartphone for text, emails, social media updates.
• Over 40 percent of respondents would go through a “withdrawal” effect and “would feel anxious, like part of me was missing” if they couldn’t check their smartphones constantly.
• Of those compulsive smart phone users, 60 percent wish they didn’t feel so compelled.
• Almost one third of IT professionals stated they check their smartphones ‘continuously’ while 40 percent of IT professionals check at least every 10 minutes.
• Nearly 70 percent of respondents said mobile applications are important to their daily lives with more than half  saying they mainly use the apps for games and entertainment while 1-in-4 (27 percent) mainly use mobile apps for work.
• The majority of Gen Y respondents (60 percent) report using fewer than 10 smartphone apps regularly with only one in five (20 percent) of respondents saying they use 10 to 25 apps regularly.
• While two out of five said their company’s policy forbids them to use company-issued devices for non-work activities, four out of five – almost 80 percent said they don’t always obey those policies.
• Two thirds (66 percent) feel that “employers should not track employees’ online activities — it’s none of their business.”
• IT professionals know that many employees don’t follow the rules, but they don’t understand how prevalent it is: over half of IT professionals globally thought their employees obey the policy on not using work devices for personal use.
• Nine out of 10 of respondents surveyed said they engage in online shopping.
• Nearly three out of five (58 percent) report they regularly rely on customer reviews when deciding on online purchases; an additional 28 percent consult online reviews occasionally.
• Fifty-seven percent – almost 3 out of five- are willing to share their email address with stores and online sites in order to receive notices about discounts and sales.  But they are wary of sharing much more than that – few are willing to share phone numbers, home address or other personal data.
• Almost 90 percent upload photos to share or store on internet sites.
• 62 percent upload videos to share or store on internet sites.
• Facing the world: 87 percent have a Facebook account, and one in 10 have Facebook always up.
• 41 percent update Facebook at least once a day, and over one in five update Facebook several times a day.
• 56 percent of respondents have a Twitter account, and 21 percent tweet at least once a day.

The third in an annual series, the 2012 Cisco Connected World Technology Report, was commissioned by Cisco and conducted by InsightExpress, an independent market research firm based in the United States. The global study consists of two surveys: one focused on college students and workers aged 18 to 30, and the second focused on IT professionals. Each survey includes 100 respondents from each of 18 countries, resulting in a pool of 3,600 respondents. The 18 countries include: The United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Russia, Poland, Turkey, South Africa, India, China, Japan, South Korea, and Australia.