ZDNet UK / News and Analysis / Emerging Tech

Home is where the computer is

By Lisa M Bowman, CNet, 25 November, 2002 10:18

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

Topics

Computers

NEWS
Computers are playing a more central role in the home, with more and more people citing them as the most important electronic device in their household. A Harris Interactive study backed by Microsoft and Dell found that 50 percent of respondents said the computer was more important than any other digital device they own, including CD players, mobile phones and DVD players. The 2002 International Digital Lifestyle study polled 1,500 people in the US and Europe who own a computer and at least one other digital device -- a prime target market for many consumer electronics makers. The study did not ask people about their television use, however. "We're seeing a lifestyle shift from almost exclusive television use to a higher percentage of people's lives spent on a computer," said Mark Oldani, director of marketing at Dell. The study also found that nearly one in three computer owners plans to buy another digital product this holiday season. If the respondents follow through on their shopping promise, it will be welcome news to the tech sector, which is bracing for what could be another dismal holiday season. Although a greater number of people are expected to spend more money online than ever before, uncertainty about the economy and the global situation may discourage people from spending with abandon. The Harris study showed that younger people who are on the verge of entering their prime spending years are more likely to value their computers, with 57 percent saying it's their most important machine. Among 35- to 49-year-olds, 48 percent said the computer was at the top of their list, and just 44 percent of those over 50 counted computers as their top electronic gadget. What's more, 84 percent of US respondents and 69 percent of Europeans surveyed said their computer bolstered their confidence in other products. Computer use also varied significantly according to the age group. Many 18- to 34-year-olds said listening to music was the most important activity they performed with their PC; people in the 35 to 49 age range often cited job-related tasks; and people over 50 leaned toward email. Not surprisingly, most people -- some 61 percent of respondents -- said connecting to the Internet was their most important task. That number was consistent across age and gender.
For the latest on everything from consumer electronics to your rights online, see the Personal Technology News Section. Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the ZDNet news forum. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Related stories

Wearable computers soon to be everywhere

In-car computers - headed for a dead end?

Heat promises to speed up hard-disk data storage

Woman gets replacement jaw via 3D printer

Gov.uk public service portal goes live in beta

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

TerryRK

Well it seems there is something a number of us agree on. Why is the Ubuntu Unity launcher so ugly? I thought perhaps it was something to do with...

1 hour ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Freebies202

Duplicate comments are not made intentionally. Its very good to know that now you are keeping check on this problem because sometimes a commenter...

11 hours ago by Freebies202 on Microsoft fixes blog comments, speeds up blogs with open source
kevinmchapman

"the very significant number of users" and "many (most) of us" - you have no evidence for these statements. It is a fact that most users are saying...

19 hours ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Marg Menzies Harrison

Another grammar faux pas is the improper use of "you". When sitting down down in a restaurant, for example, I get cringe when the waitress...

20 hours ago by Marg Menzies Harrison via Facebook on 10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid
zdnetukuser

And NOW, folks, for Canonical's next trick... Kubuntu is late. Here's a pencil. Draw your own conclusions. cf.:...

21 hours ago by zdnetukuser on Linux Minterface
Moley

@kevinmchapman. The discussion here reflects the very significant number of users who really do like the traditional menu system and who wish to...

23 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

Er, no... It is an efficient means of finding the application/file/setting you need in one place. The icons are a simply a fallback for when you...

1 day ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

Isn't the provision of a text based search an admission by the developers that the mass of icons approach does not work? I don't need to use a...

1 day ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

"Unity and GNOME 3 both abandon the old text-based cascading menus in favour of a graphical icon-driven system." Point truly missed. Both use a...

1 day ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

whs001 - Thank you, I'm glad you liked the article. I absolutely agree with you on your first point. I should perhaps have made it clearer that...

1 day ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Dennis Nilsson

If we allow corporate interest to dictate the way our government circumvents due process against foreign entities then we should accept the same...

1 day ago by Dennis Nilsson via Facebook on ACTA stumbles in Germany
GHar123

I totally dislike pirating of works, I fear that artists will be deterred from creating works if they think that they are going to get ripped off....

1 day ago by GHar123 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
JCB33

How dare film makers, artists or anybody that invests in creativity stop us pirating their works for free. I want to be able to walk into my local...

1 day ago by JCB33 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
Moley

@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...

2 days ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
greycynic

The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel. The first bug that I found was applying the median...

2 days ago by greycynic on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
GrueMaster

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

2 days ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

2 days ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
bdantas

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

2 days ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

2 days ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

2 days ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material

Latest in Emerging Tech

Heat promises to speed up hard-disk data storage

Woman gets replacement jaw via 3D printer

Gov.uk public service portal goes live in beta

Featured white papers

Value of a team: Five pillars to strengthen employee culture

Citrix Online

Value of a team: Five pillars to strengthen employee culture

This white paper explores how to define objectives for employees and clients and how the business can benefit from encouraging... Read more

Using cloud-based solutions to fight DDoS attacks

VeriSign

Using cloud-based solutions to fight DDoS attacks

As distributed-denial-of-service attacks grow in size, complexity and frequency, security organisations are discovering that in-house solutions are no longer... Read more

ZDNet Tech Family Tree - The history of the iPhone

ZDNet UK

ZDNet Tech Family Tree - The history of the iPhone

Download this a wholly original insight into Apple's most famous product, peruse the PDF and buy the history of the iPhone for your... Read more

Inside ZDNet UK

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

BlackBerry Bold 9790

BlackBerry Bold 9790

Make faster, smarter decisions using BI

Make faster, smarter decisions using BI

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault