As the UK economy improves, unemployment falls, and more young people find jobs, the outlook for the consumer technology market is promising. Millennials (16-35) remain key adopters of new technology. Encouragingly, 12% of young Millennials (16-25) say they are a lot better off financially than they were a year ago, compared to the 6% average figure (see Mintel’s Consumers and the Economic Outlook: Quarterly Update – UK – April 2015).

Household smart TV penetration is still relatively low at 26%; however, this is expected to grow as internet-enabled HD TVs become the norm in UK homes. In addition, with the much-documented Internet of Things (IoT) on the horizon, the smart TV is expected become the focal point of a connected household ecosystem.

Household tablet ownership continues to outpace desktops; tablets are present in 58% of homes, while desktops are present in 52%. Personal ownership of tablet devices has risen from 31% to 47% since December 2013, as consumers open up to the benefits of owning one.

The gulf between smartphones and basic models continues to widen. Smartphone ownership now sits at 76% while basic mobile ownership is at 26%. This is quite a significant diversion, as back in January 2012, both models were owned by just over half the population.

Smartwatch anticipation has been growing coming up to the launch of the Apple Watch in April 2015; however it’s still too early to tell what impact the launch will have, as just 3% of consumers currently own one.

This edition of Digital Trends examines the trends in consumer technology and digital media in the UK, looking at changes in device ownership and consumers’ purchasing intentions. It focuses on a broad range of devices, particularly televisions, desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and smartwatches. It also looks at how consumers access the internet, what they are doing online, and what devices they are using to do so.

The term ‘laptop’ in this report refers to a computer intended for mobile use, which has the display, primary input device and speakers integrated into one unit.

• The definition encompasses notebooks, netbooks, MacBooks, Chromebooks and Ultrabooks.

• The category includes laptops that can be converted into a tablet form factor such as those with swivel displays or sliding keyboards, or those with a detachable keyboard which provides greater functionality, such as improved battery life or additional connection ports (defined as ‘hybrid laptops’ or ‘convertible laptops’).

• The category excludes tablets that can be docked with a standalone keyboard to convert to laptop form factor (eg Microsoft Surface), defined as ‘hybrid tablets’.

The term ‘desktop’ in this report refers to a computer that is intended for regular use at a single location. It encompasses towers, all-in-ones and small form factors such as mini and nettop PCs.

The term ‘tablet’ in this report refers to a slate form factor computer designed for mobile use, with an integrated touchscreen as the primary display and mode of input.

Smart TV refers to internet-enabled television sets, which generally give access to apps (eg BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Skype) and a web browser when the television is connected directly to the internet.