June 2019 saw some cheer for the struggling tablet market, with Mintel’s data showing a greater quarter-on-quarter participation growth among tablet owners in the majority of the online social and media activities tracked in Mintel’s research, compared with owners of other devices. Meanwhile, hybrid laptops (defined as laptops with detachable or fold-back touchscreens) saw a two percentage point increase in the number of people having bought in the last three months, to 6%. This indicates an increased interest in the combined form-factor, with families emerging as key targets in the market.

The incremental improvements in the features of latest range of iPhones – the 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max – are indicative of a smartphone market that is struggling for significant innovation (ignoring, for now, the embryonic foldable phones market). However, smartphones still account for the majority of technology buying activity, with 15% of people having bought one in the last three months; seven percentage points more than the next most popular device.

Meanwhile, consumer adoption of voice technology continues to grow, driven primarily by voice controlled speakers, which are now in 21% of households. Mintel’s data also suggests opportunities for out-of-home growth; some 32% of people now say they would be happy to use voice in scenarios beyond the privacy of their own home or car, up from 25% two years ago, with increasing take-up of wearable technology providing opportunities to capitalise on this trend.

Covered in this Report

This Report covers ownership of and intentions to purchase consumer technology products (eg televisions, laptops, and smartphones), as well as the methods that people have used to connect to the internet in the last three months.

Mintel’s Digital Trends Report series examines what types of activities consumers have performed online using PCs (laptops or desktops), tablets and smartphones. In each quarter, we focus on a different aspect of consumer behaviour, and this edition focuses on social and media-related activities including use of social networks and messaging services, online news and video consumption, photo and video sharing and gaming.

Furthermore, every edition contains a Special Focus section, where we address a particular aspect of the consumer technology market. This edition’s Special Focus is on the use of voice control with devices, looking at the situations in which people are comfortable using it and the devices that they are using it on.

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