This week, there is yet another Pew Research Center study worthy of regurgitation (the Dude knows this is familiar territory). The report, titled
Technology Device Ownership: 2015, details the rise and fall of ownership of devices such as cellphones, smartphones, desktop and laptop computers, tablet computers, game consoles, MP3 players, and eBook readers. While the chart at the right details the specific 18-29 age demographic, those numbers (and trends) mirror the general population (GP). It should come as no surprise that smartphone and tablet computer ownership is on the rise and eReaders, portable gaming devices, and MP3 players are on the decline. It’s fairly easy to understand the reasons for the trend, but in case you might be having trouble the Dude will spell it out for you. The reason is that eReading, game playing, and music listening can just as effectively be done on devices that not only handle those specific functions but do others as well (or multi-taskers, if you will). Example: A smartphone makes phone calls but also can handle your MP3 music files, so if you are out for a stroll and want to listen to some tunes, no need to pack up that MP3 player and AA batteries. Just take the phone. Likewise if you want tunes in your car (and have a more modern car), just plug the phone in. Gone are the days of burning your own CD’s (or cassette tapes); just drag and drop them ol’ MP3’s on your phone and plug it in to the AUX jack on the modern vehicle. If you’ve got a non-modern car, play it old school and turn on the radio.
Now eReading and game playing for most can both be accomplished with a small tablet computer. Forget about separate eReaders and game playing devices; just get one tablet that can handle both of these and many other functions (the price difference isn’t much). For some, games can also be played on the smartphone, depending of course on the game. It’s a bit better experience on the tablet, though, and why not pay a few extra dollars for the color tablet that allows you to download and play games? Because, let’s face it, if you’re like the Dude, you enjoys a bit of Pac Man 256 or Crossy Road now and again. When we think about eReaders, we typically think about basic black and white devices that you can’t do those things on, and you can’t really watch movies or stream video content on those B&W thingy’s. Finally, when looking at these trends ask yourself about your own websites. Are they optimized so that those viewing your site on a tablet or smartphone have a decent experience? Is the site accessible from such devices? It’s been said before and it’ll now be said again. Shaka.
This week, there is yet another Pew Research Center study worthy of regurgitation (the Dude knows this is familiar territory). The report, titled Technology Device Ownership: 2015, details the rise and fall of ownership of devices such as cellphones, smartphones, desktop and laptop computers, tablet computers, game consoles, MP3 players, and eBook readers. While the chart at the right details the specific 18-29 age demographic, those numbers (and trends) mirror the general population (GP). It should come as no surprise that smartphone and tablet computer ownership is on the rise and eReaders, portable gaming devices, and MP3 players are on the decline. It’s fairly easy to understand the reasons for the trend, but in case you might be having trouble the Dude will spell it out for you. The reason is that eReading, game playing, and music listening can just as effectively be done on devices that not only handle those specific functions but do others as well (or multi-taskers, if you will). Example: A smartphone makes phone calls but also can handle your MP3 music files, so if you are out for a stroll and want to listen to some tunes, no need to pack up that MP3 player and AA batteries. Just take the phone. Likewise if you want tunes in your car (and have a more modern car), just plug the phone in. Gone are the days of burning your own CD’s (or cassette tapes); just drag and drop them ol’ MP3’s on your phone and plug it in to the AUX jack on the modern vehicle. If you’ve got a non-modern car, play it old school and turn on the radio.
Now eReading and game playing for most can both be accomplished with a small tablet computer. Forget about separate eReaders and game playing devices; just get one tablet that can handle both of these and many other functions (the price difference isn’t much). For some, games can also be played on the smartphone, depending of course on the game. It’s a bit better experience on the tablet, though, and why not pay a few extra dollars for the color tablet that allows you to download and play games? Because, let’s face it, if you’re like the Dude, you enjoys a bit of Pac Man 256 or Crossy Road now and again. When we think about eReaders, we typically think about basic black and white devices that you can’t do those things on, and you can’t really watch movies or stream video content on those B&W thingy’s. Finally, when looking at these trends ask yourself about your own websites. Are they optimized so that those viewing your site on a tablet or smartphone have a decent experience? Is the site accessible from such devices? It’s been said before and it’ll now be said again. Shaka. 
