The Ipsos MediaCT Tech Tracker

For the past six years, Ipsos MediaCT has tracked internet penetration and access methods via the Ipsos MediaCT Tech Tracker. At the start of 2010, the survey was expanded to cover a range of new areas including latest generation games console ownership, smartphone ownership, social networking and usage of both official and unofficial digital services for music, movies, TV and games.

This thought piece explores some of the headlines from the latest wave of the tracker, which ran in July 2010, focusing on the reality of reaching universal online access and the influence of women in driving connected technology in and outside the home.

Universal online access is still a generation away

In 2010, one in five of the GB adult population are still not accessing the internet in any way. This represents some 10 million adults - highlighting the scale of the digital divide that still exists in today's society. A further 4% of adults have the capability to access the internet but choose not to. The digital divide is most apparent among some of the most socially and economically disadvantaged people. Those aged 55 or over, or from lower social grades, are more likely than average not to access the internet.

In contrast, nearly eight in 10 of those aged 15-24 or AB social grade access the web on a daily basis. For all those accessing the internet, home broadband is the predominant connection method.

Internet use via a mobile phone still has a relatively low penetration (18%) and just 7% connect via a mobile broadband dongle. New access methods, such as via games consoles or internet-enabled TVs, remain niche. However, 12% of 15-24 year olds do access via a console.

The UK faces a tough challenge in getting millions of people online and the new government must invest to reach out to the most marginalised groups. There are signs of commitment with David Cameron and Martha Lane Fox having launched the manifesto for a Networked Nation in July 2010, pledging to get everyone in the UK online by 2012. However in the same week, it was announced that the previous government's target for the provision of 'universal' broadband, would be pushed back from 2012 to 2015 - so already the goal posts have moved. Will they move back again as the deadlines draw closer?

iPhone uptake is driven by young women

There has been a surge of activity around smartphones in the past year, with levels of ownership among the GB adult population reaching 20% in July 2010. Uptake has been driven by the iPhone, which has seen an impressive rate of growth and based on data from the Tech Tracker is now owned by 12% of the adult population. Growth in iPhone ownership is strongest among the under 35s, with a particularly high level of uptake among women under 35 (ownership has increased from 7% in January 2010 to 20% by July - nearly trebling in 6 months).

In fact, ownership has risen to such an extent among young women that they are now more likely to own an iPhone than men of the same age, reflecting just how successful Apple has been in making the iPhone the 'must have' handset.

All other handset manufacturers are trying to replicate this success and grow their share of the smartphone market. This push of activity has seen the levels of ownership of the wider (non-iPhone) smartphone market grow throughout 2010, reaching 9% ownership among all adults by July 2010. Here also, women are driving the growth of the market, with their ownership level more than doubling over the past six months.

With the number of female owners growing so quickly, the profile of smartphone users has shifted dramatically. The industry needs to keep apace with this change, making sure they tap in to the wider demographic in the development of the apps, content and services they bring to market.

Rise and stall of social networking

Our latest figures indicate the number of new users of social networking sites has begun to level off in 2010. After rapid growth over the past few years, the latest July 2010 data shows 36% of all adults had visited social networking sites via their laptop/PC in the previous 12 months - a relatively small increase on the 34% recorded for January 2010.

The profile of users in July 2010 shows that men and women were equally likely to have accessed social networking services (both at 36%) and that age is the key determinant of usage - 60% of under 35s using compared to 25% of those aged 35 and over. The group with the highest usage by some margin is women aged 15-34 at 68% - compared to 54% for men in the same age group.

Usage of social networking has quickly migrated to mobile with 13% of all adults accessing this way - in most cases the mobile is supplemental to PC access. As with the PC, the profile of users via a mobile is highest among younger women at 29%, reaching 61% among young women with a smartphone.

As new ways to access the internet are offered via connected TVs, consoles and tablets it will be interesting to track whether this opens up a wave of new users to social networking services or whether the market has reached a ceiling - in which case growth will be in the density of networks among existing users.

Consoles and the race for the 'connected home'

More than a third of GB adults (35%) have at least one of the latest generation games consoles in their household - with nearly three quarters of 'any console' home owning one of the latest machines. The Wii dominates the market with 25% ownership. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (PS3) battle it out for second place (13% vs.12%).

The Wii has always been aimed at attracting the casual, new or lapsed gamer as much as the 'serious gamer' and was therefore the first to attract female gamers in large numbers. In fact, more women aged 15-34 years have a Wii in their household (36%) than their male counterparts (27%).

In widening its appeal, the Wii not only has the largest owner base but is now best positioned in the race to own the next frontier - the 'connected home'. With its inbuilt internet connectivity the Wii has the potential to connect the TVs of one in four homes online and may well move quickly to offer new web connected content services, such as streaming films and TV series before other competitor technologies like YouView take hold. The PS3 and Xbox 360 are playing catch-up and both are hoping to broaden their offer with new motion controllers. But will it be enough to catch the Wii, and what tricks does the Wii have up its sleeve to keep hold of its lead - the Wii 2 coming soon perhaps?

The Tech Tracker - measuring the pulse of change

The levers driving the technology market are no longer just about young men adopting technology that then diffuses out into the mainstream. Women are shaping the technology market both in and out of the home. Appealing to as wide a demographic as possible is therefore key and has underpinned the ongoing success of both the iPhone and the Wii.

The Ipsos MediaCT Tech Tracker will continue measuring the pulse of the technology sector on a quarterly basis to reveal the market's latest trends.

Visit Ipsos' website www.ipsos-mori.com/TechTracker to find out more about this quarter's Tech Tracker results.

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