Over the last five years especially, a raft of new technological products has transformed the way Aussies communicate and entertain themselves.

Gadgets-a-go-go

Anyone who’s noticed the recent glut of discarded cathode ray tube (CRT) TV sets littering front verges in suburbs across the nation would not be surprised to learn that ownership of plasma and LCD TVs has jumped from 0.2% of the population in 2003 to 65.6% now.

Ownership of smartphones has also skyrocketed. The proportion of Australians who own a smartphone has tripled since late 2010, from 16.2% to 48.8%, with the majority (44.5%) of them owning 3G or 4G phones. This corresponds to a steady decline is home landline connections in recent years.

The trend is similarly vertiginous for tablet computers such as the Apple iPad. In June 2011, just 6.8% of Australians owned a tablet — this has since risen to 24.8%. The corollary of this? A gradual decrease in desktop PC ownership.

Never has the saying ‘Out with the old, in with the new’ been so apt.

Roy Morgan Research industry communications director Norman Morris says, “Not only are new technological products making communication easier and better for individual Australians, they’re also changing the way business is conducted.

“If they haven’t already, small businesses must adapt to these ongoing changes so they can provide the level of service their customers expect.

“Interestingly, nearly 20% of Australians still qualify as ‘Technophobes’ under Roy Morgan’s Technology Adoption Segments. These people may need to reassess their views on new technology and join the revolution before they’re left behind…”