Is your investment in technology going to waste?
We may be a nation obsessed with the latest, greatest and fastest technological devices, but it would appear that Aussie families are missing out on the real lifestyle benefits of these gadget.
According to data from industry analyst GfK, last year Australians spent approximately $6.8 billion on digital devices. The average family now boasts six of these in the home, however almost one third (30%) of internet enabled devices are not even used to connect to the internet. This significant investment in the best of devices is actually costing Australian families.
These were the results of the Netgear Connected Lifestyle Survey, conducted by Galaxy Research during September 2011 and including responses from 1,027 participants in total from all over Australia aged between 18-54.
ADVERTISEMENT
The key findings indicated that:
- Less than a quarter of Australians with a WiFi network at home actually use it to connect their devices to each other to share digital content.
- Less than half of those with a game console in their home connect it to the internet.
- On average, Australians download or stream 12 hours of video per month.
- Over 18,000,000 internet-enabled devices in Australia are not used to access the internet.
The survey confirmed that Gen ‘Y’s are the most avid consumers and collectors of digital content, storing 48% more than the average number of digital files stored by Baby Boomers. Surprisingly, 19% of Gen Y admit they take no steps to back up their digital content, despite the fact that they are most likely (65%) to be distraught if they lost their digital content.
Brad Little, director of consumer channels for Netgear Australia and New Zealand, says it’s a shame that Australians are missing out on the full potential of
their devices.
“Today Australians can truly benefit from a connected home with a seamless and fast WiFi network to share information between devices. For example, by taking a few simple steps, any home can stream home videos directly from a storage device to a high definition television screen. Simultaneously, one family member could use video conferencing on a laptop in one room of the house, while another listens to digital music on the home’s surround sound home stereo,” he says.
The results also found that Gen Y could learn more from today’s older generation with Baby Boomers employing the most sophisticated back up measures. 15% of Boomers use Network Attached Storage (NAS), compared to the national average (12%) and, when it comes to backing up to the cloud, this group is almost on par with the national average (5% as compared to 6%). These figures show that, of all age groups surveyed, Baby Boomers are the most conscious of protecting their investment in technology.
Despite online content being hailed as the ‘next big thing’ in multimedia, the survey results showed Australians remain restrained in their adoption of this technology. On average, Gen Y only stream or download 15 hours of digital video per month, while Baby Boomers download a mere five hours per month.
“Australians have always been early adopters of technological devices. However, this research has shown we’re actually not making the most of our investment in the latest technology.
“Considering the average family has six devices in the home, the fact that they are yet to take the final step of going online with them or connecting them to each other shows a need for greater understanding of how technology can enhance our lives.”
-
ADVERTISEMENT
-
ADVERTISEMENT
-
ADVERTISEMENT
-
ADVERTISEMENT