Tracking the top tech devices over the past decade, Deloitte research shows just how much consumer preferences have changed. It also serves as a reminder that businesses must keep abreast of technology in order to maintain market advantage.
The winner: More than any other technology device, the smartphone defined the 2010s, according to Deloitte research. The proportion of U.S. consumers who rank it as their most valued device grew from 6% in 2010 to 36% in 2019. That surge makes the smartphone the decade’s most important device, with a huge lead over the runner-up device (flat-panel TV) by 2019. Its popularity is even higher among Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X, with more than 40% of those consumers ranking smartphones as their most preferred device at decade’s end. Close to a third (32%) of surveyed Gen Z and millennials spend four or more hours per day on their smartphones.
The ones that lost favor: Due to technology advances and changing consumer behaviors, several devices—the basic mobile phone, portable music players, non-flat-panel TVs, and the DVR—disappeared from the top 10 list over the past decade, the survey shows. While the exploding popularity of smartphones doomed basic mobile phones and portable music players, the rise of streaming drove the decline in DVR popularity. In addition, the arrival of smart TVs made non-flat-panel TVs obsolete.
The survivors: In 2010, desktop and laptop computers ranked first and second, respectively, in terms of perceived value. While both experienced a significant decline in popularity over the course of the decade, smartphones didn’t fully replace the functionality offered by laptops and desktops, particularly in the business market. As a result, while just 13% of consumers rated them as their most valued devices in 2019, laptops still ranked third overall (tied with desktops), according to the Digital Media Trends Survey.
The flat-panel TV is another device that earned a strong ranking in 2019 after experiencing a series of twists and turns earlier in the decade. The revival of flat-panel TVs can be at least partially attributed to the emergence of streaming devices and internet-connected TVs. Whether flat-panel TVs, laptops, and desktops can hold their places over the next decade is an open question.
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