New Report on Digital Dependence Finds Performance, Price Still Drive PC Refresh

    Americans spend more than 43 hours per week on a variety of compute devices; time spent on PCs dominates over other devices.
    More than half of American families and millennials plan to upgrade their personal computer in the next year.
    4th generation Intel® Core™ processor family solves pain points of older PCs and reinvents personal computing experience.
    2 in 1 devices offer a best of both worlds experience; a laptop when you need it and a tablet when you want it, all in one device.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 13, 2013 – According to an IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Intel, titled, "Exploring Our Digital Dependence" released this month, 97 percent of U.S. households say the personal computer (PC) is still their primary computing device and nearly half (41 percent) intend to upgrade their PC within the next year. Among parents and millennials, 54 percent intend to purchase a new PC in the next year.

Americans spend more than 43 hours per week on a variety of compute devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, 2 in 1 devices), but time spent on PCs dominates more than half of their digital device time (over 21 hours per week). Dubbed "the 5 Cs" in IDC's report, Americans would choose to give up crunches/exercise (73 percent), chocolate/sweets (71 percent), caffeine (65 percent), cable television (58 percent), and their car (33 percent) before giving up their PCs for one week.

Despite consumers' love affair with technology, the report shows Americans are making compromises. The average PC owner using a machine that is 4 or more years old spends nearly 13 minutes a day waiting for their device to perform basic functions such as loading a Web page, booting up, or powering down – this equates to three days a year spent waiting.

PC purchase intent, according to the IDC InfoBrief, is driven by the following: a desire for the latest and greatest technology, seeing a good price or deal, wanting a speedier device, and/or having an old PC that malfunctions and does not perform well enough to get the job done. The recent report states: "performance and price are still the major drivers for PC refresh, but IDC believes consumers with older systems don't realize how much better the experience can be with a new PC."

"Intel Core-powered PCs offer significant advantages over other devices on the market and, on average, cost less than what people paid for their PCs four years ago," said Jeff McCrea, vice president, sales and marketing group and director, consumer channels group with Intel. "With our new 4th gen Intel Core processors, systems reach a whole new level of experience and performance with amazing battery life, stunning graphics, touch screens and a choice of beautiful, sleek and light designs. The new processors are enabling innovative new 2 in 1 devices, giving people a high performance laptop with the mobility of a tablet in one remarkable design."

"The IDC InfoBrief reaffirms our dependence on mobile technology and shines a light on the pivotal role PCs still play in our lives," said IDC Analyst Bob O'Donnell. "Thirty million consumer PCs are forecasted to ship in the U.S. this year. I believe PC owners will be 'wowed' when they learn the benefits offered by new systems on the market today and realize how much more of a rewarding experience will be delivered when they choose to upgrade their PC."

4th generation Intel Core Ushers in Wave of Innovative 2 in 1, Touch-enabled Devices
Intel recently announced its 4th generation Intel Core processor family enabling cool, sleek designs, including Ultrabook™ devices and other 2 in 1 systems that deliver a PC and tablet experience in one device. The new processors deliver a 50 percent improvement in battery life1, which translates to over 9 hours in some systems. Intel® Iris™ graphics deliver up to double the graphics performance over the previous generation2, delivering incredible visual experiences in even the thinnest of devices. Systems powered by the new Intel Core processors can wake up approximately eight times faster 3,4,5, handle every day computing tasks roughly four times faster3,4,6, and make video editing and sharing about 16 times faster than a similar 4-year-old PC3,4,7.

New Intel-powered 2 in 1 devices are coming to market in time for the current back-to-school season and upcoming holiday gift buying season. People no longer have to choose between laptops and tablets – they can now have everything they love about a tablet and everything they need in a laptop, in one device.

For more information on the IDC study, download the InfoBrief PDF. For more information on Intel's 4th generation Intel Core processor family, visit the Intel Newsroom.