7 in 10 digital devices people use saw ownership drop globally in 2023: Report

NEW DELHI: About seven out of ten digital devices people use have seen an ownership drop globally in 2023, a new report said on Wednesday.

According to data presented by Stocklytics.com, tablets, gaming consoles, and VR devices took the worst hit.

"Consumers worldwide showed that having a smartphone became even more prevalent last year. According to the Digital 2024 Global Overview Report, mobile phones and smartphones were the only devices, except for smartwatches, whose ownership rate increased year-over-year," the researchers said.

All other digital devices, including PCs, laptops, tablets, game consoles, smart homes, TV streaming, and VR devices, saw their ownership rates drop.

As per the report, only 4.4 per cent of internet users aged between 14 and 64 owned a VR device in 2023, or 21.4 per cent less than a year before. This huge ownership rate drop shows the hype around VR devices has stopped, the researchers noted.

Tablets witnessed the second-largest ownership decline in 2023. After surging in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, global tablet demand dropped to far less impressive numbers. The report mentioned that only 30.9 per cent said they owned a tablet last year, or 8.3 per cent less than a year before.

Game consoles follow VR devices and tablets with almost a 6 per cent year-over-year drop and a 19.1 per cent share among internet users in 2023. As per statistics, TV streaming devices also saw a considerable drop in 2023, with their ownership rate falling by 4.8 per cent to 15.7 per cent. Smart home devices were also used less than before, with their share among respondents falling by 1.2 per cent to 16.2 per cent last year.