Video calling – MetaFacts

July 16, 2021February 9, 2022

Lawyer Cat and Windows 11 – home PC demand to rise [TUPdate]

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, July 16, 2021

What do lawyer cat and Windows 11 have in common?

Embarrassment or fear of humiliation may boost home PC sales. If that doesn’t do it, staying connected and current will encourage home PC users to upgrade.

If you missed it, the “lawyer cat” viral meme recently had its day of fame. A tech-challenged lawyer compelled to participate in a mid-pandemic judicial hearing over Zoom got confused and embarrassed by having his face appear as a cat’s. Webcam software bundled with an older Dell PC featured a filter that changed a person’s image before being displayed through Zoom.

The lawyer cat meme has a connection to the upcoming launch of Microsoft Windows 11. There could be the fear of something going wrong using older PCs, especially those with older bundled software.

The newest version of the venerable operating system will reportedly require more robust hardware than is present in much of the installed base. The final requirements are still in flux. However, Windows 11 is likely to need users to have newer home PCs than what they’re actively using today.

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March 12, 2021

Communication platforms – fast, now, or visible? [TUPdate]

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, March 12, 2021

The frustrated plea “can you hear me now?” has evolved to include “can you see me now?” During pandemic and suddenly-working-at-home times, video calls have driven home the importance of having a robust, fast, and synchronous connection. Asynchronous activities such as text messaging and email don’t have the same need for speed and an instantaneous persistent connection.

It got me wondering – are people choosing one device over another for communication that demands higher-bandwidth or low-latency connections? Is there an age difference preference for right-now synchronous versus later-on asynchronous communication activities? Furthermore, are there other aspects beyond bandwidth and immediacy that encourage people to choose one device over another for certain types of communications? Are video work meetings, for example, more PC-based than smartphone-based?

So, I investigated our results from TUP/Technology User Profile 2020 to compare how widely communication activities are in regular use. I netted together asynchronous activities separately from synchronous ones. Then, I looked at differences by device type – smartphone, home PC, and tablet. I also looked at differences by age group, knowing that younger adults often have different sensibilities and experiences around communication than older or the oldest adults.

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January 15, 2021

Device type used most often for communication [MetaFAQs]

There are many ways to communicate with our connected devices – a voice phone call, video one-on-one calls, text messages, emails, and others. Do people use one type of device for every type of communication activity, choose different devices based on the type of activity, or is there a mixture? This MetaFAQs looks at users in the US, UK, Germany, and Japan to see which types of devices (smartphones, PCs, tablets, or some combination) are used the most widely for each of a dozen communication activities.

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December 17, 2020February 9, 2021

Meetings are dead. Long live meetings! Are we digitally transformed yet? [TUPdate]

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts – December 17, 2020

During the pandemic and with many employees working from home, much of communicating with coworkers and managers has shifted online. Employees have many options and are using most of them.

Video and online chats by employer size

Employees working for all company sizes are actively using a range of video calling, video conferencing, and group chats. Employees working for larger employers have a higher share who regularly communicate online than among employees with smaller employers.

These communication methods are more entrenched in the US, with most online employees regularly doing at least one of these activities.

Online employees in the UK are almost as actively communicating as Americans are. In Japan, however, the shares among both larger and smaller employers are lower than in the US, UK, or Germany.

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December 7, 2020February 1, 2021

Smart displays barely visible [MetaFAQs]

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, December 7, 2020

Are smart displays making any headway?

With videoconferencing entering the mainstream and getting a recent boost during pandemic stay-at-home orders, there was a possibility that smart displays would get broad market acceptance. Based on our most recent research results in TUP/Technology User Profile 2020, market penetration is still quite small.

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December 3, 2020January 11, 2021

Employee’s video calls/meetings by device type [MetaFAQs]

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, December 3, 2020

Employees are busy having video calls, meetings, and group chats and are using a wide range of devices. While smartphones are a top platform, home PCs, work PCs, and even tablets are regularly used. There are some differences by employer size and country. This MetaFAQs reports on the devices used for video calls/conferences by employer organization size and device type.

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November 30, 2020January 11, 2021

Employees in video calls/conferences by employer size [MetaFAQs]

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, November 30, 2020

Meetings! They don’t stop because of video conferencing, video calls, or group chats. This MetaFAQs details the share of employees who regularly connect online using smartphones, PCs, tablets, or even game consoles. The results are split out by employer size to show whether there is a difference between smaller or larger employers.

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November 28, 2020January 11, 2021

Work meeting types by employer size [MetaFAQs]

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, November 28, 2020

How do employees communicate for work-related matters? Do they make video calls or group video conferences, such as those over Zoom or Webex? Is there a difference for employees of smaller as compared to larger organizations? This MetaFAQs reports on how many online employees communicate for work by type, country, and employer organization size.

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April 8, 2020January 11, 2021

Video calling and conferencing by those working at home [MetaFAQs]

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, April 8, 2020

Employees working at home have many options when it comes to staying in touch with coworkers and clients while working from home. With the sudden move to working from home, there was a sudden shift in market share. This MetaFAQs draws on the April 2020 MetaFacts Pulse Survey to identify which platforms employees have been using for their work-related and personal video communications, further split by video conferences versus video calls.

Usage guidelines: This document may be freely shared within and outside your organization in its entirety and unaltered. To share or quote excerpts, please contact MetaFacts.