Skip to main content

Lower PC Prices Fail to Entice the Laggards

Laptops have yet to attract the late-adopting market segments in the U.S., according to an upcoming report from Parks Associates that found only 2 percent of the 10.5 million households planning on buying a notebook are technology latecomers.

These technology "laggards," defined in the report "Multimedia Trends: Segmenting the U.S. Consumer Population" as households that have an Internet connection but seldom engage in online activities, show little to no interest in purchasing a laptop, despite falling prices. By comparison, a majority of the households planning on buying a laptop computer in the next 12 months already own one, with early-adopter households accounting for 29 percent of these households.

"The laptop market is a mile wide and an inch deep," said John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates. "New notebook computers can be found for less than $500, but it's not the latecomers who are taking advantage of falling prices. The early adopters are getting a laptop to complement their existing desktop or laptop computer."

"Multimedia Trends: Segmenting the U.S. Consumer Population" is an in-depth analysis of households by their proclivity to adopt technology products and services. It is based on three nationwide surveys and responses collected from over 8,000 households.

Popular posts from this blog

AI Supercycle: Server Market Growth Surge

The worldwide server market has entered a new phase defined almost entirely by artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure economics rather than traditional enterprise refresh cycles.   The latest market data shows robust growth and a structural shift in where value is created, who captures it, and which architectures are setting the pace for the next decade. IDC reports that worldwide server revenue reached a record $112.4 billion in the third quarter of 2025, representing a striking 61 percent year-over-year increase compared to the same quarter in 2024. For context, this means the market is adding tens of billions of dollars in incremental quarterly spend, driven overwhelmingly by AI and accelerated computing requirements.  IT Server Market Development Over the first three quarters of 2025, server revenue has already reached $314.2 billion, meaning the market has nearly doubled in size compared to 2024, underscoring how AI buildouts have compressed several years of exp...