Who does it, what they do and why they do it?

Who does it, what they do and why they do it? Packard Bell's European Institute of Home Computing Study* reveals the truth about creative home PC use Convinced that only teenage techies sit at their computers being creative? Positive they all wear Wheatus t-shirts and ride skateboards? If so, you could be in for a shock.... Who? A survey by Packard Bell's European Institute of Home Computing* today reveals that the average home PC user is not who we thought it is. It seems the modern home PC user is the 38 year old, ABC1 married family man (he probably still wears a Wheatus t-shirt but drives a Z3). He is probably battling with his kids for time on the home PC too.... What do they do? What the family is doing with their PC is even more interesting. It seems we have become a nation of creative, sharing types and 77% say they use their home PC because they can use the results of their creativity to share with other people. Solo cyber-addict behaviour is no longer the norm... - 65% make customised creations such as greeting cards (cheap, cheerful and saves money towards the family holiday) - 52% touch up photography (get rid of those wrinkles and fat bits from the holiday snaps) - 32% create drawings on their PCs (expressing a creative side which may be dulled by school-work and the nine-to-five grind) - 31% create music compilations (if Fat Boy Slim can do it, why can't they?) - 19% create websites (alter-egos of the family to show (off) to the world?) Home PC use is no longer confined to work, homework, accounts and games. In fact leisure use was cited as the main reason for buying a PC and creating on that PC is a big focus. 100% of the people polled indicated that video is the next area they want to develop. An explosion of caring-sharing home video makers awaits us. Ends- For further information, please contact Matt Rowntree and Jaime Edmund on 020 8322 1922 Email: jaimee@gbc.co.uk * European Institute of Home Computing Survey Results The Icone Institute conducted the survey among 1000 European residents in eight countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the UK. The target of the study was home PC users between the ages of 16 and 70 who had bought a PC for home use after 1996. The study was comprised of a qualitative and a quantitative phase. In the former, two focus groups of eight "heavy users" each were held in the UK, France and Belgium. In the five remaining countries four individual interviews were held with "heavy users." In the quantitative phase, 100 telephone interviews were carried out in each country. About the European Institute of Home Computing Created in September 1999 by NEC Computers International (NEC CI), the European Institute of Home Computing is a unique pan-European initiative. Its mission is to observe, study, analyse and inform on the impact of IT in the everyday lives of Europeans at home. The Institute's first study into the impact of the Internet on Europeans was commissioned in 1999. In May 2000, the Institute published an exclusive study of the importance of product design as a vector for the integration of PCs into the home. In October 2000, the Institute chose to study how the integration of computing into the home was creating new consumer needs, and how this might turn Europeans into the leaders of the next home computing revolution. In May 2001, the Institute examined the rise in mobility and its influence on PC users. The Institute's latest survey, which looks into creativity and home computing, was published in April 2002. About NEC Computers International NEC Computers International (NEC CI) is Europe's sixth largest manufacturer of personal computers, supplying the consumer market with the Packard Bell brand, Europe's home PC leader (Source: Dataquest - February 2002), and the professional market with the NEC brand. One of the major consolidated subsidiaries of the Japanese NEC Corporation - and part of the operation of NEC Solutions - NEC CI benefits from the group's on-going commitment to Research and Development. NEC CI supplies personal computers, servers and Internet solutions to individuals, corporations, government and other public sector agencies in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia (except Japan and China). For the past six years, NEC CI's annual unit sales have recorded an average increase of 25%. The company employs 3,000 people worldwide. Its headquarters are located in Wijchen, The Netherlands. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/04/19/20020418BIT01680/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/04/19/20020418BIT01680/wkr0002.pdf