Oct. 29--Hold the phone: The smartphone has replaced the computer as the device of choice for young adults.
A report released Thursday by the Pew Research Center found that 86 percent of adults under age 30 owned a smartphone, compared with 78 percent who have a laptop or desktop computer.
That represents a dramatic change from just three years ago, when less than two-thirds of young adults had smartphones and nearly 90 percent owned computers.
Overall, more than two-thirds of all adults have a smartphone, up from 35 percent in 2011, the report said.
The smartphone is supplanting other devices as well, according to Pew, with MP3 players and e-readers also losing traction, while ownership of gaming consoles is flat.
"The rise of smartphones has been a major story in the universe of connected gadgetry," Lee Rainie, Pew's director of technology research, said in a statement. "These changes in device ownership are all taking place in a world where smartphones are transforming into all-purpose devices that perform many of the same functions of specialized technology, such as music players, e-book readers or even gaming devices."
The changes are most evident among younger consumers. Five years ago, three-quarters of adults under age 30 had an MP3 player. Today, just over half have an audio-only device, according to Pew.
rchannick@tribpub.com
