Onaverage, respondents stated that they now get 31percent of their entertainmentonline, doing activities such as playing video games, listening to music, andwatching movies or short videos. The surveypolled U.S. Wi-Fi® users aged 18 - 55.
"TheWi-Fi users sampled in this poll provide a glimpse into the way consumers increasinglyaccess news, information and entertainment," said KarenHanley, senior director of the Wi-Fi Alliance, the globaltrade organization representing the Wi-Fi industry. "There are about 350million Wi-Fi users worldwide, and that number continues to grow as Wi-Fi makesaccess even more convenient. Wi-Fi is a key technology in laptops, cell phones,game devices, MP3 players, printers, cameras and others."
Sixty-eightpercent of those surveyed put Wi-Fi above YouTube®, MySpace®,Facebook® and iTunes® as the single technology having the most significantimpact on their internet experience. Only Google scored higher, at 74 percent.
Among the other findingsin the survey:
- Wi-Fi is a key item on people's holiday wishlists. As consumers look to electronictoys for giving and receiving, 57 percent will look for Wi-Fi in a cellularphone, 30 percent will seek it in a music player, and 29 percent hope theirgaming devices and digital cameras have it.
- During the holiday season, users will rely on Wi-Fito stay in touch with friends and family while traveling (55 percent), workremotely to maximize family time (52 percent), and choose hotel accommodations(55 percent).
- Wi-Fi users have a special "sweet spot" for thetechnology, with 7 out of 10 saying they would give up chocolate before givingup Wi-Fi.
The poll, which fieldedNovember 19 - 27 2007, surveyed 586 U.S. Wi-Fi users ages 18 - 55. The sampling variation in this survey is plusor minus 4.1 percentage points.
The Wi-Fi Alliance,which coined the term Wi-Fi, provides testing and certification programs tohelp deliver the best user experience with Wi-Fi technology. Holidayshoppers can find a comprehensive list of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ products anddetailed information about next-generation 802.11n draft 2.0 at www.wi-fi.org.
About the Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global, non-profitindustry association of more than 300 member companies devoted topromoting the growth of wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). With the aim ofenhancing the user experience for wireless portable, mobile, and homeentertainment devices, the Wi-Fi Alliance's testing and certification programsensure the interoperability of WLAN products based on the IEEE 802.11specification. Since the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliance'scertification program in March 2000, more than 4,000 productshave been designated as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™, encouraging the expanded useof Wi-Fi products and services across the consumer and enterprise markets.
Media contact:
Edelman for Wi-FiAlliance: Michael Diamond,michael.diamond@edelman.com, +1 650-429-2772.