Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Tech Spending Surged during the Pandemic

The pandemic has been good to Apple. As the coronavirus swept through the country in the early months of 2020, Apple's market cap climbed to $2 trillion by August of that year—the first company to ever hit the $2 trillion mark. As the coronavirus made itself at home in 2021, Apple's market cap continued to soar, briefly hitting $3 trillion on January 3, 2022.

If you're wondering how Apple turned the pandemic into profits, wonder no more. Americans have been in a tech-buying frenzy during the past two years, according to an AARP survey. Among adults under age 50, fully 83 percent purchased at least one new tech item in 2021. Among those aged 50 or older, the figure was 70 percent—down slightly from the 72 percent who purchased new tech in 2020, but still far above the 51 percent who did so before the pandemic in 2019. 

Overall, Americans aged 50 or older spent an average of $821 on new tech items in 2021. Adults under age 50 spent an average of $1,234. What did they buy? Take a look...

Percent buying selected tech items in the past year, by age
   18 to 49   50-plus
Smartphone       37%      30%
Headset/ear buds       34      23
Smart TV       25      20
Laptop computer       21      16
Tablet computer       17      15
Wearable device       17      12
Gaming system       15        5
Home assistant       10        9
Smart home cleaning device         5        5

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