The bar chart compares the prevalence of four kinds of electronic devices used across four different age groups in Australia in 2008.
Overall, the proportion of smartphone and tablet usage declined throughout the period, while the accessibility of laptops and e-readers increased in 2008. The age groups 12-24 and 25-60 were considered in decreasing order to select devices, from smartphones to the lowest e-reader percentages. In stark contrast, the figures for the 51-75 and 76-plus age groups fluctuated.
Looking first at the proportion of electronic items belonging to the 12-24 cohort, smartphones had the highest figure in percentage, with roughly 66%, compared to the lowest point of nearly 0% of e-reader usage. The 25-60 age group maintained a similar trend to the 12-14 age category; however, the percentage of tablets nearly caught up wth the that of smartphones, reaching 40%. Meanwhile, the proportion of e-reader users experienced a significant increase, standing at around 5% compared to the 12-24 age group.
Turning to the remaining two other age groups, in the 51-75 age category, smartphones, which were the most widely used device in the 12-60 age groups, were replaced by laptops at approximately 42%. While e-readers remained the least popular choice across all three age brackets. However, for the 76-and-over age cohort, e-readers were used the most compared to laptops in the 51-75 bracket and even rivaled smartphones in the 25-60 age group, at around 61%.