Noteworthy in 2021

Penetration of PCs and tablets declined significantly year over year (YoY).

• More than 98% of internet users ages 16 to 64 polled in Mexico in H1 2021 owned a smartphone—a slight increase YoY. Ownership of desktops and laptops trended in the opposite direction, falling below 70% for the first time.
• Tablet penetration had also fallen, from 45.9% to 42.7%. Ownership was highest (59.8%) among affluent respondents and those ages 35 to 44 (51.9%). No other cohort posted penetration above 50%.
• As PC and tablet penetration shrank, the average time spent with those devices declined as well. Time spent with mobile devices first surpassed time spent with PCs and tablets in 2020, and that gap widened in H1 2021, to 4 hours, 41 minutes (4:41) and 4:30, respectively.
• Games consoles also suffered a slight fall in penetration and have now drawn level with tablets, at 42.9% in H1 2021. Predictably, ownership was above average among males, 16- to 44-year-olds, and respondents in middle- and higher-income homes.
• As in many other countries, smartwatches were significantly more popular among Mexico’s internet users in H1 2021 than a year prior, and smartwatch penetration rates also remained higher than in most Latin American nations. In Mexico, 18.6% of respondents owned a smartwatch this year; penetration rates in Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia were 9.3%, 16.0%, and 14.8%, respectively.
• About 22% of internet users now use voice tools such as Cortana or Siri, or a smart speaker like the Amazon Echo, to find information, such as map directions, and a similar number said they used voice commands to carry out actions. Takeup of voice assistants was greatest in the most affluent homes but also above average in middle-income households and among respondents ages 25 to 34.
• By contrast, ownership of smart home products—such as remotely controlled energy monitors—languished below 13% in H1 2021. Penetration did reach 22.0% among respondents in higher-income homes.