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A survey of previous NPD research has found US consumers not fully embracing the connected future so beloved of tech marketeers.

Researchers found that for most US users a PC, with email and web browsing, is enough. Although some are using games consoles and smartphones to get online the vast majority are not.

Russ Crupnick, senior entertainment analyst for NPD, said: "What we learned in our research is that while some people already experience the world in a connected way, most do not. For many who are connecting it is not about the flashiest apps, but more about the fundamentals like web browsing and email."

Figures from Forrester Research also revealed a flattening of US consumers' interest in, and engagement with, social media.

Although the likes of Facebook, and now Twitter, remain popular, growth in other areas has stopped.

European figures show there has been no increase in "creators", what Forrester calls people who blog or upload their own video content, for either of the last two years.

The percentage of Europeans who rate products, talk on messageboards or post comments has grown just one per cent in each of the last two years.

There's more on Forrester's European research here. ®

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