That's according to the results of a new international survey commissioned by Lexmark International Inc. and conducted by global pollster Ipsos. The online survey of Ipsos panelists comprised 9,000 respondents from 18 countries.
Considering a wide range of innovations over the past 50 years, respondents said the following have had the most significant impact in terms of saving them time and increasing their productivity (up to three responses were possible):
- Internet - 60 percent
- Personal computers/laptops - 50 percent
- Mobile phones - 43 percent
- E-mail - 23 percent
- Cars and motorcycles - 22 percent.
- Wireless networks - 50 percent
- Greater computing speed - 44 percent
- Smart cards - 41 percent
- Internet/broadband - 40 percent
- All forms of portable computing - 39 percent.
Forty percent of respondents to the Lexmark survey said they already have a wireless network at home (Internet or any other connectivity solution made possible by the use of wireless routers, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) and, of those, 80 percent said they were more productive because of their wireless network.
Those who presently have a wireless network cited the following as the main benefits (up to three responses were possible):
- Flexibility/mobility - 84 percent
- Ability to share information among computers or printers on the network - 46 percent
- Time savings - 30 percent
- Cost savings - 24 percent
- Ability to stream music or video over the network - 21 percent.
- Connecting to the Internet - 92 percent
- Moving around the home while connected - 61 percent
- Connecting devices - 60 percent
- Printing - 49 percent
- Working from home - 47 percent.