Member Article

Geordies waste 37 million hours a year waiting for slow technology

New research has revealed that people in Newcastle are missing out on activities such as cooking for the family, going to the gym and even going on dates with their partner because of time wasted using slow technology. The new insights commissioned by the memory and storage experts at Crucial.com, show that the average Brit wastes over 39 hours each year waiting for frustratingly slow technology to complete everyday tasks, with some individuals even wasting as many as 121 hours a year. For the whole of Newcastle, this equates to a staggering 37,394,520 hours of wasted time each year.

Over a quarter of those who have wasted time on slow computers explained that they would rather have spent this time cooking a family meal, and 24% said they would’ve preferred to spend more time with their children. 13% would’ve gone on a date with their partner, whereas 42% would’ve simply liked to catch up on TV or a movie. Thinking about the 39 hours of wasted time each year, this could equate to: 78 bedtime stories for children, 39 family meals, 26 gym sessions, 16 movies or 10 date nights.

Roddy McLean, a computer upgrade expert from Crucial.com, said: “Families and couples today have such busy schedules and often find it difficult to make time for each other, without everyday annoyances such as slow-running technology adding to this problem.” He continued: “A simple computer memory upgrade is quick and easy to complete and will speed up a slow laptop or PC – with the overall hours saved, people can spend more time with family or keep their partner happy by treating them to a few extra date nights.”

35% of Brits surveyed expressed frustration over slow-running technology devices such as laptops and PCs, and almost a third (31%) complained that their devices take too long to start up. This can result in everyday tasks – such as surfing the internet, downloading music or shopping online – taking much longer than necessary.

The research showed that, although 73% of Brits believe they balance their tech and personal life – well, this still leaves 27% who believe that they do not have a good “tech-life balance”. This could be due to wasting time on slow-running computers and other tech devices. Half (50%) of people admitted that they spend more time using technology at home compared to a year ago and almost a quarter (23%) of those surveyed believe that they are spending too much time using technology such as laptops, PCs and tablet devices.14% of couples have even argued over the use that one or both of them makes of technology and, surprisingly, more than 1 in 10 (11%) people claimed to spend more time at home with technology than with their significant other.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by crucial.com .