30 Million PCs & Laptops are Unused
More than 30 million PCs and laptops are currently lying unused in homes across the UK….
Research conducted by Microsoft revealed that nearly a third (30 percent) of Brits it surveyed have one laptop or PC in their home that’s never used, while 15 percent have two and 9 percent have three or more.
The software giant found that 16 percent deliberately hang on to their old machine but forget about it once they’ve purchased a new PC, while 7 percent throw old PCs away, meaning no one else can benefit from them.
According to the Manifesto for a Networked Nation, published in 2009 by UK Digital Champion and founder of Lastminute.com Martha Lane-Fox, 9.2 million British adults are currently offline. These people are missing out, with a third (29 percent) of those Microsoft surveyed using the web to find a job, 10 percent a new home and 13 percent looking for love.
Furthermore, 26 percent of Brits claim the web is core to who they are and what they do -13 percent admitted they’d lose touch with friends and 10 percent said they’d have to work longer hours to get tasks completed without internet access.
Microsoft suggests that if people were to give their unused machines to those who don’t have a PC or internet access, Lane-Fox’s target of ensuring all the UK’s working population is online could be met by the end of the current parliament.
Accordingly, Microsoft has launched its ‘Go on: Give someone their first time online’ campaign (tinyurl.com/32kyg5s). In conjunction with AgeUK, the scheme hopes to encourage Brits to recycle their old computers at any of the 475 Age UK charity shops across the UK.
“The campaign is a great opportunity for us to give other people a chance to enjoy the benefits that so many of us enjoy every day,” said Lane-Fox.
“If every connected person helped just one friend or family member to get online, the race would already be won. By working together we can accelerate progress towards building a more networked UK.”
More than 30 million PCs and laptops are currently lying unused in homes across the UK….
Research conducted by Microsoft revealed that nearly a third (30 percent) of Brits it surveyed have one laptop or PC in their home that’s never used, while 15 percent have two and 9 percent have three or more.
The software giant found that 16 percent deliberately hang on to their old machine but forget about it once they’ve purchased a new PC, while 7 percent throw old PCs away, meaning no one else can benefit from them.
According to the Manifesto for a Networked Nation, published in 2009 by UK Digital Champion and founder of Lastminute.com Martha Lane-Fox, 9.2 million British adults are currently offline. These people are missing out, with a third (29 percent) of those Microsoft surveyed using the web to find a job, 10 percent a new home and 13 percent looking for love.
Furthermore, 26 percent of Brits claim the web is core to who they are and what they do -13 percent admitted they’d lose touch with friends and 10 percent said they’d have to work longer hours to get tasks completed without internet access.
Microsoft suggests that if people were to give their unused machines to those who don’t have a PC or internet access, Lane-Fox’s target of ensuring all the UK’s working population is online could be met by the end of the current parliament.
Accordingly, Microsoft has launched its ‘Go on: Give someone their first time online’ campaign (tinyurl.com/32kyg5s). In conjunction with AgeUK, the scheme hopes to encourage Brits to recycle their old computers at any of the 475 Age UK charity shops across the UK.
“The campaign is a great opportunity for us to give other people a chance to enjoy the benefits that so many of us enjoy every day,” said Lane-Fox.
“If every connected person helped just one friend or family member to get online, the race would already be won. By working together we can accelerate progress towards building a more networked UK.”
