TeamViewer announced the findings in its May 2011 survey of over 2,000 American. Thes results illustrate the personal reasons why people value remote computer control and access – whether it is to access someone else’s computer who is ill or the reaction they have when they forget an important document while on a business trip. TeamViewer features free Android and iPhone apps.
Of the nearly two thirds of Americans (63%) using more than one computing device a week, only 12 percent think it is not at all important for people to have the freedom to remotely access their computers from any other handheld computer or mobile device.
While Americans also worry about what may happen if they aren’t able to reach a distant computer while away to transfer crucial files. Possible reactions to realizing they’ve forgotten an important document while on a business trip ranged from being nervous (49 percent) to even worrying they would be fired (31 percent). Other reactions to having forgotten an important document were:
- Run to the nearest phone – 30 percent.
- Feel like they were kicked in the gut – 25 percent.
- Shouting expletives – 22 percent.
- Feel like vomiting – 12 percent.
“When you forget something on a business trip, the feeling is worse than five car accidents,” said Tim DeBenedictis, the founder or Southern Stars which produces the award-winning SkySafari planetarium app. “But TeamViewer gives you the freedom from worry. With TeamViewer, I can retrieve files from my laptop with my iPhone three hundred miles away. TeamViewer provides a sense of relief no aspirin can match.”
Nearly four out of five Americans (79%) believe people want the freedom to control another person’s computer, including these scenarios:
- To help someone learn how to fix a problem with their computer – 66 percent.
- To show a relative how to use a complicated program – 58 percent.
- To help someone check their email – 56 percent.
- To help someone surf the Internet – 51 percent.
- To play a game with a distant friend – 41 percent.
- To help a friend update their resume – 37 percent.
- To assist a loved one with a highly contagious disease – 37 percent.
The survey discovered women were more likely than men to say they think someone might want the freedom to remotely control another person’s computer to help someone (e.g., friend, grandparent or other family member) check email (59% vs. 53%) and slightly more likely do so to help someone surf the Internet (53% vs. 48%).
Women and single people are more likely to say they might feel nervous (52% and 63%), worry they might get fired (37% and 47%), and feel like vomiting (16% and 17%). Women are more likely to say they might rush to the nearest phone (34%) if they realized they forgot to bring an important document with them while on a business trip. Men age 35 to 44 were more likely than any other member in their age group to shout expletives.
About TeamViewer Founded in 2005, TeamViewer is fully focused on the development and distribution of high-end solutions for online communication and collaboration. Available in over 30 languages, TeamViewer is one of the world’s most popular providers of remote control and online presentation software.
Survey Methodology This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive via its QuickQuery omnibus product on behalf of TeamViewer from May 24-26, 2011, 2010 among 2,309 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Tom Carpenter at Tom.Carpenter@graylingcp.com.