Ah, technology. The ever-evolving beast that both amazes and bamboozles us. But let’s be honest, for some of us Baby Boomers, it feels like it gallops ahead at the speed of a runaway hoverboard, leaving us clinging to our rotary phones and flip phones.
After all, who can keep track of all these newfangled smartphones?
That said, some technology brands are more approachable to Baby Boomers than others! Some brands simply aren’t that popular with Boomers!
We’ve collected data from YouGov to bring you the 20 least popular tech brands according to Baby Boomers. You’ll find a popularity score with each tech brand, which represents the percentage of Boomers with a positive opinion of the brand!
We’ll start with the most popular and work down to the least popular. Like many other long-lasting Boomer brands, some of these brands have been around forever. However, others are newer.
Why It’s Important
Source: cglade / iStock via Getty Images
If you’re looking to invest in tech companies, you likely don’t want to avoid companies that fare poorly with Boomers. After all, they make up a significant portion of the population. If they’re likely to avoid a tech brand, you might want to avoid it in your investing, too.
20. Sony
Source: Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Popularity: 83%
This Japanese company is well-known for its many creations, such as the Walkman, Playstation, and Bravia TVs. It also makes cameras and smartphones, but its menus can be quite complicated! Still, Boomers have rated them extremely highly.
19. Amazon
Source: Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
- Popularity: 82%
The online shopping behemoth that’ll deliver anything from a book to a barbeque grill to your doorstep. Their website, however, can be a labyrinth of choices, and their ever-changing interface might make you longing for a Sears catalog’s simplicity.
18. Samsung
Source: Courtesy of Mike Edmisten via 24/7 Wall St.
- Popularity: 81%
Samsung is a Korean company that’s known for it’s Galaxy line of smartphones, TVs, and appliances. These offer tons of features and seem to be highly rated by Baby Boomers.
17. HP
Source: Kaspars Grinvalds / Shutterstock.com
- Popularity: 78%
HP is an American PC company that sells laptops and desktops for work and home. Although it focuses largely on computers, it also offers other products.
16. Dell
Source: insta_photos / Shutterstock.com
- Popularity: 73%
Dell is an extremely popular company. They compete directly with HP, creating laptops and desktops for fun and work. Baby Boomers rate them only slightly lower than HP, but they are still far more popular than other tech brands.
15. Panasonic
Source: Michiel1972 / Wikimedia Commons
- Popularity: 73%
While just about every Boomer has heard of Panasonic, not all of them rate it highly! This Japanese tech giant is best known for its VHS players and the Panasonic cordless phones. However, they aren’t quite as large as they once were.
14. LG
Source: Public Domain / Flickr
- Popularity: 71%
LG is another Korean brand. They are a direct competitor to Samsung, offering many similar products. They’re known for innovation, but they aren’t rated quite as highly as Samsung!
13. Google
Source: JHVEPhoto / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Popularity: 65%
Just about everyone has heard of Google. They are one of the biggest search engines in the United States. Despite this, not all Boomers have a high opinion of them, though just about all of them recognized the name.
12. Intel
Source: Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons
- Popularity: 65%
The brains behind the computer! They make the processors that power our machines. However, they’re ranked right there with Google, and their popularity is only declining. For one reason or another, Boomers do not rate it very highly.
11. Microsoft
Source: studio kacha / Shutterstock.com
- Popularity: 62%
The software giant that brought us Windows and the ever-evolving Office suite. Most Boomers have heard of them, but that doesn’t mean that they like using them. Even the younger generation finds many aspects of Microsoft’s products confusing, so this isn’t very surprising.
10. Apple
Source: psc49 / Flickr
- Popularity: 59%
Halfway through our list, we have Apple. Apple is one of those companies that you either love or hate, and Boomers seem pretty divided on the topic. Some of them rated them highly, but others did not.
9. IBM
Source: Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Popularity: 57%
Practically all the Boomers surveyed knew what IBM was, but almost half gave them a poor rating. They originally made personal computers. However, they’re mostly in cloud computing and enterprise solutions today.
8. Walmart+
Source: virginiaretail / Flickr
- Popularity: 56%
Walmart+ is a direct competitor of Amazon. It offers online shopping for just about anything, including groceries and electronics, and it offers same-day delivery. However, according to the survey, many Boomers rated it far lower than Amazon.
7. Facebook
Source: bbernard / Shutterstock.com
- Popularity: 48%
Boomers know what Facebook is, for the most part. However, according to our data, most do not like Facebook. This is the first tech company on the website to be rated lower than 50%.
6. Hitachi
Source: Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Popularity: 41%
Hitachi is a Japanese company that makes power tools and high-speed trains. Their products are known for reliability, but many Baby Boomers rated it less than positive.
5. Cisco
Source: Stock 4you / Shutterstock.com
- Popularity: 39%
The networking giant that keeps our internet connections humming. Their routers and switches might be the unsung heroes of the tech world. However, many Boomers gave them a lower rater than you might expect!
4. SimpliSafe
Source: Richard Cavalleri / Shutterstock.com
- Popularity: 29%
This home security company offers DIY alarm systems. Although their systems are said to be easy to install, many Boomers gave them a low rating. Only 29% had a positive opinion of the company.
3. Oracle
Source: Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock.com
- Popularity: 28%
A software company specializing in database management. Their products are crucial for many businesses, but they aren’t well-known by the average Baby Boomer (or those in other generations). This lack of knowledge may be one reason they didn’t get many popularity votes.
2. Lumen Technologies
Source: GaudiLab / Shutterstock.com
- Popularity: 17%
Formally called CenturyLink, Lumen Technologies provides internet and phone services. However, they aren’t well-known amongst Boomers, which is likely one reason they got such a low rating!
1. Huawei
Source: zhaojiankang / iStock via Getty Images
- Popularity: 11%
A Chinese tech giant known for its smartphones and networking equipment. Their products can be affordable, but they are not well-known by Baby Boomers! Therefore, they received a pretty low rating. Many Baby Boomers don’t trust companies from China, either, which doesn’t help their rating!
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