Handheld devices, such as tablets and smartphones, have now become as common as the air we breath and the water we drink.

Well, maybe not that exaggerated but they are sharp taking over the world of technology.

Almost 50% of New Zealanders now own a smartphone, and while this is no surprise, nearly a third would choose the device over any other tech gadget. Are you one of them?

In many cases, the mobile device is the only one required to stay in touch with the world through the internet and social media.

With the capabilities of mobile devices growing by leaps and bounds, the distinction between PCs and handheld devices is now more a question of size rather than functionality.

Research New Zealand quizzed over a 1,000 Kiwis for their tech preferences and here are the results, in all their glory.

Key results:

While laptops/notebook (66%) and PCs (61%) are the devices most frequently mentioned as being owned, almost one in every two people say they now own a smartphone (48%) in New Zealand.

And while about 50% of devices such as laptops/notebooks and PCs are used daily, 86% of smartphone users use them daily. In comparison, 54% of those with another type of mobile phone use them daily.

Significant percentages of the owners of tablets (44%) and smartphones (45%) report using these devices more frequently than they did last year. Yet 20% of the owners of PCs say they are using their PCs more frequently.

A greater percentage of these owners say they are using their PCs less frequently (26%) or about the same (53%) as they did last year.

Connecting to the internet is the activity being undertaken more frequently this year compared with last year by the owners of all devices. This includes the owners of smartphones (84%).

Finally, when forced to make a choice, more smartphone owners say they would only have a smartphone (56%) than do the owners of other devices. For example, 30% of PC owners say they would only have this device.

“There is no doubt that Apple, which started this revolution, had done brilliant market research as well as relying on extraordinary intuition and understanding of the market, and reaped the very considerable advantages that first-movers have in such circumstances”, says Emanuel Kalafatelis, director, Research New Zealand.

“Whether they can withstand the competition that has been quick to try and hitch a ride on their coat-tails, is another matter."

The introduction of smaller electronic devices, such as tablets or smartphones, have been very successful in the Kiwi market, especially among younger people, with the devices used most often, and more frequently than a year ago.

In line with the general profile of the users, they are primarily used to access social media, movies and newspapers, reference material, online banking and stay in touch with friends and relatives using Skype or FaceTime.

Common knowledge will tell you this has been achieved largely at the expense of PCs and mobile phones that are not smartphones, so is it inevitable that everyone else will follow suit?