With thanks to all who participated, here are the results of my latest weekend poll. Our focus: What’s the range of hardware on and around your desk?

61% of respondents have two or more monitors

… and that’s independent of laptops. It would seem that there’s wide recognition of the efficiencies we can achieve through access to more than one monitor. While 29% of respondents use a single monitor, there’s 72% of these admin. professionals work with monitors that are 22″ or larger.

Laptops and iPads

When it comes to laptops, more than 85% of respondents use them. 57.5% of all respondents reported that their laptops are their primary piece of hardware. iPads are less prevalent; only 25% of respondents have one at their desk. With all this hardware, I’m guessing more than a few of us also use surge protecting power bars!

Dedicated printers, label makers  and more

… are on the desks of more than 50% of respondents. More than 60% of you rely on wireless mice, and internal speakers are the norm for almost 80% of your monitors.

More than one in every three respondents use employer-provided smartphones, while 3% of you have declined such offers, preferring to use personal cell phones. Scanners are less typical, with just shy of a third of respondents having one at their desks. Read on, and see how your desktop compares with your counterparts’.

THE DATA

Note: Information below reflects the percentage of respondents who selected specific responses from multiple choice options. In instances where more than one person offered similar responses to open ended questions, I clustered responses and did not duplicate all of them.

How many monitors do you have on your desk?

• two monitors: 55% of respondents
• 1 monitor: 29% of respondents
• I use a laptop: 6% of respondents
• 1 monitor plus laptop screen: 4% of respondents
• 3 monitors: 2% of respondents
• 3+ monitors: 2% of respondents
• 2 monitors plus a laptop screen: 2% of respondents

If you have only one monitor, what size is it?

• 22″: 40% of respondents
• 17″: 24% of respondents
• 28″: 12% of respondents
• 27″: 8% of respondents
• 24″: 8% of respondents
• 15″: 4% of respondents
• 4% of respondents selected “Other”. One person commented that s/he has two 22″ monitors.

Describe your use of laptops in your job.

• The laptop is my primary piece of hardware: 57.5% of respondents
• I use a laptop for recording meetings, in addition to using a PC: 28% of respondents
• I use one laptop for recording meetings, and a second one for screening meeting materials, in addition to using a PC: 6% of respondents
• 8.5% of respondents selected “Other”. Comments included the following.
  • I use a laptop only when on business travels
  • Support staff are not allowed laptops
  • I have a laptop docking station to use the laptop as my second screen
  • I use a laptop for presentations and an ipad for minutes

Do you use an iPad in your role?

• Yes: 25% of respondents
• No:  72% of respondents
• Infrequently; if I need one, I borrow it from a pooled resource: 1.5% of respondents
• 1.5% of respondents selected “Other”. One reader commented, “I use my iPad only in the evening and on business travels”.

Do you have a label maker at your desk?

• Yes: 52.5% of respondents
• No:  46% of respondents
• 1.5% of respondents selected “Other”. One person commented, “I use label templates and print them off”.

Do you have a dedicated printer (specifically for your use) at your desk/in your office?

• Yes: 51% of respondents
• No: 48% of respondents
• 1% of respondents selected “Other”. A reader commented that s/he has a multi-task piece of hardware that serves as a printer/telefax/scanner/copier

Do you have a wireless mouse at your desk?

• Yes: 62% of respondents
• No:  35% of respondents
• 3% of respondents selected “Other”. Comments included the following.
  • Bluetooth
  • I have a wireless keyboard and bar mouse

Describe your computer’s speakers.

• Internal speakers: 78% of respondents
• No speakers: 11% of respondents
• External speakers: 9.5% of respondents
• Both internal and external speakers: 1.5% of respondents

Do you have a smartphone provided by your employer?

• Yes: 35% of respondents
• No: 58% of respondents
• One is available to me, but I choose to use my personal phone: 3% of respondents
• 4% of respondents selected “Other”. Readers commented as follows.
  • Only for Head management positions
  • Self employed
  • Company gives $60 monthly allowance on my personal phone

Do you have a webcam at your desk?

• Yes: 47.5% of respondents, with one respondent noting that the webcam was within the user’s laptop
• No: 52.5% of respondents

Do you have a scanner at your desk?

• Yes: 29% of respondents
• No: 65% of respondents
• 6% of respondents selected “Other”.  Readers commented as follows.
  • Multi-task machine
  • There is a shared MFD (multi-function device) in the office
  • My execs and I share a color printer that scans, faxes and copies as well
  • (It’s) part of the printer

I closed this poll by asking people to describe any other hardware you keep on your desk. Here’s a look at items you identified that weren’t covered in the questions above, with those mentioned most frequently near the top of the list.

• Cell phone / telephone / softphone
• Bluetooth earpiece / hands free headset
• Wireless keyboard
• Bar mouse (no mouse; just a bar that is a mouse)
• External hard drive, USB hub
• Business card scanner
• CD burner
• Special hardware for editing/creating/printing labels
• Surface
• Microphone
• Transcriber (dictation) equipment
• Second printer
• Riser
• Adding machine
• Stapler
• Fax