• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, October 29, 2015

The continued rise of smartphones and tablets is curtailing the growth of other devices, new research suggests.

Today, 73% of U.S. adults own a desktop or laptop, which is down from a high of 80% in 2012, according to Pew Research Center.

E-reader ownership is also down from 32% in 2014 to a present share of 19% among U.S. adults.

Plus, 40% of adults still own an MP3 player, which is down from the high mark of 47% in 2010.

“These data suggest how the rise of smartphones has been a major story in the universe of connected gadgetry,” Lee Rainie, Director of Internet, Science and Technology Research at Pew Research Center, explains in the new report.  

“These changes in device ownership are all taking place in a world where smartphones are transforming into all-purpose devices that perform many of the same functions of specialized technology, such as music players, e-book readers or even gaming devices.”

Indeed, more than two-thirds (68%) of U.S. adults now own a smartphone, according to Pew. That is nearly double the 35% of U.S. adult who owned a smartphone just four years ago.

Presently, Pew found that a full 92% of U.S. adults own some sort of mobile phone, smart or not -- up from 65% in 2004.  Today, 86% of U.S. consumers ages 18-to-29 have a smartphone, along with 83% of those ages 30-to-49, and 87% of those living in households earning $75,000 or more annually.

As for tablets, 45% of U.S. adults now own at least one such gadget, which is up significantly from 4% in 2010.

Also of note, 40% of adults report owning a gaming console -- a share that has not changes in five years.

Pew’s analysis was based mostly on telephone interviews conducted earlier in the year among a national sample of 1,907 U.S. adults.