"No time like the future" may be a more apt description, in fact, according to a recent survey conducted for , Symantec, and TomTom as part of the International Technology Upgrade Week (ITUW) initiative launched by the three companies on Monday.

A full 40 percent of adults don't always update software on their computers when initially prompted to do so, the survey found. More than half said they typically need to see an update prompt between two and five times before the new software.

Unclear Benefits

The survey was administered online to American, British, and German consumers who are part of the YouGov Plc GB panel.

Roughly a quarter of those surveyed in each country said they don't clearly understand what software updates do, Skype . An equal percentage don't understand the benefits of updating regularly, they said.