technology
reseller.co.uk
CES 2017
35
Five to watch
In a post-show webinar, Futuresource Consulting highlighted the
five key consumer electronics trends in evidence at CES 2017
smart technology with touch displays and
apps a few years later, Connected CE 3.0
includes intelligent consumer electronics
devices enabled by artificial intelligence,
neural networks and machine learning.
Futuresource Consulting Associate
Director Simon Bryant says these devices
rely on the network and better processing
in the devices themselves to provide AI
capabilities and device learning from
a network of users so that they can act
almost autonomously.
“Fundamentally, we are looking at
consumer electronics that improve over
time. A device you buy today will be able
to do more tomorrow, the next week, the
next year and in 10 years’ time. That is a
fundamental shift in consumer electronics.
Some of the devices we saw at this
year’s CES are relatively limited but the
possibilities are clear,” he said.
“You also have much greater connectivity
around the home, driven by Internet of
Things and categories where we already
see WiFi integrated, such as audio, TVs and
appliances. Less than 1% of appliances are
WiFi-enabled at the moment, but we are
seeing that grow very rapidly.”
DISCREET TECH
Futuresource’s fourth theme is the move
away from CE that dominates the home to
more discreet designs that blend into their
surroundings or are hidden, for example
in furniture. Examples from CES include
the LG Wallpaper TV (super thin and fixed
to the wall with magnets), the Samsung
Lifestyle TV (connected with ultrathin
cables) and very thin, curved, flexible
displays, which Futuresource predicts will
be big in 2018.
IN-CAR ENTERTAINMENT
Futuresource describes its fifth key theme
as “hugely significant for the CE industry”
for two reasons: one, the car industry is
robust in terms of sales and the amount
spent per car; and two, electric vehicles
are becoming a significant part of the
market.
The Futuresource Connected Car
Report
, January 2017, points out that
in 2016 new car sales reached 75
million, of which 15% were sold with
connectivity. In 2017, sales are expected
to rise to 77 million, of which 30% will
have connectivity. This growth is attracting
non-traditional in-car entertainment (ICE)
vendors such as NVidia, Apple, Google and
Microsoft.
The growing take-up of electric vehicles
is also attracting non-traditional players,
like Faraday Future, Google, Tesla and
Apple, as to operate in this market new
entrants do not need expertise in the
combustion engine.
Bryant added: “A third significant
aspect is a shift to autonomous driving.
Its potential to change the in-car
experience is really fantastic. That’s
where the consumer electronics
industry is really looking at this
space. How will that change the
experience, change how people
consume not just media but also the
electronics within their car?”
Futuresource says this is becoming
a big area of investment and innovation,
including developments in gesture control,
support for VPAs, holographic displays and
noise cancelling technologies that can
block out sound within the car.
“The race to develop autonomous
vehicles and infrastructure in cities is very,
Based on its observations at the CES
2017 consumer electronics show in
Las Vegas, Futuresource Consulting
has identified five stand-out themes
set to dominate the year ahead – voice
integration; premium user experience;
connected consumer electronics;
hidden, discreet technology (connected
3.0); and in-car entertainment. In
a webinar after the event, its CE
consultants expanded on these themes
and outlined how they were impacting
innovation and developments in key
technology areas. Here, is a brief resume
of their main points.
VOICE
Voice integration, providing the
convenience of hands-free and, in some
cases, a cost-effective alternative to LCD
screens, was a major theme at CES. It
typically takes three main forms: basic
voice control; built-in VPA (virtual personal
assistant); and VPA compatibility.
Futuresource estimates that at the end of
2016 there were 3.7 billion voice-supported
devices in use worldwide, including 3.6
billion mobile devices, plus a smattering of
vehicles (160 million) and home AV systems
(70 million). The number of voice-integrated
devices on show at CES marks this out as a
key growth area for 2017.
Futuresource Consulting Director Sarah
Carroll believes VPA functionality “will
revolutionise how we search for information
and order goods and services”. Not
surprisingly, battle lines are already being
drawn up by the major vendors, including
Amazon with Alexa, Google with Android TV
Assistant, Microsoft with Cortana, Apple with
Siri and Samsung with S Voice.
PREMIUM EXPERIENCE
A second theme identified by Futuresource
is the continuing drive by the industry to
create a premium experience for users
through the rolling out of HD and high
resolution video and virtual and mixed
reality. However, its research shows that while
consumers want a high quality experience
they don’t expect to pay a premium for it.
CONNECTED CE 3.0
CES 2017 provided evidence of a third
wave of CE connectivity. Following on from
basic WiFi connectivity 10 years ago and
Continued...
Amazon Echo Dot
LG Wallpaper TV
