Seeking a truly smart home experience
From solar panels to sustainable speakers. IFA previewed a complete sustainability story that bodes well for the smart home.
Home Automation
New Devices Increase the Appeal of Extended Reality
Excitement for extended reality devices (the catch-all term for virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality products) reached a fever pitch early this summer, with announcements of long-anticipated new products from Apple, Meta, and others. The attention the category is receiving is rightfully earned — VR was the last hit product in tech, selling more than 9 million units in 2021 and 2022 — and all eyes are on this market to lead the consumer electronics sector out of its current sales decline.
Desperately Seeking at IFA
It’s been three years since I attended a major trade show, but with IFA less than two weeks away, I’m starting to think about what to pack... and what to see. And my biggest concern? What if nothing has changed?
Downsizing Smartly
Last year was one of transition for me, as I joined the renting world after many years of house ownership. My home automation needs remained, but the mix of products certainly changed.
Spotlight: Evolving Ecosystems
As voice assistants continue to grow in adoption, and importance, how is consumer device purchase impacted? This short video explores the changing adoption of technology driven by voice assistant choice.
Spotlight: Broadband in Rural America
31 percent of households in the US do not have broadband and that is causing a significant inequality in how we shop, do business and educate, especially during this pandemic. Based on our Rural America and Technology report, published last year, this short video (under 5 minutes) highlights the broadband issue and some of the consequences.
Teetering On The Edge Of Innovation
The last couple of weeks have confirmed to me that there is a lack of compelling innovation in the consumer electronics space… at least right now. Phone and smartwatch launches have become small iterative enhancements rather than substantial innovations, while IFA, the large European consumer electronics show, was a muted affair with little to set the world on fire.
Speak and Spell
In an era of smartphones and tablets, schools are beginning to change their curriculum, taking the focus off skills such as cursive writing. As voice-based interfaces become more pervasive, what additional changes will the future bring?
When Walls Start To Crack
Apple caused a stir this week with the warning that it was going to miss smartphone sales expectations for the past quarter. While much of the focus was placed on the Chinese market, there’s far more to digest here. Fundamentally, consumers are not upgrading their iPhones as frequently as Apple had expected, but this should hardly be a surprise. And there are greater concerns looking forward.
Data Corruption
The smart city future faces a lot of challenges...