Consumer electronics
Consumer electronics or home electronics are
In the 2010s, most consumer electronics have become based on digital technologies. They have essentially merged with the
Annual consumer electronics sales are expected to reach $2.9 trillion by 2020.[5] It is part of the wider electronics industry. In turn, the driving force behind the electronics industry is the semiconductor industry.[6]
History
For its first fifty years, the
The first working
In 2004, the consumer electronics industry was worth US$240 billion annually worldwide comprising visual equipment,
White Goods
The increase in popularity of such domestic appliances as '
Products
Consumer electronics devices include those used for [13]
- , etc.)
- , etc.)
- remote control cars, Robot kits, etc.).
Increasingly consumer electronics products such as
Electronic device
|
Shipments (est. billion units) |
Production years included | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
Compact disc (CD) | 200 | 1982–2007 | [14] |
Audio cassette tape
|
30 | 1963–2019 | [15] |
Digital versatile disc (DVD)
|
20 | 1996–2012 | [16] |
Mobile phone | 19.4 | 1994–2018 | [b] |
Smartphone | 10.1 | 2007–2018 | [a] |
Video cassette
|
10 | 1976–2000 | [20][21] |
Trends
One overriding characteristic of consumer electronic products is the trend of ever-falling prices. This is driven by gains in manufacturing efficiency and
While consumer electronics continues in its trend of convergence, combining elements of many products, consumers face different purchasing decisions. There is an ever-increasing need to keep product information updated and comparable for the consumer to make an informed choice. Style, price, specification, and performance are all relevant. There are a gradual shift towards e-commerce web-storefronts.
Many products include
Business Competition
The consumer electronics industry faces consumers with unpredictable tastes on the demand side, supplier-related delays or disruptions on the supply side, and production challenges occurring in the process. The high rate of technology evolution or revolution requires large investments without any guarantee of profitable returns. As a result, the big players rely on global markets to achieve economies of scale. Even these companies sometimes have to cooperate with each other, for instance on standards, to reduce the risk of their investments.[23] In supply chain management, there is much discussion on risks related to such aspects of supply chains as short product life cycles, high competition combined with cooperation, and globalization. The consumer electronics industry is the very embodiment of these aspects of supply chain management and related risks. While some of the supply and demand related risks are similar to such industries as the toy industry, the consumer electronics industry faces additional risks due to its vertically integrated supply chains.[23] There are also numerous supply-chain-wide contextual risks that cut across the supply chain especially impacting companies with global supply chains. These include cultural differences in multinational operations, environmental risk, regulations risk, and exchange rate risk across multiple countries.[24] Whether or not demand is comparable across countries affects the extent of the gains from international integration. In addition, consumer preferences change over time to disturb existing patterns of behavior. A feature of some industries is that demand for variety increases as the market moves from first-time buying to replacement demand.[25] A resource to further understand this idea of consumer preferences can be observed through Lizabeth Cohen's book titled, "A Consumers' Republic", "Only if we have large demands can we expect large production".[26]
Industries
The electronics industry, especially consumer electronics, emerged in the 20th century and has become a global industry worth billions of dollars. Contemporary society uses all manner of electronic devices built-in automated or semi-automated factories operated by the industry.
Manufacturing
Most consumer electronics are built in China, due to maintenance cost, availability of materials, quality, and speed as opposed to other countries such as the United States.[27] Cities such as Shenzhen have become important production centres for the industry, attracting many consumer electronics companies such as Apple Inc.[28]
Electronic component
An electronic component is any essential discrete device or physical entity in an electronic system used to affect
Software development
Consumer electronics such as personal computers use various types of software. Embedded software is used within some consumer electronics, such as mobile phones.[29] This type of software may be embedded within the hardware of electronic devices.[30] Some consumer electronics include software that is used on a personal computer in conjunction with electronic devices, such as camcorders and digital cameras, and third-party software for such devices also exists.
Standardization
Some consumer electronics adhere to protocols, such as
Trade shows
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) trade show has taken place yearly in Las Vegas, Nevada since its foundation in 1973. The event, which grew from having 100 exhibitors in its inaugural year to more than 4,500 exhibiting companies in its 2020 edition, features the latest in consumer electronics, speeches by industry experts and innovation awards.[32]
The
since its foundation in 1924. The event features new consumer electronics and speeches by industry pioneers.IEEE initiatives
- IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics[34]
- IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine[35]
- IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE)[36]
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society also have initiated a conference to research on next generation consumer electronics as Smart Electronics. [37] The conference named IEEE Symposium on Smart Electronics Systems (IEEE-iSES) is on its 9th year.[38]
Retailing
Electronics retailing is a significant part of the
An electronics district is an area of commerce with a high density of retail stores that sell consumer electronics.[42]
Service and repair
Consumer electronic service can refer to the maintenance of said products. When consumer electronics have malfunctions, they may sometimes be repaired.
In 2013, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the increased popularity in listening to sound from
Mobile phone industry
A
A
By country
Environmental impact
In 2017, the Greenpeace USA published a study of 17 of the world's leading consumer electronics companies about their energy and resource consumption and the use of chemicals.[45]
Rare metals and rare earth elements
Electronic devices use thousands rare metals and rare earth elements (40 on average for a smartphone), these material are extracted and refined using water and energy-intensive processes. These metals are also used in the renewable energy industry meaning that consumer electronics are directly competing for the raw materials.[46][47]
Energy consumption
The energy consumption of consumer electronics and their environmental impact, either from their production processes or the disposal of the devices, is increasing steadily.
Standby power
A 2012 study in the United Kingdom, carried out by the Energy Saving Trust, found that the devices using the most power on standby mode included televisions, satellite boxes, and other video and audio equipment. The study concluded that UK households could save up to £86 per year by switching devices off instead of using standby mode.[51] A report from the International Energy Agency in 2014 found that $80 billion of power is wasted globally per year due to inefficiency of electronic devices.[52] Consumers can reduce unwanted use of standby power by unplugging their devices, using power strips with switches, or by buying devices that are standardized for better energy management, particularly Energy Star marked products.[49]
Electronic waste
A high number of different metals and low concentration rates in electronics means that recycling is limited and energy intensive.
Reuse and repair
E-waste policy has gone through various incarnations since the 1970s, with emphases changing as the decades passed. More weight was gradually placed on the need to dispose of e-waste more carefully due to the toxic materials it may contain. There has also been recognition that various valuable metals and plastics from waste electrical equipment can be recycled for other uses. More recently, the desirability of reusing whole appliances has been foregrounded in the 'preparation for reuse' guidelines. The policy focus is slowly moving towards a potential shift in attitudes to reuse and repair.
With turnover of small household appliances high and costs relatively low, many consumers will throw unwanted electric goods in the normal dustbin, meaning that items of potentially high reuse or recycling value go to landfills. While more oversized items such as washing machines are usually collected, it has been estimated that the 160,000 tonnes of EEE in regular waste collections were worth £220 million. And 23% of EEE taken to Household Waste Recycling Centres was immediately resaleable – or would be with minor repairs or refurbishment. This indicates a lack of awareness among consumers about where and how to dispose of EEE and the potential value of things that are going in the bin.
For the reuse and repair of electrical goods to increase substantially in the UK, some barriers must be overcome. These include people's mistrust of used equipment in terms of whether it will be functional, safe and the stigma for some of owning second-hand goods. But the benefits of reuse could allow lower-income households access to previously unaffordable technology while helping the environment at the same time.[55]
Health impact
Desktop monitors and laptops produce major physical health concerns for humans when bodies are forced into unhealthy and uncomfortable positions to see the screen better. From this, neck and back pains and problems increase, commonly referred to as
See also
- Digital electronics
- Electronics industry
- List of home appliances
- Product teardown
- Timeline of electrical and electronic engineering
References
- ^ Hsu, Sara (12 February 2016). "In China, Black Goods Down, White Goods Up". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 12 February 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ Takagi, Yuichiro; Hanada, Yukinori; Iwato, Hisashi (8 January 2020). "White appliance prices jump in Japan over past 10 years". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ "brown goods". Collins English Dictionary. Archived from the original on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ISBN 9781134361809. Archivedfrom the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ^ "Global Consumer Electronics Market to Reach US$ 2.9 Trillion by 2020 - Persistence Market Research". PR Newswire. Persistence Market Research. 3 January 2017. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ "Annual Semiconductor Sales Increase 21.6 Percent, Top $400 Billion for First Time". Semiconductor Industry Association. 5 February 2018. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- OCLC 43092627.
- ISBN 978-0-8493-0885-7. Archivedfrom the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ JSTOR 4622837.
- JSTOR 43829418.
- JSTOR 2486522.
- JSTOR 2597714– via JSTOR.
- Hoover's. Archivedfrom the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ "Compact disc hits 25th birthday". BBC News. BBC. 17 August 2007. Archived from the original on 5 March 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- Adobe Stock. Adobe Inc. Archivedfrom the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
- ^ Pan, Joann (7 March 2012). "Warner Bros. Offers In-Store DVD-to-Cloud Service [VIDEO]". Mashable. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ "Over 5 billion mobiles worldwide". BBC News. BBC. 9 July 2010. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ a b c "Cell phone sales worldwide 2007-2018". Statista. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ "7 of the Top 10 Smartphone Suppliers Headquartered in China". IC Insights. 15 June 2017. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
- ^ Schildgen, Bob (17 August 2018). "What Do I Do With Old VCR Tapes?". Sierra Club. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- University of California, Berkeley School of Information. Archivedfrom the original on 5 June 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ Mike Deng (23 October 2012). "China Moves to Automate Electronics Manufacturing". Quality Digest. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
- ^ JSTOR 4622837.
- JSTOR 4622837.
- JSTOR 2486522.
- . Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ Baker, Phil (11 August 2014). "Why can't the US build consumer electronic products?". San Diego Source. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ Gamble, Craig (22 August 2014). "Shenzhen in China becomes a power source for the electronics industry". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ Hachman, Mark (4 September 2014). "Microsoft announces two Lumia phones, always-on Cortana, and clever new mobile accessories". PC World. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- One India. 13 April 2008. Archivedfrom the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "Signal Converter of Consumer Electronics Connection Protocols (US 20120287942 A1)". IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. 15 November 2012. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- ^ Hornyak, Tim (2 September 2014). "Jack Wayman, founder of CES trade show, dies at 92". PC World. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ IEEE Consumer Electronics Society, http://cesoc.ieee.org/ Archived 31 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Simon Sherratt, Editor-in-Chief (EiC), IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics, http://cesoc.ieee.org/publications/ieee-transactions-on-consumer-electronics.html Archived 29 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Saraju P. Mohanty, Editor-in-Chief (EiC), IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine, http://cesoc.ieee.org/publications/ce-magazine.html Archived 12 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE), http://www.icce.org/ Archived 23 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ IEEE Computer Society, https://www.computer.org/
- ^ IEEE International Symposium on Smart Electronic Systems, https://www.ieee-ises.org/
- ^ a b Murphy, H. Lee (27 January 2014). "Why consumer electronics retailers are the next record store". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- The Huffington Post. Archivedfrom the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Sherman, Erik (19 December 2011). "Hold off extended warranties until you read this". CBS News (Moneywatch). Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Cellan-Jones, Rory (8 December 2012). "Look round Shenzhen's Electronics District". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ Todd, Deborah M. (18 August 2013). "Electronic repair industry gets second wind". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ISBN 9783319011653. Archivedfrom the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ Guide to Greener Electronics 2017 Archived 13 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine Greenpeace USA, 2017
- ^ a b "The myth of the green cloud". European Investment Bank. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ "Infographic: The Carbon Footprint of the Internet – ClimateCare". Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ "Heating and cooling no longer majority of US home energy use" Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine. EIA.gov
- ^ a b Chu, John (1 November 2012). "3 Easy Tips to Reduce Your Standby Power Loads". Energy.gov. United States Department of Energy. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- ^ Lippert, John (17 August 2009). "Please Stand By: Reduce Your Standby Power Use". Energy.gov. United States Department of Energy. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- ^ Harvey, Fiona (26 June 2012). "Leaving appliances on standby 'can cost UK households up to £86 a year'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ Carr, Matthew (2 July 2014). "Electronic Devices Waste $80 Billion of Power a Year, IEA Says". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ Moreno, Julia (8 September 2014). "Normal is recycling out-of-date electronics". Vidette Online. Illinois State University. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ Bhowmick, Nilanjana (23 May 2011). "Is India's E-Waste Problem Spiraling Out of Control?". Time. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
- ^ Cole, C., Cooper, T. and Gnanapragasam, A., 2016. Extending product lifetimes through WEEE reuse and repair: opportunities and challenges in the UK. In: Electronics Goes Green 2016+ Conference, Berlin, Germany, 7–9 September 2016
- ^ a b "Health Risks of Electronic Devices". The Women's International Perspective. 12 July 2015. Archived from the original on 3 June 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
Notes
- ^ a b Smartphone:
- ^ Mobile phone:
- 1994–2010 – 10 billion[17]
- Smartphone (2011–2018) – 9.401 billion[a]
Further reading
- Kevin Sintumuang (2 January 2015). "Tech Etiquette: 21 Do's and Don'ts". The Wall Street Journal.