JVC digital camcorder is a typical consumer electronics device.

The CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) estimates 2007 Consumer Electronics sales at 150 billion dollars.^[1]

Consumer electronics are manufactured throughout the world, although there is a particularly high concentration of manufacturing activity in Japan and South Korea. The latest consumer electronics are previewed yearly at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, at which many industry pioneers speak.

One overriding characteristic of all consumer electronic products is the trend of ever-falling prices. This is driven by gains in manufacturing efficiency and automation, lower labor costs as manufacturing has moved to lower-wage countries, and improvements in semiconductor design. Semiconductor components benefit from Moore's Law, an observed principle which states that, for a given price, semiconductor functionality doubles every 18 months.

While consumer electronics continues in its trend of convergence, combining elements of many consumer electronic items, the consumer faces different decisions when purchasing their items. The variables are becoming more about 'style and price' rather than 'specification and performance'. This convergence of technologies promises a shrinking of choice of retailer to the consumer and the rise of manufacturer status within the home.

Environment

Many consumer electronics have planned obsolescence, resulting in E-waste. It is estimated that during 2003 the US alone generated over 2.8 million tons of electronic waste. Less than 10% of that amount was recovered (reused or recycled).

Standby power used by consumer electronics and appliance while they are turned off accounts for 5 to 10% of household energy consumption, adding an estimated $3 billion to annual energy costs in the USA. "In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off."^[2]

See also

• DVD recorder
• Digital video recorder
• Mobile phone
• Digital camera

References

External links

• Consumer Electronics Association
• Consumer Electronics Show website
• IEEE Consumer Electronics Society

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