PLANNING AND LEADERSHIP FOR A BETTER WORLD
PLANNING AND LEADERSHIP FOR A BETTER WORLD I was recently at the big IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. The IFA show is interesting in that the show's producers encourage a lot of discussion about future technology trends as well as bringing in industry sectors that we in the United States would not expect to see at a consumer electronics show. For example, white goods including energy-efficient appliances play a part at IFA. Here are 10 trends driving the consumer electronics industry in Europe. I've added a comment on whether I think they are also playing a part in the United States.
1. Cocooning. I think that word was first developed in the U.S., at least I first heard it when I interviewed Faith Popcorn a number of years ago. I'd summarize the idea as people spending time at home watching TV instead of going out to movies, etc. I used to think the U.S. cocooners were ahead of Europe. No more. HDTV standards have moved faster in Europe than the United States. The difference is that the cocooners are all watching football now, just that in Europe the football is round and you kick it.
2. Freshness. This is interesting. I've seen home appliances introduced at IFA that are part of an "optimized freshness center." This is part of technology being applied to consumer electronics to create appliances that promote health. Steam cookers, refrigeration systems tuned to particular fruit and vegetable freshness and juicers are doing quite well in Europe. I think this will do well with U.S. consumers.
3. Convenience. OK, convenience has been around for a long time. But convenience in small appliances often means you toss out the appliance when it breaks down. Convenience in terms of instructions you understand, the ability for an appliance to self diagnose and be easily fixed with smarter electronics instead of mechanicals are in evidence at IFA. Appliances, especially larger white goods, that self diagnose for efficiency would be of interest for the U.S. consumer.
4. Automatic fine cuisine. The trouble with all those cooking shows is you can never follow the instructions and you don't have the equipment to duplicate the chef's expertise. The end result is cooking shows continue to proliferate, but folks go out to eat instead of wrestle with a range full of pans. Automatic cooking is sort of the next generation of rice cookers. Rather than worry about how to duplicate the chef show, the smarter appliance does the work and you go cocoon and watch HDTV while the smart pots and pans do the thinking.
5. Kitchen design. You might think that kitchen design has been around for a long time. The difference in Europe is the use of open kitchens that integrate with a family's living space. Not only do the appliances have to complement the overall kitchen design, they have to be part of the overall living space. I don't think the U.S. consumer is ready for this one.
6. Energy efficiency. In Germany the consumers rate energy as a 9 (in a 1 to 10 scale where 10 is the best) in the importance of energy efficiency in their buying expectations. The United States by comparison (according to the same survey) is a 7.5. The difference in Europe seems to be that consumers will pay extra for the energy efficiency. Not so in the United States, IMHO.
7. Appliance cash for clunkers. This is still in the discussion stage in Europe. However, Europe led the way in developing the first automobile cash for clunkers program. The thinking as expressed by some at the IFA is appliance cash for clunkers would have a few unique hurdles to overcome. Not the least is a way to make sure people actually turn in their clunker refrigerators rather than turn them into a "party refrigerator" in the cellar. The cash for clunkers program sure stirred a lot of interest in the United States and appliance cash for clunkers would do well also in the United States.
8. Hi-def everything. This might be a bit controversial, but you could make a decent argument that European consumers, particularly in Germany, are more discerning about the differences in HD quality in video and audio.
9. Thinking of your home as infrastructure. Energy efficiency and green thinking only works if you know how much energy you are using. I'm guessing that the Europeans will be ahead of the United States in rolling up all those smart appliances and in-home cocooning products into a measurable product you can view in your house. The smart home will happen in Europe before it happens in the United States.
10. Consumer mobility. The mobile phone industry matured in Europe earlier than the United States as European standards agencies, while as bureaucratic as any organization, pushed ahead with standards that spurred the mobile phone business. Initially that was a country-by-country activity that pushed mobility in each country but caused confusion as you crossed borders. The European mobile phone manufacturers have largely blown their earlier lead as Apple has reset the standard for a mobile device. In this case the United States is teaching the Europeans a lot about consumer marketing.
Good morning from Los Angeles! #ibmcloudThat's it from me! Over to North America.The data processing of Roland Garros 2012 (#RG12) rests on IBM Private Cloud http://t.co/JUaY1ItM [French Press release]IBM Accelerates Business from Supply to Demand with New #Cloud Offerings For Smarter Commerce http://t.co/OFxknOb0 [Press Release]How IBM #SmartCloud Foundation technology powers cloud adoption?
IBM VP @SLHebner explains here http://t.co/sSzfa0O5 [VIDEO]IBM's Fiona Cullen will present ‘The Power of #Cloud: Driving Business Model’ On May 24 @ Utrecht, Netherlands #cloudforum2012 #ibmcloudBlog Post: Why service providers should not ignore cloud http://t.co/ZfQyue4r via @eMarcusNet #thoughtsoncloudHave any #cloudmoment? Share your story with us via Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and tag it. See other stories http://t.co/J4ntsaQ5Sign up now for IBM #SmartCloud Enterprise! No charge for select VMs (only till May 28). More Details >> http://t.co/2LEzOUZC #ibmcloudRT @HansMoen: See this video from @IBMCloud to learn how to cut costs in building innovation in your business http://t.co/XOyJoFn6 #clou ...
Like us on Facebook 
Follow us on Twitter 
Get the Smarter Tech Newsletter 
Register to view the archived "Data Center Optimization Techniques: Stop Wasting Time & Money" eSeminar
Register Now > 
