Consumer electronics, also known ashome electronics, are electronic devices intended for everyday household use. Consumer electronics include those used forentertainment,communications, andrecreation. Historically, these products were referred to as "black goods" in American English due to many products being housed in black or dark casings. This term is used to distinguish them from "white goods", which are meant forhousekeeping tasks, such aswashing machines andrefrigerators.[1][2] In British English, they are often called "brown goods" by producers and sellers.[3] Since the 2010s, this distinction has been absent inbig boxconsumer electronics stores, whose inventories include entertainment, communication, and home office devices, as well as home appliances.
Radio broadcasting in the early 20th century brought the first major consumer product, thebroadcast receiver. Later products includedtelephones,televisions,calculators,cameras,video game consoles,mobile phones,personal computers, andMP3 players. In the 2010s, consumer electronics stores often soldGPS,automotive electronics (vehicle audio),video game consoles,electronic musical instruments (e.g.,synthesizer keyboards),karaoke machines,digital cameras, and video players (VCRs in the 1980s and 1990s, followed byDVD players andBlu-ray players). Stores also soldsmart light fixtures,network devices,camcorders, andsmartphones. Some of the modern products being sold includevirtual reality goggles,smart home devices thatconnect to the Internet, streaming devices, andwearable technology.
In the 2010s, most consumer electronics were based on digital technologies and increasingly merged with thecomputer industry, in a trend often referred to as theconsumerization ofinformation technology. Some consumer electronics stores also began selling office and babyfurniture.Consumer electronics stores may be physical "brick and mortar" retail stores, online stores, or combinations of both. Annual consumer electronics sales were expected to reach$2.9 trillion by 2020.[4] The sector is part of theelectronics industry, which is, in turn, driven by thesemiconductor industry.[5]
For its first fifty years, thephonograph turntable did not use electronics; the needle and sound horn were purely mechanical technologies. However, in the 1920s,radio broadcasting became the basis of themass production ofradio receivers. Thevacuum tubes that had made radios practical were used with record players as well. This was toamplify the sound so that it could be played through aloudspeaker.Television was invented soon after, but remained insignificant in the consumer market until the 1950s.
The first workingtransistor, apoint-contact transistor, was invented byJohn Bardeen andWalter Houser Brattain atBell Labs in 1947, which led to significant research in the field ofsolid-statesemiconductors in the early-1950s.[6] The invention and development of the earliest transistors at Bell led totransistor radios, in turn promoting the emergence of the home entertainment consumer electronics industry starting in the 1950s. This was largely due to the efforts ofTokyo Tsushin Kogyo (nowSony) in successfully commercializing transistor technology for a mass market, with affordabletransistor radios and then transistorizedtelevision sets.[7]
Integrated circuits (ICs) followed when manufacturers built circuits (usually for military purposes) on a single substrate using electrical connections between circuits within the chip itself. IC technology led to more advanced and cheaper consumer electronics, such as transistorized televisions,pocket calculators, and by the 1980s,video gameconsoles andpersonal computers affordable for regular middle-class families.
Beginning in the 1980s and continuing through the early 2000s, many consumer electronics, such as televisions and stereo systems, underwent digitization. The introduction ofcompact discs (CDs) and personal computers during this period signalled a broader shift as digital computer technology anddigital signals were increasingly integrated into consumer devices. This transformation significantly altered their functionality and led to improved performance, such as enhanced image quality in televisions. These advancements were largely driven by Moore’s Law, which enabled rapid increases in processing power and reductions in cost and size.[8]
In 2004, the consumer electronics industry was worth US $240 billion annually worldwide, comprising visual equipment,audio equipment, andgames consoles. The industry became global, with Asia Pacific having a 35% market share, Europe having 31.5%, the US having 23%, and the rest of the world owning the remainder. Major players in this industry are household names likeSony,Samsung,Philips,Sanyo, andSharp.[9]
The increase in popularity of such domestic appliances as 'white goods' is a characteristic element of consumption patterns during thegolden age of the Western economy.[10] Europe's White Goods industry has evolved over the past 40 years, first by changingtariff barriers, and later by technical and demand shifts.[11] The spending ondomestic appliances has claimed only a tiny fraction ofdisposable income, rising from 0.5 percent in the US in 1920 to about 2 percent in 1980. Yet, the sequence of electrical and mechanicaldurables have altered the activities and experiences of households in America and Britain in the twentieth century. With the expansion of cookers, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, washing machines, radios, televisions, air conditioning, and microwave ovens, households have gained an escalating number of appliances. Despite theubiquity of these goods, theirdiffusion is not well understood. Some types of appliances diffuse more frequently than others. In particular, home entertainment appliances such as radio and television have diffused much faster than household and kitchen machines."[12]
Consumer electronics devices include those used for:[13]
Consumer electronics products such as thedigital distribution of video games have become increasingly based on the internet and digital technologies. The consumer electronics industry has primarily merged with thesoftware industry in what is increasingly referred to as theconsumerization ofinformation technology.
| Electronic device | Shipments (est.billion) | Production years included | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compact disc (CD) | 200 | 1982–2007 | [14] |
| 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 (VHS) | 10 | 1976–2000 | [20][21] |
One overriding characteristic of consumer electronic products is the trend of ever-falling prices. This is driven by gains in manufacturing efficiency andautomation, lowerlabor costs as manufacturing has moved to lower-wage countries, and improvements insemiconductor design.[22] Semiconductor components benefit fromMoore's law, an observed principle which states that, for a given price, semiconductor functionality doubles every two years.
While consumer electronics continues in its trend ofconvergence, combining elements of many products, consumers face differentpurchasing 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 is a gradual shift towardse-commerce web-storefronts.
Many products includeInternet access using technologies such asWi-Fi,Bluetooth,EDGE, orEthernet. Products not traditionally associated with computer use (such asTVs orHi-fi equipment) now provide options to connect to the Internet or to a computer using ahome network to provide access to digital content. The desire forhigh-definition (HD) content has led the industry to develop a number of technologies, such asWirelessHD orITU-TG.hn, which are optimized for distribution of HD content between consumer electronic devices in a home.
The consumer electronics industry faces consumers with unpredictable tastes on thedemand 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.[9] Insupply chain management, there is much discussion on risks related to such aspects of supply chains as shortproduct lifecycles, high competition combined with cooperation, andglobalization. The consumer electronics industry is the very embodiment of these aspects of supply chain management and related risks. While some of thesupply and demand related risks are similar to such industries as the toy industry, the consumer electronics industry faces additional risks due to itsvertically integrated supply chains.[9] There are also numerous supply-chain-wide contextual risks that cut across the supply chain especially impacting companies withglobal supply chains. These include cultural differences in multinational operations, environmental risk, regulations risk, and exchange rate risk across multiple countries.[23] 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.[24] A resource to further understand this idea of consumer preferences can be observed throughLizabeth Cohen's book titled, "A Consumers' Republic", "Only if we have large demands can we expect large production".[25]
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.
Most consumer electronics are manufactured inChina, due to maintenance cost, availability of materials, quality, and speed as opposed to other countries such as theUnited States.[26] Cities such asShenzhen andDongguan have become important production centers for the industry, attracting many consumer electronics companies such asApple Inc.[27][28]
An electronic component is any essential discrete device or physical entity in an electronic system used to affectelectrons or their associated fields. Electronic components are mostly industrial products, available in a singular form, and are not to be confused withelectrical elements, conceptual abstractions representing idealized electronic components.
Consumer electronics such as personal computers use various types of software. Embeddedsoftware is used within some consumer electronics, such asmobile 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 ascamcorders anddigital cameras, and third-party software for such devices also exists.
Some consumer electronics adhere to protocols, such asconnection protocols "to high speed bi-directional signals".[31] Intelecommunications, a communications protocol is a system of digital rules for data exchange within or between computers.
TheConsumer Electronics Show (CES)trade show has taken place yearly inLas 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]
TheIFA Berlintrade show has taken place inBerlin,Germany since its foundation in 1924. The event features new consumer electronics and speeches by industry pioneers.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest professional society, has many initiatives to advance the state of the art of consumer electronics. IEEE has a dedicated society of thousands of professionals to promote CE, called the Consumer Electronics Society (CESoc).[33] IEEE has multiple periodicals and international conferences to promote CE and encourage collaborative research and development in CE. The flagship conference of CESoc, called IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE), is in its 35th year.
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]
Electronics retailing is a significant part of theretail industry in many countries. In the United States, dedicatedconsumer electronics stores have mostly given way tobig-box stores such asBest Buy, the largest consumer electronics retailer in the country,[39] although smaller dedicated stores includeApple Stores, and specialist stores that serve, for example, audiophiles, such as the single-branchB&H Photo store in New York City. Broad-based retailers, such asWalmart andTarget, also sell consumer electronics in many of their stores.[39] In April 2014, retail e-commerce sales were the highest in the consumer electronic and computer categories as well.[40] Some consumer electronics retailers offerextended warranties on products with programs such asSquareTrade.[41]
An electronics district is an area of commerce with a high density of retail stores that sell consumer electronics.[42]
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 fromanalog audio devices, such asphonographs, as opposed to digital sound, has sparked a noticeable increase of business for the electronic repair industry there.[43]
Amobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, or hand phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell or just phone, is a portabletelephone that can make and receivecalls over aradio frequency link while the user is moving within a telephone service area. The radio frequency link establishes a connection to the switching systems of amobile phone operator, which provides access to thepublic switched telephone network (PSTN). Modern mobile telephone services use acellular network architecture and, therefore, mobile telephones are calledcellular telephones orcell phones in North America. In addition totelephony, digital mobile phones (2G) support a variety of otherservices, such astext messaging,MMS,email,Internet access, short-range wireless communications (infrared,Bluetooth), business applications,video games anddigital photography. Mobile phones offering only those capabilities are known asfeature phones; mobile phones which offer greatly advanced computing capabilities are referred to assmartphones.[44]
Asmartphone is aportable device that combinesmobile telephone andcomputing functions into one unit. They are distinguished fromfeature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensivemobile operating systems, which facilitate widersoftware,internet (includingweb navigation overmobile broadband), andmultimedia functionality (including music, video,cameras, andgaming), alongside core phone functions such asvoice calls andtext messaging. Smartphones typically contain a number ofMOSFETintegrated circuit (IC) chips, include varioussensors that can be leveraged by pre-included and third-party software (such as amagnetometer,proximity sensors,barometer,gyroscope,accelerometer andmore), and supportwireless communications protocols (such asBluetooth,Wi-Fi, orsatellite navigation).
In 2017,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]
Electronic devices use thousands ofrare metals andrare earth elements (40 on average for asmartphone), these materials 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]
The energy consumption of consumer electronics and their environmental impact, either from their production processes or the disposal of the devices, is increasing steadily.EIA estimates that electronic devices and gadgets account for about 10%–15% of the energy use in American homes – largely because of their number; the average house has dozens of electronic devices.[48] The energy consumption of consumer electronics increases – in America and Europe – to about 50% of household consumption if the term is redefined to includehome appliances such asrefrigerators,dryers,clothes washers anddishwashers.
Standby power – used by consumer electronics and appliances while they are turned off – accounts for 5–10% of total household energy consumption, costing $100 annually to the average household in the United States.[49] A study byUnited States Department of Energy'sBerkeley Lab found that videocassette recorders (VCRs) consume more electricity during the course of a year in standby mode than when they are used to record or playback videos. Similar findings were obtained concerningsatellite boxes, which consume almost the same amount of energy in "on" and "off" modes.[50]
A 2012 study in the United Kingdom, carried out by theEnergy 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 theInternational 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, particularlyEnergy Star-marked products.[49]
A high number of different metals and low concentration rates in electronics means that recycling is limited and energy intensive.[46]Electronic waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Many consumer electronics may contain toxic minerals and elements,[53] and many electronic scrap components, such asCRTs, may contain contaminants such aslead,cadmium,beryllium,mercury,dioxins, orbrominated flame retardants.Electronic waste recycling may involve significant risk to workers and communities and great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations and leaking of materials such as heavy metals fromlandfills andincinerator ashes. However, large amounts of the produced electronic waste from developed countries is exported, and handled by theinformal sector in countries like India, despite the fact that exporting electronic waste to them is illegal. Strong informal sector can be a problem for the safe and clean recycling.[54]
E-waste policies have evolved since the 1970s, with priorities shifting over time. Initially, the focus was on safer disposal methods due to the toxic materials often found in electronic waste. Over the years, attention turned to the recovery of valuable metals and plastics that could be recycled. More recently, the emphasis has shifted once again, this time toward reusing entire devices. New guidelines promoting 'preparation for reuse' highlight the growing importance of repair and reuse, signaling a gradual change in public and policy attitudes.
With turnover of small household appliances high and costs relatively low, many consumers will throw unwanted electrical 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. 23% of EEE (Electrical and electronic equipment) taken to Household Waste Recycling Centres was immediately resalable – 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]
Desktop monitors and laptops can contribute to major physical health concerns known asrepetitive strain injuries. For example, when users are forced to bend to see electronic screens better, they may experience chronic neck and back pains. The best-known disease in this category iscarpal tunnel syndrome. Other conditions includede Quervain syndrome, a condition that affects tendons in the thumb.[56]
Electronic use before bed is also associated with poorer sleep quality and sleep duration.[57] Poor quality, shorter sleep is associated with various health conditions such asobesity anddiabetes.[58]
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