Among the high-tech devices launched at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, nearly half have the ability to connect to internet-based services, according to new analysis from the GSMA. Approximately 50 percent of these connected devices are represented in the combined automotive, healthcare and home lifestyle industries – areas that don’t traditionally leverage connected networks.
More than 40 percent of the connected devices announced at CES were deemed gadgets, such as light-weight laptops and smartphones. But 30 percent fell into the home lifestyle category, such as connected HDTVs, smart refrigerators and washers and dryers. Other devices that people interact with on a daily basis will become more connected and by 2020, for example, GSMA research predicts that more than 40 percent of vending machines will be connected. A deeper look into industry-specific statistics from CES alone revealed the following:
- Nearly 90 percent of the HDTVs announced are connected
- Seventy percent of the automotive technology devices are connected
- Close to 44 percent of all medical/healthcare devices are connected
- Nearly 30 percent of all cameras and camcorders are connected
There were also a number of less-traditional connected devices, including the following:
- A smart window pane with built-in apps, including computerised “blinds”
- Connected, roaming vacuum cleaners
- Tablets built for underwater computing or designed for home and office video surveillance
- A space-age personal work environment complete with a reclining chair, multiple computer monitors and a connected air filter
According to the GSMA, consumers are now one step closer to reaching “The Connected Life” - a world where all technology devices intelligently connect. By 2020, the GSMA predicts the world will have a networked ecosystem of 24 billion connected devices, offering mobile operators a huge addressable revenue opportunity of US $1.2 trillion. Even though most of today’s embedded mobile devices are typically smartphones and tablets, the GSMA is seeing a growing trend in connected home, healthcare, and more prominently, automotive technology.
The automotive sector alone accounts for 1.4 billion connections by 2020, according to new GSMA research. In 2011, just 1 percent of the world’s 1.8 billion road vehicles were connected, however, by 2020 this figure is expected to reach 14 percent. The announcements of new in-vehicle applications, phone features and navigation among others, illustrate the consumer appetite for car connectivity.
*GSMA analysis of CES press releases from Thursday, 5 January 2012 to Thursday, 12 January 2012.
To find out more and to join the GSMA’s Connected Community, please visit: www.gsmaconnectedlife.com
