Press Release
The 2nd Annual Connected Home Report:
The market is booming but we are "still a long way from the ideal of true convergence"
Connection Research Services (CRS) and CNET.com.au are releasing the second annual Connected Home Report, a large-scale study of Australian consumers and the usage of and attitudes to connected home technologies.
Building on the 2005 survey, where CRS telephone sampled over 1,000 households, this year CRS partnered with CNET.com.au and other sources to build an even-more realistic picture of how Australian households are adopting digital technologies.
This year CRS has asked 3,320 households around Australia about the realities of the digital revolution. Graeme Philipson, Research Director of Connection Research Services, noted "Digital technology in the home is becoming more widely adopted and more integrated, but we are still a long way from the ideal of true convergence".
Key takeaways from this years Connected Home Report include
Mobile phone and PC use is booming:
Nearly 90 percent of respondents live in a household with at least one PC, and nearly one-third have two or more. Nearly one in two homes have laptops, with 80 percent of respondents rating their PC as “important” or “very important” in their lives.
Ninety-eight percent own a mobile phone and 85 percent of respondents rate their mobile phone as “important” or “very important”.
More than one quarter of respondents say they will definitely buy a mobile phone in the next 12 months (and another quarter say they might).
DVD, TV and game console adoption continues to increase:
DVD players are almost universal, and DVD recorders are now in a quarter of all homes.
Games consoles are in 18 percent of homes and that percentage is growing.
LCD, plasma or projection TVs are now in around 20 percent of homes -- Sony is the preferred supplier, but this year companies like Panasonic and LG are threatening its position. Microsoft is also much closer to Sony as a preferred supplier of games consoles in this year's survey.
Home connectivity take-up is slower than expected:
More than 40 percent of homes have a home theatre (loosely defined as an amplifier and speakers attached to a TV), but fewer than 10 percent of respondents currently have any kind of networked or distributed video. Around 16 percent of homes have begun to experiment with connecting PCs to audio and video systems.
Smart lighting is found in only about five percent of homes, and central control of doors and windows in fewer than three percent. But interest in all these technologies is very high -- more than 12 percent of respondents are considering purchasing smart lighting over the next 12 months, and 14 percent are considering integrated access control systems.
Broadband penetration is high, the Internet is used widely and VoIP is being experimented with:
Most respondents are now on broadband, and use the Internet for an average of 11 hours a week per person. E-mail is by far the most important use for the Internet, with 95 percent of respondents rating it “important” or “very important”.
Nearly 10 percent of respondents have experimented with voice of IP (VoIP), and another third are considering doing so this year.
Wendy Hogan, Managing Director of CNET Networks, owner of CNET.com.au noted that “We know from our traffic stats that interest in these products is high, however it's obvious from this report that there is still much growth opportunity in this space in the future”.
More information: For further information on this press release, contact Emily Baxter/Christian Ivers on 02 8514 9999
The content of this press release was compiled with reference to the 2nd Annual Connected Home Report research and the article 'The Connected Home – One Year Later' by Graeme Philipson.
About CRS
Other established research companies tend to report on how many units were sold of a certain device last quarter etc, which is useful. So they poll the SUPPLY side and suggest trends from that perspective.
CRS, in its Connected Home Report, research the DEMAND side- an insight of where consumers/end-users MINDSHARE is now, and what their needs, wants and intentions are for the next 6 - 12 months.
The complete report contains a lot of analysis-- for vendors or suppliers, the greatest benefits can be in using the data in planning sales and marketing campaigns-- for distributors or retailers the benefits are in planning buying strategies-- for media, an alternative basis for commenting on present and future consumer electronics.
About CNET.com.au
CNET.com.au (www.CNET.com.au) is a Web site dedicated to providing the best resource available for consumer electronics, computers, and any related personal technology products.
CNET.com.au shows readers the possibilities and the excitement of how technology can enhance and enrich their life. We provide readers with the information, tools, and advice to help decide what to buy. Once they do, we help consumers get the most out of their technology.
CNET.com.au is published by CNET Networks Australia.
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