Today's shoppers are spoilt for choice, with ever-more advanced home appliances .
From Blu-Ray to iPod fridges and energy-saving smart goods — here's a look at what the future holds in the revolutionary world of home appliances.
Electronic appliances have become an intrinsic part of every home. They help to clothe, feed, and entertain us, and seem to grow in number and capability each year. While these helpful devices come in all shapes and sizes, consumer analysts have divided them into two categories as a way of tracking the buying habits of the public and the innovations of product manufacturers.
White goods
The first category is conventionally referred to as white goods, a term that reflects the shiny white enamelled appearance of refrigerators and washer dryers when they were first introduced.
These typically larger, more mechanically involved appliances are now available in many colours, textures and finishes and remain at the centre of running a household.
Brown goods
Brown goods, so named for the wood panelling that once adorned them, are smaller electronic devices such as televisions, alarm clocks, and cordless phones, also described as consumer electronics.
In this age of globalisation, both categories are subject to the ebb and flow of the world economy, all at a time when consumers have more choice than ever.
At present, the most energised sector of the brown goods category is the flat panel television market. The bulky CRT displays of old are on their way out, as newer LCD technology provides sharper images and brighter colours at increasingly affordable prices.
While latest industry reports expect the sale of LCD TVs to slow somewhat in the first quarter of 2009, leading electronics manufacturer Panasonic is not letting that affect its plans. It recently announced its intention to increase flat-panel display sales by at least 50 per cent for the 2010 fiscal year, bringing sales to more than 15.5 million units.
Improving performance
"Panasonic will focus on improving the basic performance of flat-panel televisions such as energy-saving and faster response time for moving pictures. This is going to be achieved by using the Neo PDPs and IPS Alpha LCD panels," says Panasonic Marketing Middle East Deputy General Manager, Taeko Danno.
The intense pace of technological development isn't always in every manufacturer's best interests, as online music sales have affected both CD sales and sales of a one-time brown goods stalwart, the CD player. In fact, the future of the CD player's modern cousin, the Blu-Ray disc player, also presents an interesting question about new technology adoption and the current rate of change in the brown goods market.
Blu-Ray, a high-definition video playback system designed to replace DVD, initially floundered as consumers waited to see whether its rival format, HD DVD, would rise to the top. HD DVD eventually fell by the wayside, but Blu-Ray sales still haven't picked up to the degree that manufacturers had hoped. Some analysts think consumers are waiting for a better online movie delivery service, something that might phase out optical discs altogether.
Consumers have more choice than ever before in both the brown and white goods categories, and here that choice may be to wait.
Colour crazy
In the white goods category colour is king among trends, with manufacturer Falcon one of those leading the call to bring colour back into the kitchen. The Scottish manufacturer has added lime green and cherry red to its range of cookers, refrigerators and hoods.
Colourful appliances help to liven up the kitchen, a room that always seems to be the social hub of any home. Offering a warmth not afforded by traditional white enamel or stainless steel finished appliances, these colourful iterations perform every bit as well as their more traditional counterparts, while offering interior design palettes previously unavailable to the kitchen.
Crossing categories
More and more, the lines between brown and white goods are blurring. This type of cross pollination is highlighted by the release of Gorenje's Made for iPod fridge, a product that combines Apple's ubiquitous iPod with Gorenje's formidable refrigeration and sleek design. This refrigerator helps combine the consumer's taste in food with his taste in music, and arrives with built-in speakers and wireless LAN for internet access. Budding gourmets can download their favourite cooking shows, or maybe just listen to an audio cook book, all from the kitchen.
While colour choices, skinny TVs, and iPod docking capability may not be enough to sway consumers to make that next big purchase in the coming months, prices are likely to improve as retailers attempt to lure buyers with sales and special offers. Add to this an incredible amount of functionality and innovation in both the brown and white goods sectors, and it is inevitable that many of us will be tempted into an upgrade or two.
