CONSUMER LIFESTYLE From
CONSUMER LIFESTYLE From smart cities Developing the “smart ec Hans-Joachim Kamp Chairman of the Supervisory Board of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics The recent 2018 IFA Innovations Media Briefing, which featured high-level representatives from consumer and home electronics, related industries, and the world of media, took a close-up look at the theme "Smarter Ecosystems." At this year’s event, Hans-Joachim Kamp, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics, presented some fascinating insights from gfu's 2018 market study, "Motives, Attitudes and Purchase Criteria: Consumer Trends in Consumer and Home Electronics." Using Germany as a test case, gfu focused on the number and range of electronic devices in households and the motivation for buying them. Is UHDTV a purchase criteria? How is the TV market changing and what do buyers think of networking and voice control? Which devices are currently on the shopping list and what is the budget? The results highlighted the fact that consumer adaption to gamechanging technology, while inevitable, still takes time. While 76% of German respondents to the study said they knew the term Smart TV (half of all households own one), only 26% of respondents know 5G, the new mobile standard, and a mere 16% were aware of the term the Internet of Things (IoT - Internet of Things). UHDTV SALES ARE FINDING SOLID UPWARD MOMENTUM, ACCOUNTING FOR 20% OF TV SALES IN 2018 Kamp noted that UHDTV sales are finding solid upward momentum, accounting for 20% of TV sales in 2018 — as opposed to 16% in 2017. Meanwhile, UHD is among the most important criteria when buying a TV, with 61% of Smart TV consumers saying that UHD technology had seriously influenced their buying decision. One problem for the Smart TV market, however, is the fact that most people are streaming content on their smartphones (62% of respondents) or PCs (60%) and Tablets (46%), even if most of the streaming content is TV series (68% overall but 76% with 16-39 year-olds, with Amazon Prime and Netflix dominating). While the Smart TV market is now forcing to compete with a whole suite of connected streaming devices, it will continue to have a central place in the smart city of the future. Karel van de Horst, Digital Officer Europe, BSH Home Appliances GmbH, and Paulo Ferreira, Vice President Smart Vertical Solutions & Smart Cities, were on hand at the IMB to discuss the path from smart cities to smart kitchens. In less than 30 years, six billion people will live in cities — every LG EXPANDS OLED TV OFFERING WITH THINQ AI ANDΑ9 IMAGE PROCESSOR LG Electronics 2018 TV line-up hosts an array of OLED and SUPER UHD models, demonstrating its commitment to leading the global premium TV market. LG’s new TV products feature the company’s exclusive ThinQ artificial intelligence (AI) technology and advanced α (Alpha) processor which the company states will lead the way in solidifying LG’s position in the global market for premium TVs, with the market for OLED TVs forecast to see sales of 2.5 million units this year from 1.6 million in 2017. With LG’s (Alpha) 9 intelligent processor powering company’s market leading W8, G8, E8 and C8 OLED TV series, viewers experience enhanced image rendering and more accurate colours from virtually any viewing angle in addition to perfect black levels, the hallmark of LG’s OLED TVs. And with Dolby Atmos sound and optimal picture quality, this year’s TVs from LG provide consumers with an immersive viewing experience. » HALL 18 / STAND 101 KEY SELLING POINTS Deep ThinQ AI technology – viewers can talk to their TV Processor - LG’s newest α (Alpha) 9 intelligent processor provides trueto-life images Ultimate Cinema HDR Experience - LG’s 2018 OLED and SUPER UHD TVs promise a truly cinematic experience 26
SNEAK PEEK to smart kitchens osystems” of the future 16 months a city crosses the 10 million population barrier and thus becomes a "mega city." Bosch is therefore committed to creating smart solutions that will make these cities safe, comfortable, efficient, and ultimately enjoyable to live in. BSH's vision is to create an urban environment free from emissions, stress and accidents. Intelligent technologies are thus the key to sustainable urbanisation and BSH is thus expanding its Home Connect kitchen range to include over 20,000 devices. The steadily expanding device ecosystem is part of a wider push to ensure that a high “quality of life” drives the bold new innovations on show at IFA in 2018 and beyond. In this way, the third presentation at the gfu Insights and Trends session explored how the dawning of “chatbots” will make the connected world even more seamless. Titled "Welcome to the Age of Entertainment: How Chatbots and Digital Assistants Transform Customer Communication," Andreas Konrads, CTO of Silbury, a German tech company, showed how digital assistants are already laying the foundations for the "age of entertainment" — which he describes as a more natural form of human communication through which we express our needs and interests and connect in an emotional way. That's why digital assistants like Alexa, Siri or Cortana are moving into our lives. Already today, they perform simple tasks, win customers and perform completely new services. And they learn fast. The fourth Insights and Trends presentation was by Ralf Exler, Director of Innovation Management at Kathrein, a century old communications technology firm, who described the coming 5G networks that will make the connected world more possible. He described to the 300 journalists and industry leaders in attendance how these networks will offer "Massive Data, Massive Connectivity, NetVirtualisation and Convergence, Coverage Everywhere and Overall Security," standards that are already having a major impact on communications networks. All will be in place, he says, by 2025, a time of exciting and endless new possibilities for the consumer electronics and home appliance sector. MIELE PARTNERS WITH MCHEF TO MAKE MOST OF NEW DIALOGUE OVEN Miele presented its new Dialog oven at the last IFA, but now a startup called MChef is working with the home appliance leaders to deliver top gastronomy to homes around the country. The new partnership was announced by Frank Jüttner, Managing Director of Miele's German sales subsidiary, at the IFA Innovation Media Briefing in Berlin. The bold new collaboration allows Dialog oven owners to download the MChef app and order premium dishes or entire three-course menus to cook in only 20 minutes in their own kitchen. When they arrive on the customer's doorstep, the ingredients are expertly arranged on porcelain plates and are ready to be cooked to perfection in a Dialog oven. Frank Jüttner Managing Director of German sales subsidiary, Miele SLEEPING SMARTER, Philips SmartSleep is the world’s first and only clinically proven wearable solution to improve deep sleep quality for consumers who do not get enough sleep According to Royal Philips, nearly 40% of people aged 25-54 get less than the recommended seven hours of sleep per night, which is reported to result in difficult concentration, memory and focus. Studies suggest that deep sleep, or slow wave sleep, plays a critical role in resetting our brains to be more alert and focused, and that people who experience high quality slow wave sleep have been shown to be more alert during the day, with better memory consolidation, executive function and daytime energy. THANKS TO PHILIPS Philips’ new SmartSleep is uniquely designed with two small sensors that detect periods of slow wave sleep and intervene with clinically proven technology to boost it in real time. Philips’ proprietary advanced sleep analysis algorithms, developed in collaboration with leading sleep experts and neurologists, produce customised audio tones that enhance the depth and duration of slow wave sleep. An accompanying app logs sleep improvement over time and provides tips and advice on how to get the best possible night's sleep. Already, 70% of chronically sleep-deprived users who have tried SmartSleep for just two weeks reported feeling less tired during the day. » HALL 22 / STAND 101 KEY SELLING POINTS Meets a real need – More and more people suffer from a lack of sleep Uniqueness – No other company offers technology that enhances sleep in this way Connected – Thanks to the app, it’s possible to follow one’s progress in sleep patterns. www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 27 th August 2018 27
