CEDIA Expo owner Emerald doubled down on the company’s commitment to hold the trade event in Indianapolis Sept. 1-3 even as exhibitors continue to abandon the event due to health concerns over the COVID-19 delta variant. Jason McGraw, Emerald Group vice president-CEDIA Expo and KBIS, told the company's CEPro trade publication Wednesday, “The show is 100% going on. Contrary to rumors out there, CEDIA Expo 2021 is still happening.” The number of exhibitors has been whittled down to 150; the trade show company was originally hoping for 300. Last week, Emerald advertised that 250 brands were exhibiting.
Thirty-six percent of U.S. broadband households own a smart home device, up 2% from Q4, reported Parks Associates Tuesday. “The residential security industry continues to experience a blurring of lines between professional” and do-it-yourself, said President Elizabeth Parks, noting that pro monitoring providers including ADT, Brinks and Comcast have added self-monitoring options, and companies that started with DIY solutions now offer pro monitoring. Parks expects more innovation in AI and video analytics as companies look to add more monthly monitoring subscribers for security and smart home services. Some consumers want to self-monitor even if their home is professionally monitored, said Logan Dunn, Wyze head of growth. They want to see and verify any abnormalities, he said, calling it a trend with “legs.” Smart home camera penetration in the U.S. market is still low, he said, predicting upcoming innovations in the industry will involve video. To grow, the security industry needs to focus on the customer experience and value by making it easier to bring single-point devices into a single smart home ecosystem, said Don Young, ADT chief operating officer. The security experience also needs to extend beyond the home to vehicles and mobile devices to increase the sense of “feeling protected,” Young said. Parks plans a virtual Connections conference on the home security industry Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. EDT.
CTA will require CES 2022 participants to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations to attend the Jan. 5-8 event in person at the Las Vegas Convention Center, said the association Tuesday.
Klipsch T5 II ANC true wireless earphones are the first wireless headphones to achieve inductive power transfer through a case, said NuCurrent, which supplies the charging technology in five models of the T5 II series earphones. Wireless charging speeds are twice as fast as those of other Qi-based hearable products, said NuCurrent Monday.
Despite an order backlog situation caused by industry-wide component shortages that it expects to stretch into FY 2022, Sonos raised full-year revenue guidance for FY 2021 in its Wednesday fiscal Q3 earnings report. Guidance is now $1.69 billion-$1.71 billion, for 28%-29% year-on-year growth, vs. previous guidance of $1.62 billion-$1.67 billion. Revenue for the quarter ended July 3 rose 52% to $378.7 million. The company plans price increases before the next fiscal year, which begins in October, based on higher costs due to higher component prices and the supply and demand imbalance, said Chief Financial Officer Brittany Bagley on a Wednesday earnings call. Chief Legal Officer Eddie Lazarus said the judge’s initial decision is due Friday in Sonos' patent infringement case against Google at the International Trade Commission. Sonos alleges Google products infringe five Sonos patents, “basically the limit of what you can fit” in an ITC case, Lazarus said: Overall, Sonos believes Google infringes more than 150 U.S. utility patents from 30 Sonos patent families. “Google has thrown everything at us in this case,” said Lazarus, but Sonos believes evidence before the ITC "demonstrates Google to be a serial infringer of Sonos' valid patents and that the ITC case represents just the tip of the iceberg.” Sonos remains “confident that the ITC will find Google to be a patent infringer and, as happened recently in Sonos' case against Google in Germany, that other courts will do the same” (see 2105130052). Responding to Lazarus’ comments, Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda emailed Thursday: “Sonos has misrepresented our partnership and mischaracterized our technology. We designed our products and services independently, and we have strong IP rights that we are defending. While we look to resolve our dispute, we will continue to ensure our shared customers have the best experience using our products.” Shares rose 7.4% Thursday to close at $37.38.
Samsung’s Google-enabled Galaxy Watch 4 series, unveiled Wednesday, will give Samsung and Google “a real shot at the wearables market,” emailed GlobalData analyst Anisha Bhatia on Wednesday after the tech company’s Unpacked event. GlobalData pegs the wearables market value at $64 billion by 2030. As the first device to combine Google’s Wear operating system and Samsung’s Tizen smartwatch platforms, the Galaxy Watch 4 will bring increased developer and app support for Samsung and hardware expertise to Google. That’s a “a win-win” for both companies, as they try to break Apple’s “stranglehold” on the smartwatch market, said the analyst. A partnership with Google also expands Samsung’s smartwatches to other Android phones, giving Samsung a way to appeal to the non-Apple customer base, she said.
TCL, the No. 1 Roku TV brand globally, turned to Google TV for the smart TV operating system in its latest 5- and 6-series TVs, which went on preorder Tuesday. “We are not pivoting from Roku to Google," emailed Chris Larson, senior vice president-TCL North America, saying TCL is also the largest Android TV brand globally. TCL's “deep engagement with both companies provides us a leadership position with the suppliers we see as most likely to win the battle of consolidation in smart TV operating systems,” Larson told us. He called Google's OS a “perfect alternative" to Roku’s platform: “Both systems have their personalities and we believe that different users will desire a different experience,” said the executive. Google TV is “additive, with new users chasing this new experience," he said. The TV maker touted Google TV’s “content-first interface,” which it said allows users to browse and discover new content easily based on watch history, saved content and “what’s trending.” A “For You” tab shows users new content based on their interests, across their streaming services.
Consumers’ return to travel after 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns is driving growth in travel tech, blogged NPD analyst Ben Arnold Monday. Consumer tech revenue grew 3% in Q2 vs. the 2020 quarter, he said. In digital imaging, revenue in the detachable lens/mirrorless camera category doubled in first half vs. January-June 2020; unit sales grew 28%, he said. Camcorder unit sales grew 17% in Q2. Point-and-shoot cameras, which had been declining by 20% or more over the past few years, rebounded with 15% growth in the first half. Bluetooth speaker revenue was up 20% in first half, with a return of social gatherings driving an 81% revenue increase in party box speakers and threefold growth in karaoke speakers, he said. Summer road trips fueled car audio sales, which declined last year: In-dash head units were up 15% in first half, car amplifiers up 48% and satellite radio receivers grew 36% year on year.
Responding to a surge of online shopping, Canon updated its consumer education website, expanding information on commonly counterfeited Canon products and informing consumers about battery recognition technology built into some of its cameras and camcorders, it said Monday. The website urges customers to buy directly from Canon or its authorized dealers and gives a phone number for reporting fraudulent products. It includes updated tips on how to spot counterfeits bearing the Canon logo, plus information on differences between gray market and counterfeit goods. It also informs about service and support companies passing themselves off as authorized Canon repair facilities. Canon didn't respond to questions on projected lost revenue from counterfeiting, citing company policy not to comment on financials.
The smart lighting and control systems market will reach $78.8 billion by 2026, from $35.7 billion last year, driven by sustainable green building initiatives, reported Global Industry Analysts Friday. The U.S. market is seen reaching $8.9 billion this year. Advances in sensor and electronics segments, evolution of wireless technology and the transition away from incandescent lamps will support expansion, it said.