Consumer electronics, also known as home electronics, are electronic devices designed for everyday use, typically in private homes. Consumer electronics include those used for entertainment, communications and recreation. Historically, these products were referred to as "black goods" in American English, due to many products being housed in black or dark casings. This term is used to distinguish them from "white goods", which are meant for housekeeping tasks, such as washing machines and refrigerators.[1][2] In British English, they are often called "brown goods" by producers and sellers.[3] Since the 2010s, this distinction has been absent in big box consumer electronics stores, whose inventories include entertainment, communication, and home office devices as well as home appliances.
Radio broadcasting in the early 20th century brought the first major consumer product, the broadcast receiver. Later products included telephones, televisions, calculators, video game consoles, mobile phones, personal computers and MP3 players. In the 2010s, consumer electronics stores often sold GPS, automotive electronics (vehicle audio), video game consoles, electronic musical instruments (e.g., synthesizer keyboards), karaoke machines, digital cameras, and video players (VCRs in the 1980s and 1990s, followed by DVD players and Blu-ray players). Stores also sold smart light fixtures, network devices, camcorders, and smartphones. Some of the modern products being sold include virtual reality goggles, smart home devices that connect to the Internet, streaming devices, and wearable technology.
In the 2010s, most consumer electronics were based on digital technologies and increasingly merged with the computer industry, in a trend often referred to as the consumerization of information technology. Some consumer electronics stores also began selling office and baby furniture. Consumer electronics stores may be physical "brick and mortar" retail stores, online stores, or combinations of both. Annual consumer electronics sales were expected to reach $2.9 trillion by 2020.[4] The sector is part of the electronics industry, which is in turn driven by the semiconductor industry.[5]
- ^ Hsu, Sara (12 February 2016). "In China, Black Goods Down, White Goods Up". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 12 February 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ Takagi, Yuichiro; Hanada, Yukinori; Iwato, Hisashi (8 January 2020). "White appliance prices jump in Japan over past 10 years". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ "brown goods". Collins English Dictionary. Archived from the original on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ^ "Global Consumer Electronics Market to Reach US$ 2.9 Trillion by 2020". PR Newswire. Persistence Market Research. 3 January 2017. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ "Annual Semiconductor Sales Increase 21.6 Percent, Top $400 Billion for First Time". Semiconductor Industry Association. 5 February 2018. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2019.