Consumers demand seamless, pervasive connectivity
December 12, 2011
Semiconductor solutions specialist Broadcom has unveiled the results of a new consumer poll that demonstrates increased appetite for seamless and pervasive connections.
The November 2011 poll of 1,025 consumers explored technology trends on the go, in the home, and on the road and revealed details of consumers’ desire for a more connected lifestyle. In response to increasing consumer demands, connectivity technologies are set to feature prominently at the upcoming 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show to be held January 10-13 in Las Vegas, suggests Broadcom.
In terms of connecting in the home, Broadcom suggests that multi-screen home entertainment is becoming a reality with the benefit of technologies and standards such as Transcoding, DLNA, WiFi, MoCA and Powerline Networking.
Based on the survey findings, Broadcom noted the following trends:
- Consuming online video: Two-thirds of people surveyed say they watch more than two videos a day (68 per cent), while a quarter say they watch at least five videos a day (24 per cent).
- Consuming overall digital content: 87 per cent estimated that they consume more than 10 hours a week of digital content. More than half of all respondents (54 per cent) consume more than 20 hours a week.
- Multi-screen entertainment in the home: Almost two-thirds (62 per cent) said they would stream content that can normally only be watched on their TV to wireless devices such as laptops, smartphones or tablet PCs throughout the home should their cable or satellite provider offer the service.
- Connected televisions: Two-thirds (67 per cent) are more likely to purchase a new HDTV that can easily connect directly to wireless devices such as smartphones, tablets or laptop PCs and the Internet versus one that cannot.
As for ‘connecting on the go’, consumers are connecting more devices to the Internet and to other devices than ever before, and want to spend less time configuring those connections and more time enjoying them. Consumers are demanding seamless, pervasive connectivity – something that will be possible with new technologies such as 802.11ac and Wi-Fi Direct. The survey noted that:
- ‘Connectivity withdrawal’: Demonstrating the importance of connectivity in people’s lives, the survey explored the notion of ‘connectivity withdrawal’ – the feeling of stress or anticipation of not being able to get online with a mobile phone, laptop or tablet. 35 per cent said they’ve suffered from connectivity withdrawal, while 30 per cent said it happens at least once a week.
- Number of wireless devices people own: 22 per cent of those surveyed claimed to have six or more wireless devices in their homes. When asked to compare that to just a couple of years ago, the change was staggering. The percentage of people with six or more devices has almost quadrupled in the last three years (then = 6 per cent).
- Configuring wireless connections: More than a quarter of those surveyed said that they’ve had wirelessly to configure and connect a device in the last month (28 per cent). Less than half (46 per cent) found the experience a pleasant one, so there’s room for simpler connectivity technology.
- Consuming content on the go: Of those who own a capable mobile device, one-third (32 per cent) say they consume more than 10 hours of content a week while on the go, and more than half (51 per cent) say they consume more than five hours a week.