According to Parks Associates' Internet of Things (IoT) research, more than 442 million Internet-connected consumer devices will be sold in the United States in 2020. The sales totals include connected entertainment, mobile, health and smart home devices. The research house says personal assistant devices, which include speakers with voice control such as the Amazon Alexa and Google Home, are the fastest growing category with a CAGR of 78.3% expected from 2015-2020.
The research house forecasts that U.S. consumers will buy more than 2.3 billion connected devices between 2015 and 2020, and that voice control will be the interface of choice for those devices.
"We've only scratched the surface of what the connected home can do for consumers and companies," said William Greene, product manager, Energy Services, at Nest Labs. "At Nest, we've learned that combining connected devices with simple - yet sophisticated - software can meet the connected consumer's expectations for reliability and convenience while opening new opportunities for engagement. In addition to creating happier and more loyal customers, this enhanced engagement can benefit companies and precipitate revolutionary changes in verticals like energy utilities. Every connected consumer represents an opportunity for huge advancements in engagement strategy, operational efficiency, and the realization of shared benefits across industries and regions."
"WiFi is by far the dominant technology for connected products - the vast majority of broadband homes have WiFi. However, historically it has been too complex to get headless products connected to Wi-Fi," said Rob Conant, CEO of Cirrent. "Nearly 40% of the negative reviews of smart home products are the result of connectivity and setup issues. Making it easy for end users to connect products is critical to the success of the industry."