8K TVs, 5G, in-vehicle tech: record US consumer tech sales forecast for 2019
- CES organisers predict US retail revenue for consumer technology will rise to a record US$398 billion this year, despite data protection concerns
- Smart home devices and virtual assistants in all kinds of devices among other products to see good growth
The US technology industry is weathering a crisis of confidence over data protection and a difficult geopolitical situation with record consumer technology sales expected in 2019, according to organisers of the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) predicted that US retail revenue in the sector would climb to a record US$398 billion this year.
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The forecast was unveiled ahead of the opening of this year’s giant electronics fair, which from January 8 to 11 will showcase the newest tech in mobile computing, health, sports, automobiles, agriculture and more.
“There are so many cool things happening in the consumer electronics industry right now,” said CTA vice-president of market research Steve Koenig.
Trends gaining momentum, and expected to be on display on the CES show floor, include super-high resolution 8K televisions, blazingly fast 5G wireless internet, and virtual aides such as Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa woven into devices of all kinds.