|
AUSTIN, Texas, April 22, 2008 /PRNewswire/ --
Underscoring the importance of collaboration in the smart home
space, 10 top companies -- Whirlpool Corporation, Bell Canada,
Cisco, Direct Energy, HP, Legrand, Leviton, Microsoft, Procter &
Gamble and Zensys as well as the Z-Wave Alliance -- announced today
that they are teaming up to conduct an in-depth study about the
state and future of the smart home. The smart home is defined as a
home where the systems (security, lighting, sensors, heating,
air-conditioning, audio-video, etc.) are interconnected to allow the
automatic or remote control of the home to save energy and improve
comfort, safety and convenience for the homeowner.
The 2008 State of the Connected Home Market Study is being conducted
under the auspices of the Internet Home Alliance Research Council,
which is part of CABA, a not-for-profit industry association that
promotes advanced technologies for the automation of homes and
buildings in North America.
The results of the study, which will conclude on May 30, 2008, are
expected to be released to the public in January 2009. The study is
being conducted by Zanthus, a market research-based consulting firm
that serves high-tech companies.
"Cross-industry collaboration is key to the adoption of smart home
products and services," said Henry O. Marcy, vice president, Global
Technology, Whirlpool Corporation, the study's lead participant.
"Our research reveals that consumers want comprehensive connected
home solutions. They don't want to have to cobble together smart
home products and services themselves."
Bob Becker, Vice President and General Manager for Leviton's
Residential Business concurs. "As the market for home automation
grows, it is imperative that product suppliers understand their
customers' needs as well as what other major industry players are
doing to support the overall growth of the market. This intelligence
will allow us to innovate in ways that provide value to end-users
and help grow our respective businesses."
"That kind of intelligence is why companies from across the value
chain have joined forces in this study," says Ron Zimmer, president
and CEO of CABA. "These companies could certainly conduct this type
of research independently, but they recognize that collaboration and
conversation are particularly important in this space."
"As Canada's leading provider of communications products and
services, Bell is constantly striving to improve and simplify our
customers' busy lives," said Kevin Crull, President, Bell
Residential Services. "This study will help us further understand
our customers' needs in an effort to deliver our promise of the Bell
Better Home."
In addition to validating past and current trends in the marketplace
and evaluating general consumer understanding of the connected home,
the study will assess potential products and services and provide
trend lines in specific application areas, including music, video,
gaming, lighting, temperature control, security,
communications/scheduling, health/fitness and productivity.
According to Brian Burch, marketing director for HP's managed home
business, "Consumers are just beginning to understand the value of
connected entertainment systems and get excited about viewing
digital content from their PCs on the biggest screen in the house,
their HDTV. But, we still see a big, untapped opportunity out there
and we want to see where those opportunities are."
Orly Cocco, Future Home Innovation Manager, Procter & Gamble agrees.
"We know that consumers today are constantly seeking ways to simply
their lives and we are very enthusiastic about the role the home and
products in the home can play in making people's lives easier and
more fulfilling."
To get those answers, the group will be conducting a series of Web
surveys among both primary market consumers, defined as consumers
who adopt technology as products first come on the market, and mass
market consumers who wait for prices to fall or to assess a
product's popularity before making new technology purchases. The
study will also gauge the size of the 'chasm' between the two
consumer groups in terms of technology adoption.
Consumers will be asked about the connected home solutions they own
currently, their immediate and long-term home technology wants and
needs, their home technology product and service purchasing habits
and intentions, and their preferred channels for making and
installing smart home solutions.
Following are some of the potential applications that will be tested
in the study:
-- When the phone rings, the caller ID shows up on a television
screen
-- The home's temperature can be controlled remotely, allowing the
homeowner to save on energy costs by adjusting the home's
temperature
according to changing weather conditions
-- Multiple rooms in a home can be video-monitored via the Internet
from
anywhere in the world
-- A homeowner can adjust the home's lighting remotely, allowing
travelers
to give the home a "lived-in" feel
About CABA's Internet Home Alliance Research Council
CABA's Internet Home Alliance Research Council is a cross-industry
network of leading companies engaged in collaborative research to
advance the connected home space. The Alliance's research projects
enable participating companies to gain important insights into the
connected home space and leverage those insights into viable new
business opportunities. Internet Home Alliance Research Council is
part of the Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA), a
not-for-profit industry association that promotes advanced
technologies for the automation of homes and buildings. For more
information about the Alliance, visit
http://www.caba.org/iha
About Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and
marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of
approximately $19 billion, 73,000 employees and 72 manufacturing and
technology research centers around the world. The company markets
Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul,
Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every
country around the world. Additional information about the company
may be found at
http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/
Media Contact:
Hilary Abbott, Dynabrand
(770) 753-8144
habbott@dynabrand.com
Source: CABA
CONTACT: Hilary Abbott of Dynabrand, +1-770-753-8144,
habbott@dynabrand.com,
for CABA
Web site: http://www.caba.org/iha
http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/
|
