Smart life
As we adjust to the ‘new normal’, smart home devices and technology are coming into their own. Sean Hannam reports on the brave new world.
Covid-19 has changed our lives for ever and had a huge impact on how we work, socialise and choose to spend our time at home. Before the pandemic, the smart home was one of the most talked about topics in the electrical industry. Now, as we adjust to living with the virus, it’s more important than ever, as we learn how technology can help us to cope with the ‘new normal’. “Covid has forced every one of us to work, play and relax in a
different way. Our lives as we knew it had been almost completely confined to doing things at home, which has limited what we can spend our money on,” says Simon Feben-Harknett, Yamaha’s AV product specialist. “Our online and virtual interactions with the world have seen
massive growth in a very short space of time, opening up an even greater acceptance of smart home devices.” He adds: “Personally, I think it’s very telling that even my
grandparents have bought into the idea, using the odd smart bulb, voice assistant and smart speaker, however this is just the start and represents a massive opportunity to take things further, with the likes of smart security, ventilation, kitchens and furniture to a very wide consumer demographic.” Mr Feben-Harknett says there’s now also an incredible amount
of choice, created by the growing number of manufacturers of smart home devices. “Outside of the home, there’s an increased necessity not to touch things in public places, which will eventually become the norm in more environments,” he explains. “The smart home sector’s growth has slowed, but, despite that,
expect to see improved acceptance in the coming years, so let’s prepare and not let the opportunity pass us by.”
44 Smart Home Feature Commenting on how Covid has affected the smart home market,
LG’s senior product specialist for home appliances, David Palmer, tells Alert: “With consumers spending more time at home over the past two years, there’s been a shift in people needing their homes and the technology in their homes to work a bit harder for them.
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Covid has forced every one of us to work, play and relax in a different way. Our online and virtual interactions with the world have seen massive growth in a very short space of time, opening up an even greater acceptance of smart home devices
Simon Feben-Harknett, Yamaha’s AV product specialist
Invest “Whether that’s more innovative features that reduce time doing laundry or the need for quieter appliances while working from home – people are more willing to invest in appliances and technology that will make life just that bit easier for them. This extends to the smart home sector, which has seen an acceleration of adoption as consumers have had more time to play with the
Smart Home Feature
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