Editing Consumer electronics (section)

{{Short description|Electronic products for everyday use}}
{{Redirect|Consumer Electronics|the electronic music group|Philip Best}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
[[File:DCUSA.Gallery9.BestBuyBlackFriday.Wikipedia.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A crowd of shoppers in the flat-screen TV section of the [[Big-box store|big box]] consumer electronics store [[Best Buy]] on [[Black Friday (shopping)|Black Friday]], 2009]]
[[File:Puerto Vallarta Radio Shack.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A [[RadioShack]] [[consumer electronics store]] of the ''Plaza Caracol'' shopping center in of [[Puerto Vallarta]], [[Jalisco]], Mexico in 2014]]

'''Consumer electronics''', also known as '''home electronics,''' are electronic devices designed for everyday use, typically in private homes. Consumer electronics include those used for [[entertainment]], [[Communication|communications]] and [[recreation]]. Historically, these products were referred to as "'''black goods"''' in American English, due to many products being housed in black or dark casings. This term is used to distinguish them from "[[white goods]]", which are meant for [[housekeeping]] tasks, such as [[Washing machine|washing machines]] and [[Refrigerator|refrigerators]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Hsu |first=Sara |date=12 February 2016 |title=In China, Black Goods Down, White Goods Up |url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/02/in-china-black-goods-down-white-goods-up/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212082159/http://thediplomat.com/2016/02/in-china-black-goods-down-white-goods-up/ |archive-date=12 February 2016 |access-date=12 July 2021 |work=The Diplomat}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Takagi |first1=Yuichiro |last2=Hanada |first2=Yukinori |last3=Iwato |first3=Hisashi |date=8 January 2020 |title=White appliance prices jump in Japan over past 10 years |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Datawatch/White-appliance-prices-jump-in-Japan-over-past-10-years |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200108074424/https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Datawatch/White-appliance-prices-jump-in-Japan-over-past-10-years |archive-date=8 January 2020 |access-date=12 July 2021 |work=Nikkei Asia}}</ref> In British English, they are often called "'''brown goods"''' by producers and sellers.<ref>{{cite web |title=brown goods |url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/brown-goods |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208105116/http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/brown-goods |archive-date=8 December 2014 |access-date=5 December 2014 |work=[[Collins English Dictionary]] |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Since the 2010s, this distinction has been absent in [[Big-box store|big box]] [[Consumer electronics store|consumer electronics stores]], whose inventories include entertainment, communication, and home office devices as well as home appliances.

[[Radio broadcasting]] in the early 20th century brought the first major consumer product, the [[radio receiver|broadcast receiver]]. Later products included [[telephone]]s, [[television]]s, [[calculator]]s, [[video game console]]s, [[mobile phone]]s, [[personal computer]]s and [[MP3 player]]s. In the 2010s, consumer electronics stores often sold [[GPS]], [[automotive electronics]] ([[vehicle audio]]), [[video game console]]s, [[electronic musical instrument]]s (e.g., [[synthesizer]] keyboards), [[karaoke]] machines, [[digital camera]]s and video players ([[VCR]]s in the 1980s and 1990s, followed by [[DVD player]]s and [[Blu-ray]] players). Stores also sold [[Lighting control system|smart light fixture]]s, [[home network|network device]]s, [[camcorder]]s, and [[smartphone]]s. Some of the modern products being sold include [[virtual reality]] goggles, [[smart device|smart home devices]] that [[Internet of things|connect to the Internet]], streaming devices, and [[wearable technology]].

In the 2010s, most consumer electronics were based on digital technologies and increasingly merged with the [[computer]] industry, in a trend often referred to as the [[consumerization]] of [[information technology]]. Some consumer electronics stores also began selling office and baby [[furniture]]. [[Consumer electronics store]]s may be physical "[[brick and mortar]]" retail stores, online stores, or combinations of both. Annual consumer electronics sales were expected to reach {{US$|2.9 trillion|long=no}} by 2020.<ref>{{cite news |title=Global Consumer Electronics Market to Reach US$ 2.9 Trillion by 2020 |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-consumer-electronics-market-to-reach-us-29-trillion-by-2020---persistence-market-research-609486755.html |access-date=11 October 2019 |work=[[PR Newswire]] |publisher=Persistence Market Research |date=3 January 2017 |archive-date=11 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011150103/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-consumer-electronics-market-to-reach-us-29-trillion-by-2020---persistence-market-research-609486755.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The sector is part of the [[electronics industry]], which is in turn driven by the [[semiconductor industry]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Annual Semiconductor Sales Increase 21.6 Percent, Top $400 Billion for First Time |url=https://www.semiconductors.org/annual-semiconductor-sales-increase-21.6-percent-top-400-billion-for-first-time/ |access-date=11 October 2019 |work=[[Semiconductor Industry Association]] |date=5 February 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130013305/https://www.semiconductors.org/annual-semiconductor-sales-increase-21.6-percent-top-400-billion-for-first-time/ |url-status=live }}</ref>