Automakers of all types have largely aligned on touchscreen and voice control as the primary modalities for infotainment HMI. While touch-and-voice-centric HMI has achieved a majority market penetration in all major markets, China in particular spearheads voice as the primary modality in many verticals.

A rise in the use of voice controls and the increased interest in voice commands to control in-home entertainment devices increasingly will drive volumes among US broadband households, according to new research from Parks Associates. The research firm reports that over half of US broadband households find voice control of connected entertainment devices to be appealing. Voice functionality has also become an important buying consideration, with 12% of US broadband households stating it is a top feature when buying a new smart TV.“

Uptake of smart home devices continues apace and is on track to ship 137 million units in 2019, worth $16 billion in trade value, according to a new market report from Futuresource Consulting. That represents a 37% volume increase on 2018, with a slowdown in home hub sales being eclipsed by accelerating growth in other categories. And although growth remains strong, it is now tracking slightly below previous Futuresource forecasts.

New data from Juniper Research found that the number of voice assistants used to access smart home devices will reach 555 million by 2024; up from 105 million in 2019. By 2024, Juniper Research expects more than 90% of voice assistants to be used to control smart home devices; driven by increased participation from Chinese manufacturers.

The market for virtual assistants (VAs) shows strong positive momentum, driven forward by a combination of rising consumer demand and improvements in the enabling technologies. According to a new report from Futuresource Consulting, global shipments will exceed 2.3 billion units by 2023, up from a projected 1.1 billion for 2019, with a CAGR of 20% over the reporting period.

Consumer demand for TV sets is poised to return to growth in 2018, according to the latest Worldwide TV Market Report from Futuresource Consulting. The recovery of several markets linked with a transition to 4K UHD models will drive trade value up by 5 percent to $85 billion.