Having already conquered your business and home office, computer makers and other technology companies are now taking aim at your living room.
They are about to unleash a new wave of products that could change home entertainment forever–everything from PCs made specifically to manage music and pictures to all-in-one devices designed to replace your TV, computer, DVD player and home stereo.
New products unveiled last week at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas clearly indicate that home entertainment as we know it is poised to change dramatically.
“It’s the next frontier” for some companies, said Steve Vonder Haar, whose Dallas-based Interactive Media Strategies tracks tech trends. “Getting these digital devices to a broader range of consumer lifestyle settings creates new market opportunities for hardware and software makers alike.”
How companies approach their next frontier in the coming months will help shape the future of both the computer and the home electronics industries–and perhaps change how you buy your next TV or stereo.
“We’re not just a computer company anymore. We’re a digital solutions company,” said Gui Kahl, director of digital solutions at Gateway, which has entered the home entertainment market more aggressively than any other computer maker, in part because it’s struggling more than most and badly needs new revenue sources.
Recently, Gateway began selling flat-panel plasma-screen TV sets and other home entertainment devices in its stores and over the Internet.
At the other end of the spectrum, Dell Computer Corp. also is trying to get a foothold in consumers’ living rooms, but Dell is steadfast in sticking with PCs.
Company chairman Michael Dell calls the PC the “nerve center” for home entertainment, to which everything from TVs to stereo speakers to cameras and other devices will soon be connected.
“We could certainly make a dedicated box for all of that, but in my view, all of this is ultimately just an application for the PC,” Dell said. “So why not start with that?”
