Devices that make up the digital home, such as digital video recorders, high-definition televisions (HDTVs), and home networks will be the consumer technologies that grow the fastest over the next five years, according to the 10th annual guide to consumers' technology adoption and attitudes by Forrester Research. "The State Of Consumers And Technology: Benchmark 2007" is based on the responses of more than 58,000 consumers in the US and Canada, and is the second-largest survey in the world after the US Census regarding consumers and technology.

The Forrester report includes a five-year forecast for 15 consumer technologies. Among the highlights:

• Adoption of digital video recorders (DVRs), which were in only 21 million US households at the end of last year, will more than triple to be in more than 69 million households by 2012.
• Home networks, in use by nearly 21 million households in 2006, will be in more than 58 million households by 2012.
• Big price drops drove HDTVs into an additional 7.3 million households in the past year, and by the end of this year, more than 36 million households will have an HDTV, eventually growing to more than 69 million households in 2012.
• Adoption of camera phones will continue its torrid pace, jumping from 41.6 million households at the end of 2006 to nearly 97 million households in 2012.
• Despite the introduction of a new generation of video game consoles, growth in consoles will remain flat, inching up just 14 percent over the next five years.
• Growth of MP3 players will slow as more consumers choose to access their music via mobile phones. The number of households with standalone MP3 devices will go from just over 40 million at the end of this year to 48.4 million in 2012.

"This report identifies which consumer technologies are shifting from the early adopter phase to widespread use by mainstream consumers," said Forrester Research Principal Analyst Charles S. Golvin. "It demonstrates that the technology industry's vision for the digital home is on the cusp of becoming reality."

The forecast for consumer technology adoption is only one part of the benchmark survey, which also includes detailed data about consumers' current use of — and attitudes toward — Social Computing and other online activities across media, financial services, retail, travel, telecom, healthcare, and eGovernment. More than 380 brands are part of the survey.

"By leveraging Forrester's Consumer Technographics® segmentation over the past 10 years, we've been able to trend critical consumer activities to see the history and forecast the future," said Golvin. "The benchmark has proven to be an invaluable tool for market researchers helping guide their companies' technology strategies."

The report, "The State Of Consumers And Technology: Benchmark 2007," is currently available to Forrester RoleView™ clients and can also be purchased directly at www.forrester.com/go?docid=42869


Forrester Research is an independent technology and market research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice to global leaders in business and technology. For more than 24 years, Forrester has been making leaders successful every day through its proprietary research, consulting, events, and peer-to-peer executive programs. For more information, visit www.forrester.com.