Although all the publicity seems to be grabbed by the big names in the PC and comms industries, it will be companies in the consumer electronics industry who end up dominating the connected home, according to the research and consultancy firm Strategy Analytics.
This verdict comes from its latest report, Connected Home Leaderboard: A Strategic Assessment of Leading CE, PC and Mobile Companies, in which "the world's top 11 consumer technology firms" are ranked according to their performance and potential in marketing, consumer targeting, R&D, technology leadership, channel "co-operation" (working successfully with resellers and distributors) and product portfolio.
In Strategy Analytics' view, the two most likely to succeed are Sony and Samsung - Panasonic was the ugly duckling from consumer electronics. The eight likely also-rans from the world of computers and telecoms were Apple, Cisco, Dell, HP, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola and Nokia.
HP and Dell, the report reckons, "exhibit significant weaknesses, such as limited proprietary technology ownership and inability to penetrate emerging device segments". Cisco, it says, "has yet to demonstrate successful consolidation of its acquisitions, and must continue to strengthen its consumer positioning, particularly in non-US markets" and Motorola "has also failed to develop significant synergies between its mobile and connected home divisions".
So, who would you put your money on - or not bet against? Let us know in this thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle.news forum.
