Consumer electronics run from the truly essential to the truly whimsical in nature. While cell phones and personal computers are the very essence of how many people earn a living, video game consoles and portable audio players are straight up entertainment devices.



There are twenty form factors covered by In-Stat in "It?s All in the Eye of the Consumer: 2005 Consumer Electronics Roll-up." The top three devices, in terms of Combined Average Growth Rate (CAGR) in the forecast period, are portable digital audio players at 57.0% growth, LCD televisions at 52.3% growth, and DVD recorders at 51.4% CAGR.



With the good comes the bad. Convergence rings a death knell for several traditional consumer electronics. Analog televisions are being squeezed out by digital televisions (a ?15.3% CAGR for 2003-2009) and fax machines

(a ?13.9% CAGR for 2003-2009) find their functionality consumed by multi-function peripherals.



This report has expanded the scope of coverage from the traditionally strict definitions of consumer devices to a more broad characterization of electronic devices that "live" in a consumer's world. In-Stat classifies consumer electronics into four subcategories: Computer Centric, Personal Communications, Home Media Devices, and Luxury Items. The regional breakouts are North America, Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World.