The US electronics industry is starting the new year with some confidence despite the corona crisis. Compared to the record year 2020, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) expects a renewed increase in sales of 4.3 percent for the US market to 461 billion US dollars. Because of the pandemic, consumers at home are particularly dependent on technology in order to cope with everyday life with work, education and entertainment.

Fast Forward This accelerated the introduction of new technologies. “The pandemic has pressed the fast-forward button in terms of the adoption of new technologies,” said CTA chief Gary Shapiro on Monday ahead of the CES. “But the road to full economic recovery is still long and linked to the complex distribution of vaccines.” The industry has proven that it can make an important contribution in times of crisis.

The technology fair organized by the CTA takes place this year – how previously many other major events too – only virtually and not in Las Vegas. Nevertheless, numerous manufacturers use the fair to present new products and current developments. Apart from classic entertainment electronics, the CES is now a trend barometer and showcase for a wide variety of industries from the automotive industry to the healthcare sector.

Some of these trends, the progress of which can usually be read off at the CES every year ( or not), got a big boost in the pandemic. “When the economy is down, the hour for innovation strikes,” says CTA research director Steve Koenig. The Corona crisis strongly fueled the use of new technologies in a wide variety of industries.

Cloud & Entertainment The crisis is driving small and medium-sized companies as well as the public sector more and more into the cloud, from which giants like Amazon and Microsoft will benefit – but their other business areas will also be strengthened. According to the CTA, major advances can also be seen and continue to be expected in the health sector. At the CES, robots can be seen that can be used for care, disinfection or delivery.

The pandemic also acts as an accelerator in entertainment: streaming platforms and computer games urgently offer them necessary distraction at home. In the US, the trend towards multiple subscriptions per household continues. For video streaming, the CTA expects 2021 an increase in sales of 15 percent to around 41 billion US dollars, in the audio segment the total volume of subscriptions grows by 19 percent to 10 billion US dollars.