Audio Video News

The global audio market is being profoundly reshaped by smartphones and tablets as they become go-to devices for wirelessly streaming music, according to a new study from IHS Technology.

A shift toward on-the-go music listening, along with the increasing popularity of music streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora, is leading to increased music consumption on smartphones and tablets, according to the study.

IHS predicts that the total number of connected audio devices in use—including soundbars, wireless speakers, AV receivers, and headphones—will reach 267 million units by the end of 2018, up from 58 million units in 2014, with smartphones and tablets accounting for 83 percent of all media-enabled consumer-electronics (CE) device shipments by 2018.

“The trend toward mobile-centric consumption has driven growth in wirelessly connected listening options,” said Paul Erickson, senior analyst at IHS Technology. “With the shift to an Android-dominated mobile-device market, audio manufacturers are steadily moving away from the wired-only and Apple-only connections of old, in favor of wireless connectivity as an agnostic and consumer-friendly way to connect their products to tablets and smartphones."

The public’s conception of home audio has shifted over time from traditional component-based setups to hardware supporting direct wireless playback via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-based multiroom music systems controlled by mobile devices, a product category dominated by Sonos.

“Smartphones and tablets have fundamentally changed modern consumers’ everyday lives, including the way people buy and consume audio content,” Erickson said. “We will soon live in a world where mobile devices are the primary way consumers listen to music—not only on the go, but also in the home.”