Winston Chai, Business Times 8 Jan 09;
IN these penny-pinching times, gadget makers are set to go bigger on eco-friendly products that promise to go easy on both the environment as well as the consumer's wallet.
Industry players widely expect consumers to rein in their spending on technology gizmos amid looming fears of more retrenchments and wage cuts.
'We expect a shift in consumer mindset away from high-priced, high-premium goods and services, and towards products that make a lot of sense price-performance- wise,' said Woody Nam, president and CEO of LG Electronics Asia.
But Joe O'Sullivan, chief operating officer of InFocus Corporation, cautioned: 'The kneejerk reaction to a tight economic situation is to buy cheap solutions. While this is a valid option in some circumstances, it's not always the case when investing in IT.'
With belt-tightening being top- of-mind, the nascent eco-friendly technology movement is set to gather more steam in the coming months as consumers place greater emphasis on green products that could be more cost-effective to maintain in the long run.
This trend is one of the key themes taking centre stage at the annual CES technology tradeshow in Las Vegas this week, an event often viewed as the harbinger of consumer technology advancements for the year ahead.
Motorola, for example, showcased the world's first carbon neutral handset that is made out of recycled plastic materials. Energy-efficient televisions, solar-powered gadgets and electric vehicles are among the other products that are taking the spotlight at this year's show with eco-friendliness becoming the new industry buzzword.
'With high energy prices, better environmental awareness and more conservatively spending consumers, the adoption of green and energy-saving technologies in consumer electronic products will be a key trend.
'In 2009 and beyond, consumers will expect their electrical appliances, TV units, air-cons and other products to incorporate some element of energy efficiency and environmental-friendliness,' said LG's Mr Nam.
