Insights + interviews
IFA and IFA NEXT taking place from 6 – 9, September, 2019 in Berlin
IFA is one of the largest and most significant trade shows globally for consumer electronics and home appliances. This year, it will also organise and host IFA NEXT for the third time.
IFA NEXT is the innovation platform of IFA and will focus on topics such as smart cities, the future of mobility, artificial intelligence, robotics and virtual reality. The event will stretch slightly longer than IFA until 11 September in Hall 26, at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.
IFA NEXT and Japan
Japan is the next Global Innovation Partner and this is the first time, a country has taken this position at IFA NEXT. They will look to showcase future technologies from the country, and present their start-ups, research facilities and innovative enterprises on the global stage.
The Japan Pavilion’s maxim is “Interface with Consideration and Sensibility”. They will share examples of new human-machine interface developed in line with inherent Japanese traits, for a society where cyberspace and physical space can become highly integrated. Japan will demonstrate a new user interface that enables society to benefit from technologies in a digital economy.
20 Japanese companies will be exhibiting their latest technologies, including a special showcase by the J-Startup programme with a selection of seven technology start-up companies.
As a primer, here are some of the industry trends being shared at IFA:
Artificial intelligence (AI)
AI will set the tone for exciting trends. Many types of devices using this technology are self-teaching and able to improve their performance in order to benefit the customer. This includes scaling images to a resolution of 8k, voice control and optimising sound.
For example, home appliances now sport AI features and functions as well, from simple tasks such as selecting the right programme on the washing machine to complex, inventory management for a home kitchen. Along with the general ‘interconnectedness’ trend, we are witnessing smarter, more versatile and higher-performance products.
Health and wellness
People continue to take a keen interest in cooking healthy meals, a healthy diet, fitness, their well-being and breathing clean air. Technologically assisted physical exercise with the aid of fitness trackers worn on the body is an example of the advancement in interconnected devices and software.
5G and 5G devices
Many exhibitors will be showing their first 5G devices at IFA. Network operators will present their infrastructure plans, prospective applications and the medium-term expectations for 5G and how consumers will benefit from extremely high bandwidth and loss-free communications.
Sustainability, energy efficiency and saving resources continue to be important criteria for users. That is where the latest home appliances are setting new standards for saving as much electricity, water and detergents as possible.
Other trends include flexible screens for TV sets, smartphones and tablets. In addition to numerous prototypes there will also be market-ready devices on show, for example a large TV set with a roll-up screen, and tablets that fold in half and then work as a smartphone.
This year, IFA 2019 will again reflect the leading trends in consumer electronics and home appliance products and solutions and related sectors. It previews products and technologies that will influence tomorrow’s lifestyle. It is also the meeting place for all the market players: industry and commerce, trade visitors and the media and naturally the wider public – those for whom ultimately these products are designed and made. With its concept of bringing everything to a single trade fair, IFA is the world’s leading platform of its kind.
Hans-Joachim Kamp, chairman of the supervisory board of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH, the organizer of IFA
