IMS: RF remotes to constitute 18% of all total remote control devices by 2018

IMS Research reports approximately 450 million RF remote controls will ship between 2013 and 2018, with the percentage of RF remotes reaching up to 18 percent of all such devices by 2018. Further findings and analysis on RF remote controls released by IMS are: Incorporating RF into remotes can add a range of functionality not enabled by today’s incumbent infrared technology. This can include non-line-of-sight control, voice control, gesture control, touch control and motion detection. Such new features, in turn, will be key drivers for device manufacturers aiming to create a richer control environment for the consumer, especially with the growing uptake of interactive Smart TVs. “With Smart TVs finding their way into more and more homes, advances are taking place in how consumers control these devices. And increasingly, RF technology is being integrated into the remote controls of consumer electronic devices to enable a range of advanced functions,” said Philip Maddocks, analyst for Connectivity at IHS. RF-based remote controls will also feature technologies like Bluetooth Smart, ZigBee RF4CE, or low-power Wi-Fi, added Maddocks. The uptake of RF remotes with these technologies will increase over the coming years, driven by device manufacturers that want to extend control functionality and allow them to take advantage of purpose-made RF remote controls—and in some in...