世論 What Japan Thinks

japan.internet.com reported on a subject that I know more about than I can tell you, that of smartphone-ready home appliances, in a survey conducted by goo Research.

Demographics

Between the 20th and 25th of September 2013 1,082 members of the goo Research online monitor panel completed a private intenet-based questionnaire. 53.7% of the sample were male, 13.7% in their teens, 15.8% in their twenties, 21.7% in their thirties, 17.1% in their forties, 14.6% in their fifties, and 17.1% aged sixty or older.

Here’s a demo from last year’s CEATEC (Japan’s biggest consumer electronics show) where Sharp showed off their take on a Roomba.

Research results

Q1: Have you heard of smartphone-ready home appliances? (Sample size=1,082)

Yes, and have, had some (to SQs)	4.1%
Yes	22.8%
No	22.0%
Don’t have a smartphone	51.1%

Q1SQ1: Which maker’s smartphone-ready home appliances do you have, have you had? (Sample size=44, multiple answer)

Panasonic	50.0%
Sharp	18.2%
Toshiba	18.2%
Sony	15.9%
Hitachi	11.4%
Mitsubishi	6.8%
NEC	6.8%
Fujitsu	4.5%
Casio	2.3%
Other	13.6%

Q1SQ2: What kinds of smartphone-ready home appliances do you have, have you had? (Sample size=44, multiple answer)

Air conditioner	34.1%
Refrigerator	22.7%
Washer/drier	13.6%
Microwave oven	11.4%
Rice cooker	9.1%
Body thermometer	9.1%
Blood pressure meter	4.5%
Cooking hob	2.3%
Other	25.0%

When asked about the attractions of smartphone-ready appliances, the top answer was the ability to remotely control them. When asked about the demerits, battery usage and electricity bill issues were high up the list. Furthermore, a few people just didn’t see the need for them.