Wearables, 4K Ultra HD, 3D print and connected home boost consumer tech sales

The trend in ‘wearable’ computing devices is beginning to have a real impact for the technology industry.

Wearable tech is becoming increasingly popular, with gadgets such as Google Glass, the Apple Watch and FitBits become modern “must-haves”.

The US-based Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) said recently that it expects consumer electronics factory sales to grow 2.4% this year in the US, to $285 billion, driven by a 100%-plus surge in emerging products such as wearable fitness trackers, 4K Ultra HD screens, 3D printers and connected home devices.

It expects sales of emerging technology products to add about $10 billion to CE revenues in 2015. Looking ahead, CEA expects industry sales to grow by 2.7% in 2016, with revenues reaching an all-time high of $228.8 billion.