Wi-Fi Homes Fuel Digital Entertainment Boom

Analysts expect 64 million Wi-Fi systems to be sold in 2004 (up from 24 million in 2002), with growth expected to surge among home users. The home wireless market is projected to reach 28 million in 2008 (up from 8.7 million households in 2004). Wi-Fi households represent a demographic segment of young, affluent, tech-savvy, early-adopter consumers with an interest in mobile devices, entertainment, and digital content. Consumers aged 25 to 34 make up 27% of home Wi-Fi users (they account for 22% of the total online population). Consumers with income of $60K to $99K represent 49% of home Wi-Fi users (compared to 32% of the total online population). 79% of Wi-Fi homes favor wireless access in the living room, 42% in a child’s bedroom, 37% in the master bedroom, and 22% in the kitchen. Online media outlets such as ESPN.com and Yahoo haved added features targeting users who are surfing the Web while watching TV, while Allrecipes.com and Epicurious are offering content for cooks who bring their laptops into the kitchen. 97% of home Wi-Fi users regularly carry portable digital entertainment players, and 77% want to integrate such devices with their PC’s for streaming music (29%) and TV (25%). 78% plan to buy digital home entertainment products in the coming year.