Consumer articles

M.2 Connectors for Sleek Smart Home Electronics

Due to the especially personal nature of homes, smart home electronics must be user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and as subtle as possible. The new M.2 connector is designed for use with a wider range of module widths and lengths, and especially smaller computer expansion cards that operate at faster transfer speeds.   Intelligent devices are explodingRead More

The Robots in Your Future

Today we see all types of robotic devices that do everything from vacuum your floors to clean up nuclear waste. Originally focused on industrial and hazardous applications, robots are now appearing in warehouses, hospitals, and even the home. The concept of automated devices that extend human capabilities has sparked the imagination of people for manyRead More

What’s Wrong with Apple?

Currency fluctuation and the cooling of China’s economy notwithstanding, Apple’s predicament is a reflection of tough times across the board in the mobile phone industry.   To industry pundits and casual observers, it came as a shock earlier this year when Apple projected that growth for its iPhone sales would hit the slowest pace since 2007,Read More

iPad Pro’s Smart Connector Changes How We Communicate

Once again, Apple is changing the way we communicate. The new Smart Connector, launched in the iPad Pro last November, utilizes two-way conductive communication that creates an instant connection.   Apple’s recently released iPad Pro is changing (once again) how we communicate. The built-in 12.9-inch Retina display is not the big news. The real excitementRead More

Top 10 Connector Suppliers in the Consumer Market

Out of the top 100 companies, Molex is the top supplier of connectors to the consumer market.   The worldwide demand for connectors in the consumer market was $2.9 billion in 2014. China and Asia Pacific consumed 68% of those connectors by dollar volume. China’s connector consumption was just slightly higher than Asia Pacific’s consumptionRead More

Emerging Technology: Human-Machine Interfaces

As the Internet of Things starts to take hold, how do people engage and interact with the plethora of new connected devices? ABI Research shares an infographic that maps out the significance of current trends in human-machine interface technology.   Machines and computing solutions are increasingly prevalent in our surroundings. People need to interact withRead More

Kycon Vertical-Mount Micro USB Type-B Connector

The Kycon vertical-mount micro USB Type-B connector expands the supplier’s USB series with a design solution for applications with limited board space.  Kycon has expanded its USB series with a vertical-mount micro USB Type-B connector to increase versatility. The vertical-mounting option offers a design solution for applications where board space is a concern. The KMMVX-SMT series comes standardRead More

Configurable Connectors in Mobile Electronics

Today’s market for mobile electronics requires both innovation and very rapid product development cycles. Configurable connectors in mobile electronics may be the answer.     Today’s market for mobile electronics products is fiercely competitive. Product success requires not only creativity and innovation but also an ability to execute very rapid product development cycles. In manyRead More

Convergence of Smart Computing Device Markets

Once distinct markets, wearables, smartphones, and tablets are merging into one product segment. What does the future hold for these devices and related technologies?      The smart computing device market includes wearables, smartphones, tablets, and laptops. One can define this segment as a market because these previously distinct product areas are converging – andRead More

Tech Meets Fashion at TE’s Wearables Lab

As consumers try to warm up to Google Glass, Apple’s iWatch, and their Fitbit wristbands, TE unveils its latest “collection”: A Silicon Valley-based incubator team to enable the next generation of wearable devices.   Nicholas Langston, Jr., insists he’s the luckiest guy you’ll ever meet. Langston heads up TE Connectivity’s Wearables Lab in Menlo Park, Calif.,Read More

Interconnect Technologies for Medical and Fitness Wearables

Building on the success of smartphones and other mobile consumer devices, medical device manufacturers continue to improve on portable and wearable monitoring devices. What does this mean for interconnect designs?   Designed to be worn on the body or attached to clothing, wearable electronic devices, also known as wearables, integrate biosensors that detect physiological markers. HealthcareRead More

Wireless Connectivity Cuts the Cord

Technology disrupters or paradigm shifts often pose serious threats to existing technology, but also open entirely new opportunities to those that recognize and espouse them. Bob Hult examines the drivers and the results when wireless connectivity cuts the cord.   Progress in just about every field of human endeavor tends to advance at a measuredRead More

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