Watch for the “Black Friday” deals.
(Search “black Friday” on FR for some of the past threads.)
BTW: I always post a BF thread near the beginning of November. (The BF web sites start to post the Thanksgiving bargains around the end of October, beginning of November).
PINGING THE HDTV LIST
http://www.tvpredictions.com/buytv083111.htm
Why TV Makers WERE ‘Arrogant Bastards’
Washington, D.C. (August 31, 2011) — Research firm IHS iSuppli has issued a report saying only 13 percent of U.S. consumers who didn’t purchase a TV in the second quarter planned to buy one in the next three to 12 months.
The number of likely buyers fell from 32 percent in the first quarter. Even worse news for TV makers, IHS iSuppli found that 83 percent of survey respondents said they did not plan to buy a new TV in the next 12 months.
The research firm said the intent to buy is the lowest since it began asking these questions in 2010.
“The findings suggest a growing willingness among U.S. consumers to suspend — if not totally abandon — their ongoing love affair with the television, the primary entertainment device for many American households,” said IHS iSuppli analyst Riddhi Patel. “A sort of wait-and-see attitude has taken hold — whether it is waiting for the economy to improve, or for television prices to fall some more, or for the arrival of better deals that combine both reduced prices and high-end TV features.”
iSuppli said consumers who are looking to buy a new TV are most influenced by picture quality, price and screen size. New TV features such as 3D and Internet access were not considered important in luring potential buyers to the store.
The research firm surveyed 45,000 U.S. households.
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Swanni Sez:
Commentary
If the iSuppli numbers accurately represent reality, TV makers should not be too surprised. They are responsible for creating this problem.
Why?
3D TV.
The idiot TV makers spent an enormous amount of time and money from 2010 to early 2011 trying to get people to buy a television they didn’t want in the first place. Consumers were turned off by 3D TVs from the start, but the TV makers kept pushing them in commercials and retail displays.
Consequently, people who normally might be in the market for a new set didn’t like what they were hearing regarding new models. Instead of being told the new sets would deliver the best picture they ever saw, they were told they would have to buy a set of 3D goggles and watch 3D programming that might make them sick!
No wonder people are not planning to buy a new TV!
To make matters worse, the TV makers have tried to peddle these ridiculous 3D sets with the economy sagging and most people already owning relatively new TVs because they just bought one to be ready for the 2009 Digital TV Transition.
Foolish. Foolish. Foolish.
In January 2010, I called the TV makers “arrogant bastards” for thinking they could sell 3D TVs in this environment. With 3D TV sales numbers dropping even lower in 2011 compared to 2010’s disappointing debut — and now the iSuppli study saying people are less interested in buying any new TV — I believe my “arrogant bastards” characterization was quite apt.
The TV makers need to admit defeat, dump 3D, and start giving consumers what they really want:
A better picture!