IFA 2013 wrap up – our team’s top highlights
September 13th, 2013
Berlin’s IFA consumer goods expo has wrapped up for another year, and the Appliances Online team members who attended are preparing for their return to the land downunder.
So what did they learn from their experience? Check it out:
In addition to the highlights mentioned in the above video, a few more general trends were seen to be present at the renowned international appliance showcase.
An arrangement of LED lights in Panasonic’s Cloud display
Over the course of the week-long event, the Appliances Online team saw many different appliance manufacturers developing smarter and more efficient products. Beko concentrated on delivering clever features and energy-efficiency, while LG and Panasonic were working out ways to run your entire house from your smartphone.
Sony continued to ride the wave of Ultra-HD resolution in the AV world with the development of its new 4K camera (seen above), and also presented a whole new world of immersion for entertainment with its personal 3D headset.
But as well as function, form was also on the agenda at IFA. Delonghi showed off the super-gorgeous Scultura breakfast set, and one broad trend we noticed across multiple products and brands was the proliferation of colourful appliances that really jazz up your home’s decor and style.
Laurastar’s colourful new range of steam ironing systems
While you may think that colourful appliances are a bit frivolous (if an appliance does its job properly, does its colour matter?), but alternatives to the standard white or stainless steel can really help to make a personal statement in your home and express a touch of your personality. You don’t have to be a designer to understand that a bright orange washing machine looks a lot brighter and more cheerful than one in grey or black.
At last year’s IFA, Bosch held a poll to work out the favourite colour option for their Classic range of retro-inspired fridges. While a Lime Green hue won the day, they returned this year with a whole new rainbow of colours to choose from:
Sure, that sky blue one looks all right to me, but I’d probably prefer it if they threw a bit of hot rod red in there. That’ll help the fridge keep a low profile.
As Kevin spotted on the fourth day of the expo, colour is something that many of the brands are looking at with great interest. Gorenje, a Slovenian manufacturer of top-notch whitegoods, introduced an attention-grabbing bright orange washing machine and matching dryer to its latest range of appliances:
Electrolux were also seen to have developed its next generation of vacuum cleaners and capsule coffee machines in a variety of exciting colours, allowing you to inject a dash of fun and excitement into the often monotonous tasks of vacuuming or getting your shot of “will to live” in the morning.
Laurastar’s new range of steam generator ironing stations have also been developed with the full colour spectrum in mind, complete with the kind of cute descriptive names you might find on paint samples – “Happy Purple” and “Citrus Chic” are ADORABLE.
The appliances seen at the IFA expo usually start to appear on the market over the following year, so considering the trends our team saw this year, expect to see more and more colourful appliances appearing on shop shelves and on Appliances Online over the course of the next 12 months.
If you’ve missed any of our content from IFA 2013, or just want to re-live the experience once again, check out the full playlist, starring our own Kev and Mike!
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