• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, December 14, 2016

Every year around this time, various entities dust off their crystal balls and provide some guidance as to what they expect to occur in the next year.

The IoT forecasts for 2017 are starting to come out and one of the first takes a swing at the top 10 consumer IoT trends for next year.

As a benchmark, U.S. broadband households this year own an average of eight connected computing, entertainment or mobile devices plus another two connected home devices, according to the Parks Associates forecast report.

More than a third of consumers own a connected health device and more than 63 million subscribe to a video OTT or Internet-delivered video service.

The leading trends next year range from growth in voice control of connected objects to virtual and augmented reality growing, according to Parks Associates. Here are their top consumer IoT trends for 2017:

1. Voice control – Voice becomes the primary user interface for the smart home and connected lifestyle
2. Smartphones – The mobile devices plateau and mobile carriers experiment to retain subscribers, which will threaten fixed broadband services
3. New products – Consumer electronics manufacturers focus on new product categories and ecosystem strategies to compensate for stagnation in a mature market
4. Virtual, Augmented Reality – VR and AR gain a foothold in niche operations and greater awareness among early adopters, creating opportunities for social VR experiences
5. Internet video – The difference between on-demand and live viewing continue to blur as consumers embrace a variety of over-the-top video services
6. Car connectivity – Consumers increasingly expect connectivity in their cars but pricing, safety and data privacy concerns inhibit market growth
7. Security – The smart home industry will continue to develop new use cases for security peace of mind and energy management
8. Insurance – Insurers explore new business opportunities in smart home products and services and will continue to launch trials and new partnerships
9. Wearables – Wearables and smart watches expand as healthcare tools and will be integrated with other IoT applications
10. Healthcare – Consumerization of healthcare services and devices drives integration with smart home ecosystems and new business models

The nice part of this forecast doesn’t focus on units to be shipped but rather the direction and trends in the market.

These 10 also give an idea of what you likely are going to be hearing about regularly during the next year.

The Internet of Things is going to get bigger and bigger and bigger. One year at a time.