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April 26, 2007 1:27 PM PDT

Study: U.S. adults spend $1,200 a year on electronics

by Erica Ogg

News flash: Americans have money to throw around. And we like to spend it on shiny, new gadgets.

The Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group representing electronics companies, released a study Thursday that shows the average American adult spends $1,200 on electronic gizmos each year. The result is that the average U.S. household has about 25 consumer electronics products each.

Though we're still snatching up CE mainstays like cell phones and cameras, the top growth sectors in the industry are digital video recorders, network routers, MP3 players and cable modems, according to the study. So, though it's long been predicted we'd be living in totally wired homes, the increasing popularity of DVRs and routers indicate we may finally be on our way.

The study also found that teens spend $350 a year on gadgets, roughly half of their discretionary money, and adults with teens living in the home, spend $500 more than the national average of $1,200.

Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica.
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