Over two billion people will be using their smartphones and tablets to watch TV and video by the year 2017, said a report.

The continuing rise of portable devices like smartphones, tablets and multimedia players has driven up the demand for audio accessories such as ‘wireless personal audio devices’ in the Middle East region, said harman house, a leading infotainment retail chain, which is in line with the report by Juniper Research, a leading telecom research firm.

Harman house also revealed that the demand has ushered in a 400 per cent sales increase in ‘wireless personal audio devices’ within the Middle East over the last few months.

The Juniper report shares that the predicted increase is due to the growing popularity of short and easily shared video clips and the increased global uptake of connected devices with faster processors and better displays.

In addition, the integration of streaming devices with social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube have also helped drive up viewership.

According to senior executives, consumers today have demonstrated a shift from wired connectivity to docking and bluetooth based devices.

The JBL ‘Flip’ Bluetooth wireless stereo system is one of harman house’s best sellers, selling close to 300 units per day over the last few months, said a statement.

To address the demand increase, harman house opened three new stores in Qatar and one new showroom in Oman recently.

“The growing preference for high performance headphones, docking stations and portable speakers, all boils down to multi-functionality. The emergence of mobile technology has helped reposition them as essential accessories,” said Amit Malani, president, Harman Middle East.

“And because it represents many functions and good quality sound, consumers today are now willing to make an informed buying decision to spend on an audio device, which they not only use for listening to music but also for watching movies, videos and for gaming as well,” he said.

Harman house is also currently offering the harman/kardon headphones and the JBL J series as their main highlights. - TradeArabia News Service