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Half of all smart TVs sold aren’t even connected to the Internet

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 7:47PM EST
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Internet-enabled televisions have become the next big thing. LG, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung and Sharp, among others, offer TV sets with apps and Wi-Fi connectivity. Just because someone has an Internet TV, however, doesn’t mean he or she it using it. “People are buying connected TVs, but they are not all using them,” said Norm Bogen, vice president for digital entertainment at research firm NPD In-Stat. According to a survey conducted by In-Stat, only 47% of all people who own an Internet-enabled TV have it connected to the Web, reports TechNewsDaily. Among those that are connected to home networks, a majority of the TV’s features go unused. “I think that people like some aspects of smart TVs,” said Paul Gagnon, the director of DisplaySearch. “Social networking and games — those are pretty lightly used. People type on laptops and mobile devices.” Gagnon explains that televisions’ ugly and cluttered user interfaces could be the reason for the lack of enthusiasm. “They’re very, very complex and unintuitive user interfaces,” he said.

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Dan joins the BGR team as the Android Editor, covering all things relating to Google’s premiere operating system. His work has appeared on Fox News, Fox Business and Yahoo News, among other publications. When he isn’t testing the latest devices or apps, he can be found enjoying the sights and sounds of New York City.