{{short description|Industry that focuses in the electronics production}} [[File:Electronics factory in Shenzhen.jpg|right|thumb|Workers in an electronics factory in Shenzhen, China]] The '''electronics industry''' is the industry that produces electronic devices. It emerged in the 20th century and is today one of the largest global industries. Contemporary society uses a vast array of electronic devices, including the consumer electronics and home appliances most people are familiar with. The electronics industry builds electronics in factories automated in turn by many different kinds of electronic devices.
Electronic products today are primarily assembled from metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) transistors and integrated circuits, the latter principally by photolithography and often on printed circuit boards.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}
Circuit boards are assembled largely using surface-mount technology, which typically involves the automated placement of electronic parts on circuit boards using pick-and-place machines. Surface-mount technology and pick-and-place robots make it possible to assemble large numbers of circuit boards at high speed.
The industry's size, the use of toxic materials, and the difficulty of recycling have led to a series of problems with electronic waste. International regulation and environmental legislation have been developed to address the issues.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}
The electronics industry consists of various branches. The central driving force behind the entire electronics industry is the semiconductor industry,<ref>{{cite news |title=Annual Semiconductor Sales Increase 21.6 Percent, Top $400 Billion for First Time |url=https://www.semiconductors.org/annual-semiconductor-sales-increase-21.6-percent-top-400-billion-for-first-time/ |access-date=11 October 2019 |work=Semiconductor Industry Association |date=5 February 2018}}</ref> which has annual sales of over {{US$|481 billion|long=no}} as of 2018.<ref name="deloitte"/>
== History == {{Main|History of electronic engineering}}
The electric power industry began in the 19th century, which led to the development of inventions such as gramaphones, radio transmitters and receivers, and television. The vacuum tube was used for early electronic devices, before later being largely supplanted by semiconductor components as the fundamental technology of the industry.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/exar-corp-history/|title=International Directory of Company Histories|publisher=St. James Press|year=1996|volume=14|via=FundingUniverse}}</ref>
The first working transistor, a point-contact transistor, was invented by John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain at Bell Laboratories in 1947, which led to significant research in the field of solid-state semiconductors during the 1950s.<ref name="Manuel">{{Cite book|title= The information age : economy, society and culture|last= Manuel|first= Castells |date= 1996|publisher= Blackwell|isbn= 978-0631215943|location= Oxford|oclc= 43092627}}</ref> This led to the emergence of the home entertainment consumer electronics industry starting in the 1950s, largely due to the efforts of Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (now Sony) in successfully commercializing transistor technology for a mass market, with affordable transistor radios and then transistorized television sets.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hagiwara |first1=Yoshiaki |chapter=Microelectronics for Home Entertainment |editor-last1=Oklobdzija |editor-first1=Vojin G. |title=The Computer Engineering Handbook |date=2001 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-8493-0885-7 |page=41-1 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=38Aj3CjHgc8C&pg=SA41-PA1}}</ref>
The industry employs large numbers of electronics engineers and electronics technicians to design, develop, test, manufacture, install, and repair electrical and electronic equipment such as communication equipment, medical monitoring devices, navigational equipment, and computers. Common parts manufactured are connectors, system components, cell systems, and computer accessories, and these are made of alloy steel, copper, brass, stainless steel, plastic, steel tubing, and other materials.<ref>"[http://www.bracalente.com/markets/ Industries and Markets] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412095648/https://www.bracalente.com/markets |date=2020-04-12 }}", Bracalente Manufacturing Group, Retrieved April 26, 2016.</ref><ref>"[https://www.kingtoptec.com/mifis 5g mifi supplier]", Kingtop mobile hotspots, Retrieved April 26, 2016.</ref>
== Consumer electronics == {{Main|Consumer electronics}}
Consumer electronics (or '''consumer-grade''') are products intended for everyday use, most often in entertainment, communications and office productivity. Radio broadcasting in the early 20th century brought the first major consumer product, the broadcast receiver. Later products include personal computers, telephones, MP3 players, cell phones, smart phones, audio equipment, televisions, calculators, GPS automotive electronics, digital cameras and players and recorders using video media such as DVDs, VCRs or camcorders. Increasingly these products have become based on digital technologies, and have largely merged with the computer industry in what is increasingly referred to as the consumerization of information technology.
The CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) projected the value of annual consumer electronics sales in the United States to be over {{US$|170 billion|long=no}} in 2008.<ref>{{Citation |title = CEA: Industry Statistics |url = http://www.ce.org/Research/Sales_Stats/275.asp |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090421040536/http://www.ce.org/Research/Sales_Stats/275.asp |archive-date = 2009-04-21}}</ref> Global annual consumer electronic sales are expected to reach {{US$|2.9 trillion|long=no}} by 2020.<ref name="prnewswire"/>
== Professional electronics == Professional electronics (also known as '''industry electronics''', '''professional-grade''' or '''professional-oriented''') are devices focused on the users with high exigency of technology and hardware equipment. In such cases, technology may be more advanced than currently available for consumer electronics on the market. Professional electronics are more durable than consumer devices because of the focus on high functionality and less on design or visual aspect.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://oxeltech.de/consumer-and-industrial-electronics-standards/#Industrial_Electronics|title=Consumer Electronics, Industrial Electronics and Industrial Standards |date=April 2022 }}</ref>
These equipment have less promotional marketing/visibility and focus on technical consumers such as companies. Furthermore, its technical specification is higher specification than consumer specifications.
== Medical electronics == {{Empty section|date=December 2025}}
== Military electronics == {{Empty section|date=December 2025}}
== Manufacturing == {{Empty section|date=March 2023}}
== Effects on the environment == Electrical waste contains hazardous, valuable, and scarce materials, and up to 60 elements can be found in complex electronics. The United States and China are the world leaders in producing electronic waste, each tossing away about 3 million tons each year.<ref name="unep.org">{{cite web|url=https://unu.edu/media-relations/releases/urgent-need-to-prepare-developing-countries-for-surge-in-e-wastes-un.html|title=Urgent need to prepare developing countries for surges in E-Waste|access-date=2019-02-05|archive-date=2023-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306064727/https://unu.edu/media-relations/releases/urgent-need-to-prepare-developing-countries-for-surge-in-e-wastes-un.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> China also remains a major e-waste dumping ground for developed countries.<ref name="unep.org"/> The UNEP estimate that the amount of e-waste being produced – including mobile phones and computers – could rise by as much as 500 percent over the next decade in some developing countries, such as India.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Section| first = United Nations News Service| title = As e-waste mountains soar, UN urges smart technologies to protect health| work = United Nations-DPI/NMD - UN News Service Section| access-date = 2012-03-12| date = 2010-02-22| url = https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33845&Cr=waste&Cr1}}</ref> {{Further|Electronic waste}}
Increasing environmental awareness has led to changes in electronics design to reduce or eliminate toxic materials and reduce energy consumption. The Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) were released by the European Commission in 2002.
== Largest electronics industry sectors == {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Industry sector ! data-sort-type="currency" | Annual revenue ! data-sort-type="number" | Year ! {{Abbr|Ref|Reference}} |- |Tech industry (high tech) |align="right" | {{US$|{{#expr:5000000000000/1.04 round -11}}|long=no}} |2018 |<ref>{{cite web |title=IT Industry Outlook 2019 |url=https://www.comptia.org/content/research/it-industry-trends-analysis |publisher=CompTIA |access-date=11 October 2019 |date=January 2019}}</ref> |- |Mobile technology |align="right" | $3,900,000,000,000 |2018 |<ref>{{cite web |title=The Mobile Economy |url=https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/research/?file=b9a6e6202ee1d5f787cfebb95d3639c5&download |publisher=GSMA Intelligence |year=2019 |access-date=14 October 2019 |archive-date=24 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024155800/https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/research/?file=b9a6e6202ee1d5f787cfebb95d3639c5&download |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- |Consumer electronics |align="right" | $1,712,900,000,000 |2016 |<ref name="prnewswire">{{cite news |title=Global Consumer Electronics Market to Reach US$ 2.9 Trillion by 2020 - Persistence Market Research |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-consumer-electronics-market-to-reach-us-29-trillion-by-2020---persistence-market-research-609486755.html |access-date=11 October 2019 |work=PR Newswire |publisher=Persistence Market Research |date=3 January 2017}}</ref> |- |Semiconductor industry |align="right" | $481,000,000,000 |2018 |<ref name="deloitte">{{cite web |title=Semiconductors – the Next Wave |url=https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/tw/Documents/technology-media-telecommunications/tw-semiconductor-report-EN.pdf |publisher=Deloitte |date=April 2019 |access-date=11 October 2019}}</ref> |- |Television broadcasting services |align="right" | $407,700,000,000 |2017 |<ref>{{cite news |title=Global Television Broadcasting Services Market Worth US$ 753.1 Billion With Key Industry Players A&E Television, BBC, CBS Interactive, CANAL+, AT&T, Channel 4, RTL Group, CenturyLink, 21st Century Fox |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/global-television-broadcasting-services-market-worth-us-7531-billion-with-key-industry-players-ae-television-bbc-cbs-interactive-canal-att-channel-4-rtl-group-centurylink-21st-century-fox-2019-02-14 |access-date=14 October 2019 |work=MarketWatch |date=February 14, 2019 |archive-date=2019-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014175156/https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/global-television-broadcasting-services-market-worth-us-7531-billion-with-key-industry-players-ae-television-bbc-cbs-interactive-canal-att-channel-4-rtl-group-centurylink-21st-century-fox-2019-02-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- |Power electronics |align="right" | {{US$|{{#expr:{{To USD|135|GBR|year=2011|round=yes}}*1000000000}}|long=no}} |2011 |<ref>{{cite web |title=Power Electronics: A Strategy for Success |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/31795/11-1073-power-electronics-strategy-for-success.pdf |website=Government of the United Kingdom |publisher=Department for Business, Innovation and Skills |date=October 2011 |access-date=11 October 2019 |quote=Power Electronics is a £135{{nbsp}}billion direct global market}}</ref> |- |TFT liquid-crystal displays (TFT LCD) |align="right" | $141,000,000,000 |2017 |<ref>{{cite web |title=TFT-LCD Market Size, Share, Growth and Global Forecast to 2023 |url=https://www.researchcosmos.com/reports/tft-lcd-market-report-2021-market-size-share-trends-insights-and-opportunities/1081194 |website=Research Cosmos |publisher=BIS Report Consulting |date=December 2017 |access-date=15 October 2019 |archive-date=31 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731022047/https://www.researchcosmos.com/reports/tft-lcd-market-report-2021-market-size-share-trends-insights-and-opportunities/1081194 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- |Video games |align="right" | $137,900,000,000 |2018 |<ref>{{cite news |title=Global Games Market Revenues 2018 |url=https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/global-games-market-reaches-137-9-billion-in-2018-mobile-games-take-half/ |access-date=14 October 2019 |work=Newzoo |date=30 April 2019}}</ref> |- |Home video film industry |align="right" | $55,700,000,000 |2018 |<ref>{{cite news |last1=America |first1=Motion Picture Association of |title=New Report: Global Theatrical and Home Entertainment Market Reached $96.8 Billion in 2018 |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-report-global-theatrical-and-home-entertainment-market-reached-96-8-billion-in-2018--300816448.html |access-date=14 October 2019 |work=PR Newswire |date=March 21, 2019}}</ref> |}
== See also ==
{{columns-list|
* Electronic engineering * Electronics * Microelectronics * MOSFET * Nanoelectronics * Power electronics * Semiconductor * Silicon * Technology * Patton Electronics * Power user * Prosumer
}}
== Notes == {{Notelist|30em}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * [http://www.jedec.org/ Joint Electron Device Engineering Council] (JEDEC) * [http://www.eicc.info/ Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition] * [http://mhssn.igc.org/EHSToday-Sept09_GBrown.pdf Global Electronics Industry: Poster Child of 21st Century Sweatshops and Despoiler of the Environment?], Garrett Brown
{{Authority control}} {{World topic|prefix=Electronics industry in|title=Electronics industry by country|noredlinks=yes}} {{Industries}}
Category:Electronics industry Category:20th-century introductions Category:Industries (economics)