Brown goods: a fixed term for consumer electronics
With the rise of mass consumption in the 1950s, a kind of revolution took place. Instead of mechanical and manual processes, a host of technical helpers such as refrigerators, dishwashers and washing machines came onto the market.
Four terms were used for categorization:
Brown goods
All consumer electronics, such as televisions, computers or hi-fi systems, are referred to as brown goods. This is due to the often brown or wooden decorations that characterized the products of the time.
White goods
Classic kitchen appliances, such as gas or electric stoves, refrigerators or dishwashers, were basically white and the term was coined accordingly.
Red goods
Heaters or radiators were referred to as red goods because of the radiated heat.
Gray goods
Everything that can be assigned to information technology in the broadest sense is referred to as gray goods. These include telephones and other products.
So what are brown goods? In short, everything that is visually distinct from the categories shown above.
