| WindowsForDevices year-end review: Top market research reports of 2007 |
Jonathan Angel
FEBRUARY
STANDARDS DOMINATE BURGEONING COMPUTER-ON-MODULE MARKET
The rapidly-growing market for “computer-on-module” (COM) embedded boards increasingly is dominated by several “major” open standard formats, Venture Development Corp (VDC) reports. Open, standardized architectures such as ETX and COM Express are perceived as offering greater flexibility and capability than the proprietary formats that launched the COM market. Details
EMBEDDED SYSTEMS MARKET TO REACH $6 BILLION BY 2010
The market for outsourced standard or customized “embedded integrated computer systems” (EICS) will grow 64 percent from 2005 to 2010, to nearly $6 billion, fueled by standards like AdvancedTCA, VME, and CompactPCI, VDC forecasts. The finding comes from VDC’s latest analysis of EICS shipments in six vertical markets. Details
MARCH
WINDOWS EMBEDDED GREW MORE THAN 200% IN 2006 RETAIL MARKET
Windows XP Embedded shipments to North American retailers grew by 242 percent in 2006, while WEPOS (Windows Embedded for Point of Service) shipments grew 80 by percent, according to a new report from IHL Consulting Group. Last year’s Windows Embedded growth trends are expected to increase even further this year. Details
CONVERGED MOBILE DEVICE MARKET GREW ROBUSTLY IN 2006
The worldwide market for “converged mobile devices” topped 80 million units in 2006, up an impressive 42 percent over 2005 shipments, according to a new study from IDC. In the fourth quarter, vendors shipped a total of 23.5 million devices, 33.5 percent more than the same quarter a year ago. Details
APRIL
WIMAX PREFERRED OVER WIFI OR CELLULAR DATA
A new report from In-Stat, based on a survey of over 1200 respondents, reveals that U.S. Users prefer WiMAX over cellular data or WiFi services by a significant margin. The survey also showed that respondents’ interest in cellular data decreased dramatically when they were presented with the associated price tag. Details
DEVICE SOFTWARE MARKET GROWING, GLOBALIZING, CONSOLIDATING
Embedded is among several “hotspot” software development markets, along with open source, network security, digital content, and outsourcing, according to a new report from CCID Consulting. The market for device software is growing, becoming globalized, and developing specialized supply lines, the Hong Kong-based Chinese market research firm said. Details
MAY
UNCONNECTED HANDHELDS FADE AWAY, DELL QUITS
Sales of unconnected handheld devices continue to plummet as users show increased interest in converged mobile devices and other consumer electronics devices, according to the latest quarterly report from IDC. Underscoring the dismal market outlook, leading vendor Dell is exiting the market. Details
PROCESSOR BRANDING IS CONFUSING, ANALYST SAYS
Recent processor branding efforts by major semiconductor vendors such as Intel and AMD have failed, according to a new report from In-Stat. The study showed, among other things, that product brands are often identified with the wrong manufacturer, In-Stat said. Details
JUNE
ANALYST PEGS ENTERPRISE SMARTPHONE MARKET AT 20 MILLION
The handheld “mobile office” market will cease to be a significant driver of “mobile deployment activity” within two years, the 451 Group predicts. Contrary to other analysts, 451 sizes the enterprise market for smartphones and other “converged” mobile devices at around 20 million units, and believes it will remain small. Details
JULY
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS VS. PLANET EARTH
Computers, television, and other consumer electronics will soak up nearly half of the electricity used in British homes by 2020, a recently released report says. According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST), this will overtake lighting and refrigeration, previously the largest domestic power drain. Details
FRAGMENTATION EXPECTED TO SLOW MOBILE VIDEO GROWTH
Mobile Video Services combining cell phones, broadcasting, pay-TV, satellites, and the Internet are a “hot topic with great potential,” but the market is “very complicated, and will take quite a few more years to completely sort itself out,” according to a new report from In-Stat. Details
AUGUST
DRM IS HERE TO STAY, ANALYSTS SAY
Despite the recent announcement of “DRM-free” music tracks by Apple and Amazon.com, Digital Rights Management (DRM) is not about to go away. At least, that’s the main conclusion of a report, “Digital Rights Management Update,” made available this week by the market research firm In-Stat. Details
SEPTEMBER
4G WIRELESS? DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH!
What will “4G” (fourth generation) wireless technology be? No one quite knows yet, and it will take three or four years to deploy, according to a new report by research firm In-Stat. Details
EMBEDDED OS VENDORS THRIVE DESPITE LINUX
The overall market for embedded operating systems increased more than 20 percent in 2006, according to a new study of the global marketplace by Venture Development Corp. (VDC). However, operating system suppliers are under increasing pressure from Linux, the research firm says. Details
OCTOBER
CHINA’S EMBEDDED SOFTWARE ECOSYSTEM LAGS, REPORT SAYS
CCID Consulting, which claims to be one of China’s leading market research providers, has released a report and forecast on the state of the country’s embedded software industry. While the sector is growing rapidly, it still represents a minuscule portion of the nation’s overall software industry. Details
APPLICATION PROCESSORS A VANISHING SPECIES?
ABI Research is forecasting that standalone baseband processors are set to become a thing of the past in the wireless handset market. Instead, says the firm, they’ll be replaced by SoCs (system-on-chip processors) that integrate a baseband processor with a “multimedia-rich” application processor. Details
NOVEMBER
REPORTS FORECAST GPS PROLIFERATION
Low-cost GPS chipsets will increasingly be integrated into mobile devices, according to reports just released by two major market research firms. While apparently disagreeing on the exact numbers, both ABI Research and In-Stat forecast extremely strong growth between now and 2011. Details
DECEMBER
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