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Monday, 15 October 2007 |
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PAN technology shipments to hit 800 million this year but the times they are a-changing…
According to the eighth edition of the annual Bluetooth technology report published by IMS Research the Bluetooth wireless market has had another astounding year; worldwide Bluetooth-enabled end-equipment shipments are forecast to increase by over 40% from 2006 to 2007, to around 800mn units. “This mainstream technology has continued to grab the headlines, despite other technologies such as GPS and WiMAX demanding the attention of the wireless industry,” asserts Fiona Thomson, senior market research analyst with IMS Research.
The annual number of Bluetooth-enabled cellular handsets shipped is anticipated to surpass the 500mn unit mark for the first time ever in 2007. Meanwhile, the market for mono headsets continues to thrive, and the market for stereo headsets, although it experienced a couple of false starts, is starting to show promise. The worldwide figures are still low for stereo headsets for a number of reasons, including consumer acceptance, stereo headset design/price, and the fact that the other end of the equation (that is Bluetooth-enabled personal media players and A2DP-enabled phones) are yet to make a real impact on the market. Once the three of these happen, and IMS Research believes they will over the next 12 to 18 months, then the company expects the stereo headset market to really take off. There is likely to be a big push at the end of 2007 and in 2008 but ‘considerable’ worldwide volume won't be reached until 2009 and beyond.
But the times they are a-changing. IMS says that caution should be exercised over the ultimate attach rates of Bluetooth technology in the total cellular handset market. The reasoning is that as cellular handsets become more prevalent in less affluent markets, there is a growing demand for low-cost handsets that have only basic functionality. In this particular segment it is probable, calculates IMS, many handsets will not be enabled by Bluetooth technology, and hence the ultimate attach rate of 90% of all handsets globally, which suppliers initially anticipated, is unlikely to be attained.
Meantime, according to IMS, over the last 18 months, the Bluetooth portfolio has evolved from what is generally considered ‘core’ Bluetooth technology to include a high speed version, and an ultra low power version (formerly Wibree). These changes are seen by many as revolutionary rather than evolutionary, and this is leading companies that supply Bluetooth ICs and end-equipment to re-evaluate their business models to make sure their strategy is aligned with the opportunities presented by these new versions of Bluetooth technology. For example, many new applications for Bluetooth technology have emerged with the release of the high speed and low power variants, while further growth and cost optimisation can be achieved by utilising combination ICs, which combine Bluetooth with other wireless technologies in a single chip.
These changes have led the Conference Division of IMS Research to organise two conferences to discuss and explore the challenges and opportunities presented by the evolving Bluetooth technology. The first of these, the ‘Bluetooth Evolution Conference’, will be hosted jointly with the Bluetooth SIG in
London from 31 October to 02 November, 2007. Then, on 04 and 05 December, 2007, the company will host the ‘Wireless Coexistence
Summit’ in
San Jose,
California. For full details and online registration for these events visit www.imsconferences.com/bluetooth
John Williamson |
