Wi-Fi Gains Traction in the Living Room, but Mobile Devices Still Dominate Shipments

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Wi-Fi’s large installed base in mobile PCs and home networks promises that it is likely to be a primary connectivity solution for living room-centric consumer electronics (CE) devices, reports In-Stat http://www.in-stat.com . Attach rates for Wi-Fi among game consoles are already approaching 80%. In-Stat expects DTV to be another high volume driver, reaching nearly 21 million units shipped with Wi-Fi by 2012.

While growth rates and penetration of Wi-Fi in the living room is growing, Wi-Fi is still dominated by the huge volume of mobile Wi-Fi devices. Beyond the already established notebook PC segment, Portable Media Players shipped with Wi-Fi will grow to well over 100 million units in 2011 and cellular/Wi-Fi handsets will pass 300 million units by 2012.

“Finalization of IEEE 802.11n will remedy some of the technical issue that constrained Wi-Fi adoption in video-centric CE devices,” says Victoria Fodale, In-Stat analyst. “We expect the adoption of Wi-Fi in the living room to accelerate. However, mobile device shipments will still out number stationary CE devices by nearly ten to one.”

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

* By 2012, shipments of CE devices with Wi-Fi are expected to reach more than 938 According to In-Stat research, there were over 87 million wireless networks in the home in 2007.
* Residential gateways are expected to show the strongest growth among Wi-Fi home aggregator devices, which include SOHO/home routers, residential gateways, and standalone access points (APs).

Recent In-Stat research, Wi-Fi in Consumer Electronics: The Swiss Army Knife Technology (#IN0803980WS), covers the global market for CE devices with Wi-Fi. This research provides:

* Five-year forecast for 20 Wi-Fi CE devices
* CE device shipments and Wi-Fi attach rates, segmented for:
o Gaming Consoles
o Digital TVs (DTVs)
o Set-Top Boxes (STBs)
o Personal Video Recorders (PVRs)
o VD Players (includes Blu-ray)
o Media Adapters
o Printers
o Multifunction peripherals
o Handheld Games
o Portable Media Players (PMPs)
o Digital Cameras
o Digital Video Cameras (portable camcorders and IP network cameras)
o Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)
o Mobile PCs
o Portable CE Devices
o Cellular Handsets
o WLAN Routers
o Residential Gateways
o Standalone Access Points
o External Clients
* Drivers or barriers to demand in each device category
* Key vendors and product releases in each device category

For more information on this research or to purchase it online, please visit: http://www.instat.com/catalog/wcatalogue.asp?id=167 or contact a sales representative: http://www.instat.com/sales.asp

The price is $3,495 (US).

This research is part of In-Stat’s Wireless LAN service, which examines new applications for Wireless LAN (WLAN) in the business, home, and public sector. Covers emerging technology trends, as well as extension technologies like wireless mesh networking. Included are forecasts, market perspectives, and segmentation (by technology and application) for WLAN chipsets and end-products.

MORE INFORMATION ON THIS RESEARCH

* Title: Wi-Fi in Consumer Electronics: The Swiss Army Knife Technology
* Service: Wireless LAN
* Product Number: IN0803980WS
* Publication Date: September 2008
* Number of Pages: 28
* Price: $3,495 U.S. Dollars
* Abstract, Table of Contents, Figures & Tables
* Members Only Access: Full text HTML , PDF

Market Research from In-Stat
In-Stat offers a broad range of information resources and analytical assets to technology vendors, service providers, technology professionals, and market specialists worldwide. The company stands alone in its ability to integrate both supply-side and demand-side research methodologies into a single comprehensive view of technology markets and products. This capability relies on a unique ability to cover the entire value chain from engineering-level technology, through equipment, infrastructure, services and end-users.

In-Stat is a strategic segment of the $8 billion Reed Elsevier global information network, with access to an expansive worldwide electronic network, extensive technology databases and well-informed personnel. In-Stat analysts gain exceptional insight into geographic market places and specific technologies within markets such as electronics, cable and wireless. As a member of Reed Business Information, In-Stat is a division of the largest business-to-business publisher in the U.S.