Wifi Revolution

Wi-Fi is a valued technology for the consumer electronic (CE) market with its large installed base in mobile PCs and home networks, flexibility, and mature ecosystem, according to research firm In-Stat (News - Alert).

 

A recent In-Stat report states that Wi-Fi’s popularity in mobile PCs and home networks has not guaranteed its success in consumer electronics (CE). The issues such as lack of consumer awareness, ease-of-use, battery life, throughput and range limitations, and high cost have always troubled early products with Wi-Fi. Recently, the cost of embedding Wi-Fi into devices has decreased significantly as most of these concerns have now been addressed. Furthermore, the finalization of IEEE (News - Alert) 802.11n in late 2009 will remedy the technical issues associated with 802.11b/g. These are the issues that limited the integration of Wi-Fi into devices with more complex applications like video.

 

In-Stat found that compound annual growth rate for CE Wi-Fi devices through 2012 will be 26 percent and more than 294 million CE devices with Wi-Fi were shipped in 2007. By 2011, cellular/Wi-Fi handsets will surpass mobile PCs as the large category of Wi-Fi devices.

 

Wi-Fi deserves strong consideration as a solution to bring content into the living room because of its large installed base in mobile PCs and home networks. This research is part of In-Stat’s Wireless LAN service. The service examines new applications for WLAN in business, home, and public sector. The research includes forecasts, market perspectives, and segmentation (by technology and application) for WLAN chipsets and end-products.

 

In-Stat’s latest report lists drivers or barriers in demand for each device category, a 5-year forecast for 20 Wi-Fi CE devices, key vendors and product releases in each device category, and CE devices with the highest volume and Wi-Fi attach rates.

 

“Digital TV will be the second largest category of CE stationary devices shipping with Wi-Fi,” stated Victoria Fodale, In-Stat analyst. “The sheer volume of digital TV shipments will make it a strong market, despite a relatively low Wi-Fi attach rate.”

 

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