ABI: Nearly 2.4B Units of IEEE 802.15 Bluetooth-Enabled Equipment to Ship in 2013
July 2, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
Recent analysis from ABI Research estimates that close to 2.4 billion units of equipment enabled with Bluetooth ( IEEE 802.15) are expected to ship worldwide in 2013.
More than half of these units will be cellular handsets, analysts said, with accompanying headsets bringing that figure to more than 75% of the total market.
Notebook computers and portable music devices will run a distant second and third, although the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the latter is the greatest of any product class.
Analysts said Bluetooth is showing up everywhere. In addition to the products just mentioned, it can be found in personal digital assistants (PDAs), desktop PCs, human interface devices (keyboards and mice), printers, automotive products, add-in cards and dongles, digital cameras and medical products.
That ubiquity opens up new opportunities. "Integration is a key trend in Bluetooth markets," said ABI Research senior analyst Douglas McEuen. "Designers are saying 'Bluetooth is in everything, so what else can we add to the Bluetooth chip?' GPS [global positioning system] is a popular candidate, as is FM radio."
Some forms of integration just add speed and range, analysts said, such as the current development of Bluetooth-over-802.11. It's the same with ultrawideband (UWB). The Bluetooth special interest group (SIG) is working with the WiMedia Alliance to create a technology code-named "Seattle," which will also add UWB's high-speed capabilities to Bluetooth.
Gaming is another significant market for Bluetooth, analysts said, although it is characterized by eccentric cycles of growth and contraction caused by the staggered four- to five-year generations of the three leading game consoles/remote controls.
"The big Bluetooth IC [integrated circuit] vendors - CSR, Broadcom and Texas Instruments [TI] - remain the market leaders," said McEuen. "And as they see OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] moving to develop Bluetooth into a more capable solution, they are meeting that demand."
Source: ABI Research.