SANTA CLARA, CA – Use of tablets such as the iPad and Android-based devices by consumers for viewing TV/video content more than doubled in 14 regional markets, says NPD DisplaySearch.
This growth occurred in conjunction with increased tablet adoption in these markets.
The fastest growing region for tablet usage is Turkey, with tablet use growing from 3.1% in 2011 to 16.5% in 2012.
In addition, there was strong tablet usage growth in Germany (up nearly fourfold year-over-year), France and the US (both up more than threefold year-over-year).
Besides tablets, consumers are also leveraging other alternate electronic devices such as laptops and mobile phones to view TV/video content. More than 70% of consumers use alternate electronic devices such as tablets, notebook PCs, smartphones, MP3 players and desktop computers to view TV/video content, says the firm.
In mature markets like the US, the UK and Germany, a higher number of people view video content on portable computing devices, such as tablets and notebook PCs. In emerging markets like China, Indonesia, Russia and Turkey, consumers report they view content on mobile devices such as smartphones, likely due to the relatively high penetration of wireless networks, says NPD DisplaySearch.
“While the trends vary by region, it is evident that consumers around the globe are watching more video and TV content with their portable electronic devices, as these provide additional means of accessing content,” noted Riddhi Patel, research director of consumer insights for NPD DisplaySearch. “Despite this increase, however, TVs still remain the primary device of choice for viewing TV content, with 30% of consumers reporting that they view TV/video content on TVs alone.”
Despite increasing use of tablets and alternate smart devices, TV replacement cycles were shorter in 2012 than in 2011 in all the countries surveyed, as consumers expressed the desire for improved picture quality, larger size and HD performance, all of which are fulfilled with their adoption of flat panels. Increasing availability of these sets in a range of sizes and declining prices meet up with consumer needs and preferences globally. LCD continues to dominate global markets as the flat panel technology of choice, says the company.
LEATHERHEAD, SURREY, UK -- The printed circuit board industry has reached a turning point, as growth in China is mitigated by dips in other major electronics-consuming regions.
SAN JOSE – North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.61 billion in orders worldwide in May (three-month average), up 0.6% sequentially, and down 0.7% year-over-year, says SEMI.
The book-to-bill ratio was 1.05, which means $105 worth of orders was received for every $100 of product billed for the month.
The three-month average of worldwide billings was $1.54 billion, up 5.3% sequentially, and down 8% compared to May 2011.
“Worldwide orders for new semiconductor equipment from North American-based manufacturers have continued to increase over the past year, as chip makers add capacity and process technology to meet demand driven by mobile products, smartphones and tablets,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO at SEMI. “Bookings are at the highest levels since May 2011, and this is the fourth consecutive month that new orders have outpaced billings.”
OYSTER BAY, NY – Global revenue for carrier Wi-Fi access points and controllers will reach $2.2 billion in 2017, eight times its current size, says ABI Research.
This level is equivalent to almost one-half of the traditional enterprise or consumer/SoHo Wi-Fi segments in the same period.
The majority of the total market in 2011 was accounted for by Cisco, Ruckus Wireless, and Ericsson/BelAir.
As traditional mobile infrastructure vendors add Wi-Fi to their portfolios, these early market share rankings will fluctuate, says the firm.
Carrier Wi-Fi is defined as Wi-Fi that is provided as a service to mobile carrier customers, owned and operated directly or indirectly by the carrier, e.g. a third party hotspot provider.
FRAMINGHAM, MA – The worldwide PC market is expected to grow 5% year-over-year in 2012, in what is likely to be a challenging year, says International Data Corp. Nearly 383 million PCs will ship into the market this year, a slight improvement over the tepid growth seen in 2011, as PCs continue to vie for growth amid intensifying competition from alternative devices, global political uncertainty, and a still bumpy economic roadmap, says IDC.
In addition to rising consumer saturation in mature regions, economic uncertainty, the launch of Windows 8 and growth of competing tablet devices are key factors affecting the market outlook, the firm notes. With the threat of a relapse into recession in several markets adversely affecting public spending and business confidence, the forecast for several key segments has been reduced, especially among small and medium-sized firms. Windows 8 could help reinvigorate a consumer market that has lost a degree of enthusiasm in recent years. However, questions about the release date, functions, and pricing for Windows 8 limit the contribution the new operating system may make in 2012. Consumer PC shipments are expected to see modest growth in 2012 with the revamp of a sleeker Wintel platform, fueling additional growth in 2013 through 2016. IDC expects the forecast period to culminate with total PC shipments topping 528 million units in 2016.
“The first quarter PC volume results showed an uptick over our forecast,” said Jay Chou, senior research analyst at IDC. “However, much of the volume was due to a faster-than-expected recovery of hard disk drive supply related to flooding in Thailand. PCs continue to face pressure from a weak economic environment and growing competition. Consumer sentiment could be revived with UltraBook or Ultrathin systems, provided the right price is reached. More price-cutting in the Android tablet landscape could free up some budget for PC purchases, but could also focus consumers on tablets rather than PCs. Ultimately, we expect modest PC growth this year, as the industry works through the transition to Win8 and related devices.”
“In the United States, the PC market will continue to witness the perfect storm over the next two quarters before we see any meaningful resumption of growth. Most consumers and businesses in need of PCs already have PCs and see no immediate reason to upgrade or expand. The market is also evolving amid a heated presidential election campaign, adding more stress to consumer and business confidence, with both segments refraining from spending or hiring. The good news, however, is that the forthcoming release of Windows 8 promises to bring new classes of products that could lead to a stronger refresh cycle as the year ends,” says David Daoud, research director, Personal Computing at IDC.
IDC continues to have a conservative view toward PC purchases in mature markets, which are generally expected to return to growth mode in 2012 after a contraction in 2011. Meanwhile, headwinds from the Euro crisis are increasingly being felt in the emerging markets, the previous stalwarts of growth. The outlook for emerging markets has become more mixed with Central Europe, Middle East and Africa increasing its outlook, while Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) and Latin America will experience slower growth in the short term.
