OYSTER BAY, NY – ABI Research forecasts 208 million phablets will be shipped globally in 2015.
Global shipments for phablets (with a touch screen size between 4.6" and 5.5") will increase by a factor of 10 in 2012 from 2011.
Despite the slow start for phablet smartphones in 2011, the research firm believes the market is at the dawn of the phablet era. HTC, LG and Sony will each introduce phablet smartphones in 2012, joining the ranks of Samsung’s Galaxy Note and Nexus. Samsung will also release the Galaxy S3 by the end of May, ABI says.
With the predicted boom of phablet devices over the next two to three years, media tablet manufacturers may be worried, says ABI. In 2011, 65 million media tablets were shipped globally. More than 100 million media tablets are projected to be shipped globally in 2012. ABI Research believes hybrid smartphone/tablet will compete only with the smaller media tablet (below 7"). These smaller media tablets are forecasted to remain the smallest segment of the total media tablet market.
SANTA CLARA, CA – Better technologies are shrinking the global TV replacement cycle, which in the past year has fallen to 6.9 years from 8.4, says NPD DisplaySearch. The research group attributes the trend to declining prices, a wider variety of sizes, and desire for the latest technologies.
In the next year, 31% of households are planning to replace an existing TV, while 22% are planning to add a new TV, based on a study of consumers across 14 different markets.
“The rate of TV replacement varies, but on a global basis, the majority of households are still replacing CRT TVs with flat panel TVs. We are also observing mature markets, such as the US, the UK, and others, replacing their first-generation flat panel TVs,” said Riddhi Patel, NPD DisplaySearch research director, consumer insights. “Overall, LCD TVs in the range of 32" to 44" are the most popular for planned purchases.”
The most critical driver of TV replacement in nearly all countries is a desire to trade up in size, followed by wanting to own a flat panel TV with improved picture quality, says NPD. Although price is not among the top three reasons for recent replacements, it does have an impact on the purchasing decision. Thus, pricing can be a key driver in increasing flat panel TV penetration (by replacing CRTs) and shortening the replacement cycle (by replacing older flat panel sets).
As TV prices fall and profit margins are compressed across the supply chain, the push to introduce new premium features has taken on increased importance, says the research firm. The hope is that these new features, such as 3D and Internet connectivity, will drive consumers to replace TVs faster. However, results suggest otherwise, as these new features were reported to be only somewhat important in selecting a new TV, and not a strong motivator to upgrade.
“The good news is that a large number of markets still have a long way to go toward replacing all CRTs with flat panel TVs, which should continue to sustain growth, but mostly in emerging markets,” Patel said.
Other findings include:
Moving one’s household to a new location was found to be a very weak driver in all markets surveyed.
Nine markets in the study have more than 50% penetration of flat panel TVs. There are still five markets with 40% of households having only CRT sets.
The average age of the primary TV in households ranges between 4 and 7 years, with India the highest at 6.7 years and China-Urban the lowest at 3.5 years.
Households in emerging markets, such as Russia, Brazil, Mexico, and China, are much more likely to be planning to either replace or add TVs than in the US and European countries.
Over 40% of households in China are planning to replace their first-generation flat panel TVs, similar to the rates found in mature markets.
32" remains the most desired size in the majority of emerging markets, whereas 40" to 44" sizes dominate planned purchases in mature markets.
NEVADA CITY, CA – IC packaging revenue is expected to grow 9.8% compounded annually, versus a CAGR of 7.3% for unit shipments through 2016, says New Venture Research.
Handheld electronic gadgets such as smartphones and tablets are driving the demand for ICs in the consumer electronics industry, as is the return in demand for automobiles, the firm says.
Increased demand for product functionality is driving up the IC packaging revenue faster than IC unit growth. The growth in handheld gadgets, which are increasingly digital in design, will boost the growth of special purpose logic communications chips by a 16.7% CAGR for device revenue through 2016, versus a 13.5% CAGR in units. FBGA and QFN package solutions are the most in demand, which pull at either end of the pricing structure. QFPs are ranked third as a package solution, but are decreasing in demand over time. These devices are expected to have a 14.8% CAGR in revenue through 2016.
Wireless infrastructure products are also in high demand, which is helping boost consumption for standard cell and PLD chips, says NVR. These devices will grow at a CAGR of 16.1% in terms of revenue through 2016, while the device units are projected at 15%. High I/O BGAs are the package solution of choice over the forecast period, the firm notes, so the package revenue growth is projected to be slightly higher, at a CAGR of 16.3% through 2016.
Logic chips are in demand for a host of products; therefore, 32-bit MCUs are expected to have an 11.1% CAGR unit demand, although only a device revenue CAGR of 4.7% through 2016. QFPs and BGAs have the highest demand of the package solutions, although the QFP is waning in favor of the BGA. Thus, the package revenue is growing at a CAGR of 12.8% through 2016 for 32-bit MCUs, according to NVR.
SAN JOSE, CA — North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers reported bookings rose 10.7% sequentially in April, suggesting a near-term rebound is on the way.
