Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine - News

News

ARLINGTON, VA – Consumer spending on electronics will grow 3.5% in the fourth quarter, down 50% year-over-year, the Consumer Electronics Association revealed in a report set to be released today.

Affected markets include video games, cameras, music players and laptops, the trade group said. The results are based on separate telephone and online surveys of 1,000 persons each, conducted in late September and early October, respectively. The margin of error is three points.

The problem is not one of interest but of economics, CEA said. “There’s still a desire for these products, but the intensity of that desire has declined somewhat in light of economic concerns,” said Tim Herbert, senior director for market research.

The studies forecast cellphone demand to grow 11%, A/V equipment (including TVs) 3.9%, and video games 5.6%. PC demand will drop 1%, CEA said.

SAN JOSE -- North American manufacturers of semiconductor equipment booked $754 million in orders in September 2008 on a three-month average basis, down 13% from revised August figures and off 39% year-over-year.

The book-to-bill ratio was 0.76, meaning $76 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month, SEMI said.

The three-month average worldwide billings for the month, was $990 million, down 7% from August and 36% from September 2007.

"The continued decline in capex spending is accompanied by a major global economic downturn that may have a significant impact on overall consumer electronics spending," said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI, in a press release. "Clearly, concern over these larger economic issues is restraining any immediate capacity investment plans."