| 5 31 2002
In-Stat/MDR released information about a report today indicating that the Bluetooth market will continue to thrive despite the effects of a downgraded mobile phone market forcast.
The report, "Bluetooth 2002: Handset Outlook Takes Bite From Forcast," covers Bluetooth equipment and technology, looking at Bluetooth chips, IP, and Bluetooth equipment being made and marketed, along with myriad other applications.
Research results indicate that despite delays in some planned 2001 chipset shipments from December to the first quarter of 2002, actual chipsets will surge from 10.4 million units in 2001 to 690 million units in 2006. That represents a 132% compound annual growth rate, with silicon revenue rising to $2.7 billion in 2006, according to In-Stat/MDR.
The report also indicated that Bluetooth-enabled equipment will climb to 644 million units over the same period. Headsets and PDAs will be a major component of the market, with the highest level of use in mobile phones.
In-Stat/MDR also addressed Bluetooth developments, such as the upcoming Bluetooth 2.0 spec due to be finalized some time in 2002. This high-rate Bluetooth spec should, according to In-Stat/MDR, create some market for product replacements, specifically in terms of PC cards, adapters, and memory cards, with expectations that consumers will make the switch to the higher-data rate spec in 2004-2006.
Two other areas highlighted by the report are wireless gaming via Bluetooth, and strong efforts in the automotive market to add Bluetooth options and functionality to vehicles beginning with the 2003 model year.
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