Worldwide Wi-Fi voice over IP (VoIP) handset revenue totalled $54.7 million in 2004 and the number of units shipped reached 143,000, according to a new report from Infonetics Research. It also predicts strong growth at least through to 2009 as steady adoption of voice over Wi-Fi continues. Infonetics has found that worldwide dual-mode Wi-Fi/cellular handset revenue hit $6.7 million in 2004, adding that Wi-Fi capability will eventually become a common feature in mobile phones, just as it is becoming standard in laptops today. Although Wi-Fi VoIP handsets represent a small market at present, it has great potential. In logistics and healthcare verticals in particular, voice over wireless local area networks is already gaining momentum and is likely to become widespread throughout the enterprise as VoIP and wireless LAN adoption continue. The Infonetics report suggests that there is potential for enormous growth in the consumer space, as VoIP services and wireless gateways are bundled with a broadband connection. It says that more dual-mode Wi-Fi/cellular handsets will reach the market, enabling enterprise users to roam across 3G networks, home networks, corporate wireless LANs, and Wi-Fi hotspots.
Artificial intelligence tools for product design have largely been sold to engineering leaders as a productivity story: faster renders, quicker iterations, fewer manual CAD operations. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, the market for artificial intelligence in product design is set to grow from $628 million in 2025 to $4.3 billion by 2035; that's a 21.3 percent compound annual growth rate. The trajectory reflects a market moving past assistive tools and into a phase where AI becomes structurally embedded in how products get engineered, simulated, and validated. For executives overseeing engineering, product development, and R&D organizations, this is no longer a tooling decision. It is a competitive positioning decision, and the window to shape it is narrower than most roadmaps assume. The Ten-Year Growth Outlook Mechanical product design and simulation is the AI beachhead within manufacturing. A full 62 percent of manufacturers are already running AI projec...