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Portable Entertainment Device Use Growing

More than half (54 percent) of online adults plan to buy a portable entertainment device over the next year, according to research released from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

The study, The Future of Portable Entertainment Devices, predicts a bright future for this category, as consumer interest in anytime, anywhere access to their digital information and entertainment continues to grow. Currently, one in three (54.1 million) online adults own a portable digital media device and CEA shipment forecasts predict nearly 28 million of these devices will ship to the sales channel in 2006.

Currently, the most common activity for portable entertainment devices is listening to music (94 percent); however, this may be due to the lack of video capability and content. CEA estimates that only 15 percent of total digital media players shipping in 2005 were video capable, but that tide is quickly turning. This year, the percentage is expected to double. Owners of devices that do include video capability are twice as likely to engage in watching activities, choosing music videos (37 percent), movies (37 percent) and TV programming (21 percent).

According to the study, less than half of online portable media device owners currently source content from online merchants. However, online purchases and downloads are on the rise, as evidenced by retailers like Apple's iTunes. Seventy-one percent of online portable digital media device owners plan to purchase entertainment content that can be played back on their device, spending close to $68 on content in the coming year.

The Future of Portable Entertainment Devices (May 2006) study was conducted in April 2006. It was designed and formulated by CEA Market Research.

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