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Portable Media Player New Markets & Apps

New entrants, declining prices, and improvements in product features are making Portable Media Player (PMP) shipments gain traction in 2006 in China, reports In-Stat.

Early adopters will remain the primary market for PMPs in China in 2007, the high-tech market research firm says. PMP shipments in China will reach 1.43 million in 2010, In-Stat projects.

"What can bring PMPs into the mass market is the combination of PMPs with mobile TV," says Raymond Yan, In-Stat analyst. "Mobile TV eliminates concerns about video formats, and can bring real-time content to consumers."

In 2007, in all markets globally, I predict that we will witness growing PMP use as an informal learning tool. The ease at which people can create, edit and share insights and knowledge via multimedia podcasts and vodcasts will escalate the discovery of new applications.

However, don't expect traditional corporate training departments to embrace this on-the-go learning modality in the near term. IMHO, the problem is not one of understanding, but fear of loosing control -- as the exclusive talking-head practitioner. Those without vested interests to protect, in contrast, will favor the continued social democratization of learning and mentoring.

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

- PMPs equipped with mobile TV receivers will take off in 2008.

- In order to broaden China's PMP market, manufacturers are adding more valuable features to address different customer segments. Gaming, GPS, and mobile TV receivers are their main options.

- Counting overseas manufacturers from Europe, South Korea, and Taiwan, there are now more than 30 PMP vendors in China.

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