The shift toward consumer electronics (CE) devices with integrated IP networking capabilities continued in 2010, allowing more devices to directly connect to the Internet or to a home network. Increasingly, some of those devices are being used to create or consume high-definition (HD) video content.
According to the latest market study by In-Stat, there's an accelerated continuation of the trend in 2011. They're now forecasting growth in Wi-Fi 802.11n-enabled consumer devices. Annual unit shipments will increase from 53 million in 2010 to almost 300 million in 2015.
Portable CE devices such as digital still cameras, e-readers and handheld games are not the only consumer devices benefiting from Wi-Fi wireless connectivity.
Stationary devices such as digital photo frames, digital televisions and gaming consoles are also seeing increasing Wi-Fi attach rates -- as people discover the benefits of having Internet connectivity without the need for home network wiring.
"The migration to 802.11n is an impressive but interim step in the evolution of Wi-Fi. Users will see significantly greater speed and range than 802.11.b/g," says Frank Dickson VP of Mobile Internet at In-Stat.
However, looming on the horizon is 802.11ac with speeds of around 1Gbps as the Wi-Fi ecosystem looks to address the movement of HD video content with adequate bandwidth. The first shipments won't reach the market until 2013 -- and its real impact will not likely occur until 2015 and beyond.
In-Stat's latest market study findings include:
According to the latest market study by In-Stat, there's an accelerated continuation of the trend in 2011. They're now forecasting growth in Wi-Fi 802.11n-enabled consumer devices. Annual unit shipments will increase from 53 million in 2010 to almost 300 million in 2015.
Portable CE devices such as digital still cameras, e-readers and handheld games are not the only consumer devices benefiting from Wi-Fi wireless connectivity.
Stationary devices such as digital photo frames, digital televisions and gaming consoles are also seeing increasing Wi-Fi attach rates -- as people discover the benefits of having Internet connectivity without the need for home network wiring.
"The migration to 802.11n is an impressive but interim step in the evolution of Wi-Fi. Users will see significantly greater speed and range than 802.11.b/g," says Frank Dickson VP of Mobile Internet at In-Stat.
However, looming on the horizon is 802.11ac with speeds of around 1Gbps as the Wi-Fi ecosystem looks to address the movement of HD video content with adequate bandwidth. The first shipments won't reach the market until 2013 -- and its real impact will not likely occur until 2015 and beyond.
In-Stat's latest market study findings include:
- E-readers will reach a Wi-Fi attach rate of 85 percent by 2013.
- Over 82 million, 802.11n-enabled tablets will ship in 2012.
- Mobile device with Wi-Fi will still dominate shipments. In 2013, shipments of mobile phones with embedded Wi-Fi are projected to exceed three-quarters of a billion units.
- 29 million digital photo frames will be shipped in 2014; 53 percent will be Wi-Fi-enabled.