Digital Lifescapes

A surge of smaller and lower-priced media tablets has led International Data Corporation (IDC) to increase its 2013 forecast for the worldwide tablet market to 190.9 million -- that's up from its previous forecast of 172.4 million units. Increases in tablet shipments have been made throughout the forecast period with an average increase of 11 percent between 2013 and 2016. The latest IDC forecast estimates tablet shipments to be upwards of 350 million by the end of 2017. "One in every two tablets shipped this quarter was below 8 inches in screen size. And in terms of shipments, we expect smaller tablets to continue growing in 2013 and beyond," said Jitesh Ubrani, research analyst at IDC . Vendors are moving quickly to compete in this space as consumers realize that these small tablets are often more ideal than larger devices for their daily media consumption needs. Once again, Google android-based tablets expanded their share of the market in 2012, and IDC expects...

Traditional PC manufacturers that missed or underestimated the growing demand for media tablets have had to consider drastic measures -- as a result of their apparent lack of strategic foresight. Whether these devices are being used for entertainment, convenience, or enhancing productivity, media tablets continue to gain mainstream adoption in the worldwide marketplace. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, an estimated 145 million tablet devices will ship globally in 2013. A combination of new market entrants, more affordable choices for consumers, and increased adoption by business users will support the next wave of growth. "The rate of innovation is slowing as tablet vendors augment their product portfolios to meet the needs of market audiences," said Jeff Orr, senior practice director at ABI Research . The late 2012 launches of Apple’s iPad mini and a variety of slates based on Intel architecture and the Windows 8 operating systems will likely ...

According to the findings of several related market studies, the next big global disruption will occur in the traditional publishing sector. In the same way that the music recording industry lost control of their marketplace, the large legacy print media companies are equally vulnerable. As an example, according to the latest market study by eMarketer , they predict that sales of ebooks and the devices on which people read them -- i.e. ereaders, tablets and smartphones -- are on a steady upward trajectory. Much of the new digital publication revenue growth could come at the expense of print publications. The U.S. ereader user base is poised to grow at double-digit percentages this year and next, but by 2014 and 2015 the expansion will likely slow to about 5 percent. eMarketer believes that this reflects market cannibalization from media tablets, not necessarily a loss of interest in consuming ebooks. People are using these devices -- both ereaders and media tablets -- to read ...

Worldwide media tablet shipments rose by 88.9 percent on a sequential basis and 303.8 percent year over year in the second calendar quarter of 2011 (2Q11) to 13.6 million units, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation ( IDC ). Based on this strong performance and an improved outlook for the second half of the year, IDC raised its shipment forecast for 2011 to 62.5 million units -- up from a previous projection of 53.5 million units. Shipments in the second quarter were driven by continued robust demand for the Apple iPad 2 -- which saw shipments reach 9.3 million units, representing a 68.3 percent share of the worldwide market (up from 65.7 percent the previous quarter). Research in Motion entered the media tablet market in 2Q11 with its PlayBook product, taking a 4.9 percent share of the market. Android-based media tablets share decreased to 26.8 percent, down from 34.0 percent the previous quarter. Looking forward to the second half of 2011, ...

In the U.S.market during 2010, media tablet and eReader device owners tended to be male and on the younger side. But according to the latest market study by Nielsen , a quarterly survey of mobile connected device owners, this is no longer the case. Back in Q3 2010, for example, 62 percent of media tablet owners were under the age of 34 and only 10 percent were over the age of 55. By Q2 2011, only 46 percent of media tablet owners were under the age of 34 and the percentage of those over 55 had increased to 19 percent. Looking at the data by gender underlines key changes in the eReader category. Sixty-one percent of all eReader owners are now female, compared to a mere 46 percent in Q3 2010. By contrast, smartphone owners are now evenly split between male and female and media tablets remain primarily male.

Some people believe that multifaceted media tablets are a more desirable choice than single-purpose e-readers. That said, the U.S. installed base of e-reader devices has more than quadrupled since 2009 and demand remains strong. eMarketer now estimates more than 20 million e-readers will be in use by the end of 2011 -- reaching 8.7 percent of the U.S. adult population. By 2012, 12 percent of adults will have a Kindle , Sony Reader, NOOK or similar portable e-reader device. "Two recent developments illustrate the broad reach of e-readers," said eMarketer senior analyst Paul Verna. First, the Amazon announcement that its lowest-priced Kindle is its best-selling product supports the view that their customers are eager for affordable, no-frills mobile devices that easily enable e-book purchase and consumption. Second, Liberty Media's $1 billion offer for Barnes & Noble was predicated largely on the book retailer's success with the NOOK Color -- whose list pr...

Today's active user of mobile computing devices is in search of constant connectivity -- in order to access the Internet, engage in social networking, and share multimedia content with friends, family or business associates. The quest for a consistent high-quality on-the-go "connected life" experience is a source of new market development activity for consumer electronics (CE) product manufacturers and their internet service provider (ISP) channel partners. In-Stat 's latest market study suggests that this trend represents an opportunity for traditional mobile phone operators to move beyond the maturing handset market and into the emerging wireless device markets, such as e-readers and tablets. By 2015 for example, multimedia tablets will have the highest 3G or 4G attach rate among all cellular-enabled portable and computing devices -- with 78 percent of tablets shipping with a 3G/4G modem, according to In-Stat's assessment. "The emerging tablet mark...

If you're looking for signs that the U.S. economy is recovering and that business technology spending has returned, then you should look at the recent purchase activity on 3G and 4G non-handset devices -- such as media tablets, notebooks, and e-readers. This segment of U.S. business spending has become a larger portion of the overall business wireless spend. According to the latest market study by In-Stat , overall spending in this segment was up nearly 30 percent in 2010 -- when compared with 2009 results. "A key take away from the research is that the non-handset spending increase trend seems to be universal across all sizes of business," says Greg Potter, Research Analyst at In-Stat. Apparently, there are several variations in some of the vertical segments but, they too, share a robust 2010 and have a very healthy five-year forecast. Additional data points from the In-Stat study include: Enterprise spending makes up over 62 percent of business spending on non...

The Apple iPad commanded 85 percent of the market for media tablets in 2010, according to the latest market study by ABI Research . The tablet market surged in the second half of the year, but it wasn't just tablets. According to senior practice director Jeff Orr at ABI, "Device categories including netbooks and mobile broadband-enabled eBook Readers showed gains in year-over-year shipment numbers in 2010. The hype that media tablets were displacing portable computers and dedicated CE device purchases simply didn't become a reality." Samsung's Galaxy Tab ranked a distant second to the iPad in market share, with about 8 percent share, while Archos's Internet Tablet range just barely moved the needle at 2 percent. These top three vendors accounted for 95 percent of the media tablet market between them. However that market share breakdown isn't carved in stone; Orr says, "Many new entrants are looking to differentiate themselves from the $600+ A...

Demand for e-books and e-readers is still strong, according to the latest market study by Futuresource Consulting . Both are supported by the increased global availability of e-book services and the recent launch of new multimedia tablet devices. "In 2010, the global e-book market grew by more than 200 percent to exceed 90 million paid-for units," says Fiona Hoy, Market Analyst at Futuresource Consulting. This equates to a value of more $900 million and was largely attributable to growth in the U.S. region, which represented more than 80 percent of global revenues in 2010. Rapid U.S. e-book market growth and consumer adoption was predominantly driven by Amazon's loss-leading strategy on key e-book titles purchased through their Kindle store and related application. A similar strategy was temporarily adopted in the UK. "Moving forward, the global balance will begin to shift -- with the USA contributing just over half of global revenues by 2014," says Hoy...

The growing market for eBook readers has been somewhat limited to the United States, and has been led by the affordable Amazon Kindle , Barnes & Noble Nook, and Sony Reader. But according to the latest market study by ABI Research , starting in 2013 eBook reader markets will start to expand globally. ABI forecasts that more than 30 million readers will ship during 2013, almost double the 2012 total. "Digitized content is the key," says ABI principal analyst Jeff Orr. "It has been in the United States that the most content has been translated to digital form. The companies that provide the devices maintain tightly-integrated content stores that make access easy." In two or three years we will enter a period in which much more digital printed matter will become available in other countries and regions. Western Europe will be first, followed by Eastern Europe and Asia, especially China. While North American eBook consumers may now own more than one reader s...

Last year, purpose-built new e-readers were one of the most popular devices in the consumer electronics (CE) marketplace. Today, there is still plenty of consumer interest surrounding the e-reader market. However, the industry analysts are forecasting ongoing price erosion, targeted competition from the Apple iPad, and the continued overall sustainability of the standalone e-reader shipment growth. Therefore, despite the potential impact that the tablet PC market may have on the standalone e-reader market, e-reader shipments will grow from 12 million units by the end of this year, to 35 million in 2014, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . "Tablet PC shipments are taking off, fueled in particular by the Apple iPad introduction. Yet, there will still be a revenue opportunity for e-reader suppliers and OEMs since tablet PCs and e-readers target different consumers," says Stephanie Ethier, Senior Analyst, In-Stat. Standalone e-readers will address the needs ...

According to Informa Telecoms & Media , sales of smartbooks are expected to rapidly grow from 3.65 million in 2010 to nearly 50 million in 2014, representing over 50 percent of all embedded device sales. This growth will be driven by a shift away from dedicated devices like e-readers, towards multifunctional portable devices like the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab. These smartbooks merge the best features of both smartphones and netbooks -- plus they include always-on connectivity. "There has been a resurgence of smartbooks particularly in the tablet form, fueled by the launch of the iPad, and we are seeing the same kind of proliferation and interest in tablets now, that we saw two years ago for e-readers" said David McQueen, principal analyst at Informa. E-readers on the other hand are under threat. Electronic book (e-book) content is now available on most multifunctional devices -- such as mobile phones, tablet computers, netbooks and other portable consumer electron...

Creating 3D video content is gaining momentum in Hollywood. The excitement over 3D has also found its way to the U.S. consumer electronics market. By 2013, one in five new televisions sold in America will be 3D, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . Year-over-year shipment growth will be 231 percent between 2010 and 2011 -- resulting in a doubling of the U.S. installed base of units for 3D TVs from 2010 to 2011. "High definition (HD) did create a wave of activity in the U.S. market, not seen since the introduction of color," says Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst. "3DTV promises to be the next significant innovation wave for living room entertainment." Despite many bright spots in the U.S. consumer electronics (CE) market, there will be losers in the market. Maturing segments like MP3 audio players, handheld video games and desktop PCs will show declining growth rates in 2012 and 2013. According to the In-Stat assessment, products with broader f...

According to the latest market study by Informa Telecoms & Media, e-reader sales are expected to peak at 14 million units in 2013, before falling by 7 percent in 2014 as the device category faces increased competition from other consumer electronics (CE) devices. This decline will be driven by a shift away from dedicated e-readers, such as the Amazon Kindle , towards other multifunction device types -- notably mobile smartphones and tablet form-factor computing devices. Informa believes that this transition may lead to a segmentation of the e-reader market into two distinct groups -- low price, low feature models and higher price devices with more advanced features. The current e-reader offers a good reading experience, high levels of portability and extended battery life. However, it is under threat from the availability of electronic book (e-book) content on multifunctional devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers, netbooks and other portable CE devices. "Mobi...

According to the latest market assessment by IMS Research , Apple is expected to gain a significant share of the tablet market -- with strong pre-orders for iPad tablets and millions projected to ship in 2010. Regardless, many other suppliers are introducing either e-reader or tablet products this year, with a fair share of these based on Google's Android operating system. IMS estimates that about 24 percent of the devices shipping in 2010 will be based on the Google Android OS. Anna Hunt, principal analyst at IMS, says "The user interface and content that a tablet supplier brings to the table will likely influence purchase decisions just as much as hardware requirements." Suppliers are realizing the importance of content and service and many are turning to the Android ecosystem to be able to offer the complete user experience and compete with Apple's integrated offering. In addition to Android and Apple OS, Microsoft Windows 7 will also account for some share...

The media publishing industry needs an upside trend. Perhaps this is it. comScore released the results of a survey of 2,176 Internet users regarding their awareness, attitudes and opinions of the Apple iPad and other e-readers or tablet devices. Results were analyzed across age and gender profiles, as well as the iOwners (a comScore term) consumer segment -- defined as those owning either an iPhone or iPod Touch. Consumers were asked several questions regarding their awareness of various e-readers and tablet devices and their past purchase behavior or intent to purchase these devices. The results showed very high awareness of the iPad, with an aided awareness of 65 percent, the same as that of the Amazon Kindle Wireless Reading Device . Overall, consumers have demonstrated a high level of interest in these types of devices with between 58 percent and 69 percent of consumers having conducted online research of the top five devices. Amazon Kindle rated highest in terms of curren...

The Amazon Kindle e-reader and online e-bookstore has spawned a paid e-publishing content marketplace that has grown in the past two years. But, is this truly the profitability salvation that print publishers had hoped for? Competition from other device makers -- such as Apple -- promises to further stimulate what is already one of the most dynamic areas of the digital content ecosystem. Sales of e-books have grown steadily since the format first appeared in the early 2000 time frame. The Association of American Publishers (AAP) estimated that U.S. net sales to its 85 member publishers totaled $169.5 million in 2009 -- up 176.5 percent from the 2008 figure of $61.3 million. In fact, revenue for 2009 was the highest ever, and the percentage gain was the greatest since e-books started producing a profit. "Currently, most e-book volume comes from Amazon.com's  Kindle Wireless Reading Device sales," said Paul Verna, eMarketer senior analyst. "But it is unlikel...