Digital Lifescapes

Worldwide, many enterprise IT organizations are experiencing an exponential growth of data storage requirements as employees create more digital content. Multimedia asset storage is a key driver -- in particular, a variety of video content. In today's enterprise, video is a primary method for engaging with customers, employees and channel partners, via a wide range of media assets. Common video applications include online webcasts, conference sessions or keynotes, training sessions or educational webinars and new customer care use-cases. Demand for object storage systems has blossomed as a results of the growing need to archive unstructured data, such as video and other forms of multimedia content. This growth has fueled the deployment of new cost-effective storage solutions that can scale to support hundreds of petabytes and beyond. Enterprise IT Storage Market Development According to the findings from the latest 451 Research 'Voice of the Enterprise' survey, org...

Wi-Fi adoption within the home is now pervasive, but application usage can vary. According to the latest market study by The Diffusion Group (TDG), 74 percent of Millennials that use a home network describe their use as either 'equally' or 'primarily' media-oriented, a rate that decreases linearly with increasing age. TDG’s detailed market assessment notes that this is coincidental with the fact that young adults consume greater amounts of digital media in the home from online video sources such as Netflix -- certainly more so than their older counterparts. While the percentage of digital media-oriented network users is relatively equal among the two Millennial segments, differences do exist. For example, among Late Millennials (18-24s), 24 percent are media-centric network users, significantly higher than Early Millennials (25-34s) at 15 percent. However, hybrid use (that is, equal use of the network for media and data purposes) was selected by 58 percent of Ea...

The phablet is a relatively new type of mobile device, which emerged as smartphone screens grew larger and user needs began to shift its focus away from basic voice and data communication -- towards mobile multimedia applications (apps). New findings from the latest market study by Juniper Research reveal that the phablet -- once perceived to have limited upside potential -- will ship over 120 million units by 2018, rising from an estimated 20 million in 2013. The device will find particularly receptive markets in East Asian territories such as South Korea -- with gamers who desire a larger surface to play on, and China -- where content streamers will benefit from a higher quality screen. Phablet Global Market Development The new study findings by Juniper now forecasts that the phablet market could become a growth area for established smartphone vendors -- allowing them to build flagship phablet models targeting the tech heavy user demographics. As evidenced by the rece...

People everywhere are saving much more multimedia data in online storage services, and more users are forecast to add to this phenomenon. The active accounts associated with personal cloud storage services will exceed 1 billion at the end of 2013 -- that's nearly twice as many as a year ago, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. Over the next five years the global account base will more than triple, reaching 3.61 billion by the end of 2018. In the meantime, the aggregated data storage utilized by personal cloud services is expected to increase from 685 petabytes in 2013 to an incredible 3,520 petabytes in 2018. "Various factors are contributing to the rapidly increasing personal cloud uptake -- including the consumerization of enterprise IT and multiple device ownership. For storage needs, the most far-reaching driver is the expansion and improvement of camera technologies," said Aapo Markkanen, senior analyst at ABI Research . In particular, digital...

Mobile devices with HTML5-compatible browsers will total 1.4 billion in 2013, following an annual increase of 87 percent, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. Although the installed base of this size represents a very potent market for mobile application developers, in practice the vast majority of them continue to choose the native app model over the web for their releases. "While some two years ago it still looked like 2013 could be the Year of Web App, it’s now looking like that this will prove more like the Year of Hybrid" said Aapo Markkanen, senior analyst at ABI Research . HTML5 is making strides, but mainly through developers that take advantage of increasingly capable cross-platform development tools. Meanwhile, there aren’t many signs of full-blown web apps effectively challenging the native way. However, ABI believes that two parallel trends will help the web to catch up further. First, it’s expected that the support for HTML5 features ...

The overall personal computing market went into an apparent tailspin during 2012. Regardless, media tablet shipments outpaced predictions reaching a record total of 52.5 million units worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2012 (4Q12), that's according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). The tablet market grew 75.3 percent year over year in 4Q12 (up from 29.9 million units in 4Q11) and increased 74.3 percent from the previous quarter's total of 30.1 million units. Lower average selling prices (ASPs), a wide range of new product offerings, and increased holiday spending all acted as catalysts to push the already climbing media tablet market to record levels. "We expected a very strong fourth quarter, and the market didn't disappoint," said Tom Mainelli, research director at IDC . "New product launches from the category's top vendors, as well as new entrant Microsoft, led to a surge in consumer interest and very robust ship...

Infonetics Research has released its latest report on the mobile network service provider ecosystem -- which tracks operator subscribers and revenue derived from pre-paid and post-paid mobile broadband data, voice, and messaging services. "The mobile world is undeniably shifting from voice to data, as mobile operators migrate as many subscribers as they can to data service plans and smartphones," says Stephane Teral, principal analyst for mobile infrastructure and carrier economics at Infonetics Research . Already in North America and Asia Pacific, mobile operators derive over 40 percent of their mobile revenue from mobile broadband and messaging. But, while mobile broadband is no doubt the fastest growing revenue stream for network operators, mobile messaging and voice aren't dead just yet. According to Teral's assessment, the prophecies of doom for mobile operators' SMS/MMS cash cow are being overplayed. Despite the popularity of over-the-top messaging ap...

According to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), worldwide personal computer (PC) shipment growth for 2011 ended on a slightly positive note -- growing to 1.8 percent on the year. While the first half of 2012 is expected to see only modest shipment growth, the launch of Windows 8 and the upside potential from new ultrabooks and other ultra-thin notebooks should drive second half sales in a much stronger way. Meaning, that's the hopeful outlook, at this time. For much of 2011, vendors struggled to maintain consumer interest in a market beset by a tenuous economic recovery and disrupted by emerging consumer electronics devices. The lack of interest was evidenced by a lackluster Christmas holiday season. Just how bad did was the global market downturn? Mature markets such as the United States and Western Europe, in particular, had a rough year -- with PC shipments in 2011 shrinking by 9 percent compared to 2010. Looking ahead, the PC market will st...

The media tablet market growth phenomenon followed the Apple iPad launch in April 2010. Since then, competitors try to keep up with Apple's innovations. Many have launched their own tablet products in a range of screen sizes and designs -- in contrast to Apple's approach, with its consistent 9.7" iPad design. For example, Amazon successfully launched the 7.0” Kindle Fire -- with integrated Amazon content and services -- and Samsung rounded out its tablet lineup with the 7.0", 8.9" and 10.1" Galaxy Tabs. "As the tablet market continues to heat up, manufacturers are striving to differentiate next-generation products to compete with the iPad," said Stephanie Ethier, Senior Analyst at NPD In-Stat . Media tablet screen size has emerged not only as a key differentiator, but also the leading indicator of different tablet usages. According to the latest market study by NPD In-Stat, their research highlights top tablet usage scenarios based on devi...

What I didn't see at South by Southwest Interactive ( SXSWi ) this year is just as important as all the interesting things that I did experience. So, I'll start with some of the most notable topic departures from the prior years. The denial, by big media company executives, of the digital disruption phenomenon is much less pervasive than in the past . As an example, blaming others for the continued downward spiral of the newspaper industry now seems futile . The backlash from the industry's SOPA and PIPA lobbying effort may have already tempered the traditional media's trustworthiness mantra. Moreover, one particular never-ending scandal is a constant reminder of the apparent credibility gap that exists today. References to "User Generated Content" are gone from panel discussions, as everyone now recognizes that digital storytelling and self-publishing is open to anyone with a point of view -- via the internet, enabled by numerous free cloud-based t...

The consumer electronics (CE) market was once driven by the ability of devices to provide single functions -- like music playback, video viewing, or basic voice communications. Today, multifaceted intelligent CE devices are increasingly providing several functions and Internet-protocol (IP) network connectivity for online access to information, communications, and multimedia entertainment. This is resulting in the overlap of features and functions between product categories -- not only in the mobile segment, but also in other CE devices like digital HDTVs and set-top boxes. As a result, this entire group is morphing into a larger product category -- often referred to as "smart" devices. These evolved devices are increasingly sharing the same silicon components, operating systems, and application software. There are three leading platforms in the mobile segment -- smartphones, tablets, and notebooks PCs -- and according to the latest study by NPD In-Stat, they now fore...

Worldwide shipments of media tablets rose by 23.9 percent on a sequential basis in the third quarter of 2011 (3Q11) to 18.1 million units, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation ( IDC ). That represents an increase of 264.5 percent from the same quarter last year, but 5.8 percent below the original forecast of 19.2 million units. Despite these slightly lower-than-expected shipments in 3Q11, IDC anticipates a strong demand in 4Q11 and has increased its worldwide shipment forecast for 2011 to 63.3 million units -- that's up from a previous projection of 62.5 million units. Apple shipped 11.1 million units in 3Q11, up from 9.3 million units in 2Q11. That represents a 61.5 percent worldwide market share (down from 63.3 percent in 2Q11). HP shipped 903,354 units to grab a 5 percent share of the worldwide market, number three behind Samsung's 5.6 percent market share. After IDC updated its taxonomy to move LCD-based devices -- such as Barnes ...

Partly driven by the desire to be connected anywhere, anytime -- and to have access to every type of content -- the consumer electronics (CE) industry continues to develop new mobile communication and computing platforms. A key dynamic of this change is the consumer desire for a rich visual experience on any size screen. This experience continues to push the limits of current mobile System-on-a-Chip (SoC) capabilities and makes the graphics processing unit (GPU) one of the most critical components in the design and differentiation of the SoC and consumer devices. According to the latest market study by NPD In-Stat , they now forecast that these trends will push the mobile SoC TAM to over 3.1 billion devices in 2015 -- that's up from 2 billion in 2010. Devices that may require a mobile SoC include cellphones, smartphones, netbook PCs, media tablets, digital still cameras, mp3 players, personal navigation devices, e-readers, handheld game consoles, digital camcorders, and porta...

Today, high-definition (HD) video capabilities are a standard option in many types of consumer electronics (CE) devices. Once considered a feature that was available only in the expensive high-end products, HD video technology is now truly pervasive -- rapidly spreading throughout the industry. As an example, last year there was a dramatic increase for High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connections in portable consumer devices -- including consumer-oriented HD video camcorders and digital still cameras (DSC). In addition, within the personal computer segment, the HDMI interface applications in mobile PCs, graphics cards, and PC monitors continued to increase as consumers become more familiar with the benefits of the interface standard. HDMI supports, on a single cable, any uncompressed TV or PC video format, including standard, enhanced, high definition and 3D video signals; up to 8 channels of compressed or uncompressed digital audio; a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC...

Annual media tablet shipments across the globe are forecast to top 120 million units by 2015. While not quite as strong as traditional PC or smartphone annual sales, media tablets are emerging from the shadow of non-handset mobile devices to become a significant product category. Google Android media tablets have collectively taken 20 percent market share away from the Apple iPad in the last 12 months. However, so far, no single vendor using Android (or any other OS) has been able to mount a significant challenge against the iPad dominant position. ABI Research mobile devices group director Jeff Orr says, "Many vendors have introduced media tablets, but none are separating themselves from the pack to pose a serious threat to Apple. In fact, most have introduced products at prices higher than similarly-configured iPads." Apple, never a company to be waiting for others, has introduced its second-generation iPad media tablet while keeping product pricing unchanged. Frag...

The transition to SuperSpeed USB (also known as USB 3.0) is occurring more rapidly than previously anticipated -- due primarily to quicker integration of the new interface standard into core logic chipsets. Yet, low-/full-speed (USB 1.0) and high-speed (USB 2.0) will remain relevant for the near future as well. Low-/full-speed will remain the communication interface of choice in mice and keyboards, and high-speed will remain in many PC peripheral and consumer electronics (CE) multimedia applications. According to the latest market study by In-Stat , USB will grow at 7.4 percent through 2015 with most of that growth being fueled from SuperSpeed devices which will have an impressive CAGR of 178 percent over that same time period. "Because the throughput of SuperSpeed USB -- 10 times that of high-speed USB -- is not required in some devices, adoption will not initially be as broad as for full- and high-speed USB," says Brian O'Rourke, Research Director at In-Stat. ...

Shipments of personal computers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) continued to decline in the second quarter of 2011 (2Q11) as sustained high levels of inventory inhibited stronger sell-in -- particularly in Western Europe -- and led to a decline of 8.9 percent in overall shipments across EMEA compared with the same quarter last year. A shift in interest toward other products continued to contribute to weak consumer demand and slow stock depletion across Western Europe, but other parts continued to expand and enjoy positive growth, performing even better than expected -- driven by robust demand for portable PCs. Western Europe shipment levels further decelerated, recording a decline of 20.9 percent, impacted by persisting high inventory levels and slow consumer demand across the region which prevented stronger sell-in from most vendors. The situation improved and stock depletion continued, but low retail traffic and a continued shift in budget and interest toward othe...

According to the the latest market study by ABI Research , more than 2.1 billion mobile devices (such as smartphones and media tablets) will have HTML5 browsers by 2016 -- that's up up from just 109 million in 2010. While the official position from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is that the HTML5 mark-up language standard will not be complete until 2020, ABI believes that 25 HTML5 features currently in development will become widely used at varying intervals within the next three to five years. "We expect HTML5 features in categories such as graphics, multimedia, user interactions, data storage, and others to be widely adopted sooner rather than later. A significant number of HTML5 features will be adopted in the mass market in the next three to five years," says Mark Beccue, senior analyst at ABI. HTML5 adoption is going to accelerate because it will be a key differentiator in the smartphone operating system competitive race to world dominance. Moreover, Appl...

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. "Th...

While there's still some competitive battles among powerline communications standards -- such as HD-PLC and UPA -- HomePlug has emerged as the victorious market leader for powerline home networking solutions. In addition to being the leader in the sector, the HomePlug Alliance has also signed liaison agreements with the Multimedia Over Coax Alliance (MoCA), the Wi-Fi Alliance, and the ZigBee Alliance to promote cooperation and interoperability in home networking. That truce, and the resulting cooperation, should benefit both CE manufacturers and consumers. According to the latest market study by In-Stat , HomePlug node shipments will surpass 30 million units by 2014. "HomePlug products are expected to maintain their lead and continue to grow considerably over the next five years. We expect the European region to remain the main target market for HomePlug products, though Asia Pacific will see the highest growth rate over the next 5 years," says Vahid Dejwakh, Analys...