Digital Lifescapes

Wi-Fi wireless connectivity has taken the entertainment device market by storm, with cameras, gaming devices (handheld and consoles), and various personal media players (PMPs) incorporating the technology to date. Wi-Fi-enabled entertainment device shipments will increase from 108.8 million in 2009 to 177.3 million in 2013, according the latest market study by In-Stat . "While a growing number of entertainment devices have Wi-Fi embedded, most product categories only have a few players -- often with a single company dominating the market," says Victoria Fodale, In-Stat analyst. For gaming consoles and gaming devices, Nintendo dominates the market, selling 79 percent of Wi-Fi-enabled consoles and 87 percent of Wi-Fi-enabled handheld devices in 2009. In-Stat's market study found the following: - Although the Apple iPod Touch clearly has the dominant Wi-Fi-enabled PMP market share, many vendors now have offerings in the space. - Nikon shipped 91 percent of Wi-Fi-enabled di...

As the worldwide media player market matures, with shipment growth of only 5 percent in 2009, competitors are scrambling to add features such as touchscreens and Wi-Fi connectivity to re-ignite demand, according to the latest In-Stat market study. Just a few years ago, the Personal Media Player (PMP or MP3) player market was among the strongest growth segments in the portable consumer electronic (CE) industry. Today, the market is stalled due to weak consumer demand, a poor economic environment, a stalled replacement market, and competition from the iPhone and other audio/video-capable smartphones. "Among the lone bright spots in the PMP market is Wi-Fi enabled PMPs," says Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst. "Unit shipments of Wi-Fi-enabled PMPs will grow more than four-fold by 2013 from the 14 million units shipped in 2008." In-Stat's market study found the following: - Total worldwide shipments of PMP players will reach 225 million in 2009, with Asia Pacific re...