Pointing to the obvious, In-Stat/MDR releases research stating Bluetooth products are poised to go mainstream - with headsets and Personal Mobile Gateways at the forefront.
Although Bluetooth-enabled devices haven't quite entered the true mainstream yet, they are poised to take that next step, finds the latest research by In-Stat/MDR. With mobile phones, PDAs, and headsets making significant strides over the last year, the automotive market beginning to make an impact, and PMG (Personal Mobile Gateway) products expected to emerge, shipments of Bluetooth-enabled manufactured equipment are expected to increase steeply.
"Most of the end-use markets for this technology seem to be making significant headway," said Joyce Putscher, director of the high-tech market research firm's Converging Markets and Technologies Group. HandsFree regulations and auto manufacturers are helping to drive the movement toward the safety and convenience of cordless headsets, and consumers will be able to use them with a multitude of products, from mobile phones to telematics systems, digital audio players and game devices, PCs, office phones, and emerging stereo systems and wireless speakers.
In addition, Putscher believes that "Since CDMA is a large factor in the U.S., getting embedded Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones into that market is integral for Bluetooth growth in the U.S." Bluetooth-enabled CDMA phones are beginning to emerge onto the market, with Sprint PCS carrying a Sony Ericsson CDMA/AMPS Bluetooth-enabled phone.
The automotive market is also beginning to make an impact on Bluetooth demand, from a technology awareness aspect, in addition to the functionality benefits of HandsFree operation. The automotive market will according to In-Stat/MDR provide a driver for many handsets, headsets, embedded auto solutions, and aftermarket car kits.
In addition, demand for PMG (Personal Mobile Gateway) products, such as those being offered by IXI Mobile, and their associated capabilities and services, will provide another driver for Bluetooth-enabled products. A number of wireless operators see PMGs as an opportunity to increase their Average Revenue Per Unit (ARPU) and to offer service differentiation. However, the successful emergence of PMGs will depend on the willingness of operators to embrace this new breed of devices. PMG handsets and companion devices, such as cameras and messaging devices, will jump start deployments.
In-Stat/MDR also expects products compliant with the Bluetooth 1.2 version - which includes Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH) capabilities - to emerge this year. Not only for notebooks, this coexistence profile is desirable for headsets, and other applications as well. Still, the research firm also anticipates mobile phones will have the lead in manufactured Bluetooth-emabled equipment as far ahead as in 2008.
Competition from Ultra-Wideband or 802.15.4 is viewed as unlikely, however, since Bluetooth supports voice. That is one of the reasons In-Stat/MDR does not consider these technologies as major competition for Bluetooth in the near future.
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