Internet-Connected Consumer Electronics Go Mobile: ABI Research Launches New Research Service to Help Clarify a Nascent Market

Business Wire, Sept 19, 2008

NEW YORK -- Ultra-mobile devices - UMPCs, netbooks, and mobile Internet devices - and consumer electronics devices such as game devices, portable media players, digital cameras and camcorders, and connected navigation devices are increasingly connecting to the Internet over cellular networks. This trend is still in its infancy, and will grow strongly over the next few years. To help the stakeholders in this market navigate these uncharted waters, ABI Research has launched a "MIDs and Mobile CE Research Service."

"Ultra-mobile devices are in a state of flux," says principal analyst Philip Solis. "Underlying platforms are still being developed and refined, device manufacturers from the PC, CE, and mobile device worlds are jumping into this market, and mobile operators are struggling to figure out issues such as subsidization, service pricing, and product distribution."

One of the first topics to address is the looming battle between two processor camps. Ultra-mobile devices can operate on x86-based processors such as Intel's Atom, Via's products, or on a probable offering from AMD; these chips are competing against ARM processors, either from ARM itself or from its licensees including industry giants such as Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, and eventually Ericsson, among others. The new Research Service will track this competition as it unfolds.

The Service includes a Market Data product that sizes the market and provides shipments and revenue forecasts for UMPCs (ultra-mobile PCs), netbooks, and MIDs, segmented by region, platform design, operating system and other parameters.

This Market Data will be expanded to include mobile consumer electronics in the form of gaming devices, portable media players, imaging devices, and connected PNDs.

The Service will examine common platforms and assess which will fare better in particular device types. It includes full-length Research Reports and shorter Research Briefs on specific topics of interest, and in the near future will offer ABI Vendor Matrices, which evaluate vendors on important innovation and implementation parameters.

As this very new market evolves, vendors, investors and retailers need cogent analysis of its emerging trends, backed by the best and most current data available. To learn more, please visit the "MIDs and Mobile CE Research Service" (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/MIDS_and_Mobile_CE).

ABI Research is a leading market research firm focused on the impact of emerging technologies on global consumer and business markets. Utilizing a unique blend of market intelligence, primary research, and expert assessment from its worldwide team of industry analysts, ABI Research assists hundreds of clients each year with their strategic growth initiatives. For information, visit www.abiresearch.com, or call 1.516.624.2500.