WLAN-enabled CE Device Shipments to Surpass 419 Million by 2015

Many consumer electronic products (CE) include WLAN connectivity using the available standards 802.11b/g, 802.11n, and the soon-to-be available 802.11ac. Most of these CE products can be categorized as portable. More recently, products typically cast as stationary, such as TVs, DVD/Blu-ray players, and digital photo frames, now offer more products that wirelessly connect to the Internet or a home network, providing access to digital content.

Even though the WLAN attach rates of these stationary devices remain relatively low in comparison to their portable counterparts, the size of the combined WLAN-enabled CE markets will surpass 419 million units shipped by 2015, according to a new In-Stat (www.in-stat.com) research.

“WLAN connectivity in portable CE devices is not a novel idea and, in fact, an absolute requirement in most cases,” says Frank Dickson, Vice President of Research. “What is new is the growth in stationary CE WLAN-enabled devices. The global embedded base of web-enabled and smart CE devices is expected to grow substantially over the next five years, providing the connectivity necessary to support IP-based video content. Smart CE devices actually go one step further, offering online applications.”

Some of the research findings include:
• E-readers will reach a 90 percent WLAN attach rate by 2015.
• In 2014, handheld game consoles will have an 802.11n attach rate of 32 percent.
• Over 54 million WLAN-enabled digital TVs will ship in 2013.
• The 802.11ac standard will reach an attach rate in notebooks of 57 percent in 2015.

In-Stat