| LinuxDevices year-end review: Top market research reports of 2006 |
(Dec. 21, 2006)
JANUARY
TWO BILLION UNIT DEVICE MARKET TILTS TOWARD OFF-THE-SHELF SOFTWARE
More than two billion embedded devices shipped in 2004, according to VDC, or about one device for every three people on the planet. VDC expects device shipments to achieve double-digit growth through 2007, with off-the-shelf operating systems and development tools playing an increasingly important role in device development. Details
SMARTPHONE GROWTH SIGNIFICANT, BUT RISKS REMAIN
The smartphone market grew over 70 percent in 2005, and will grow significantly during the next five years, according to In-Stat. However, the high-end devices risk being perceived as "very expensive feature phones" if users fail to download the applications required to make the devices more useful than lower-priced counterparts, the market research firm warns. Details
FEBRUARY
MOBILE PHONES: MORE THAN TWO BILLION SERVED
The two billionth mobile phone subscriber worldwide signed up at the end of September, 2005, according to ABI Research. The market data firm expects the three billionth mobile phone subscriber to sign up sometime before the end of 2008. Details
LINUX, WINDOWS FORECAST TO PASS SYMBIAN BY 2010
By 2010, Linux and Windows will both overtake Symbian in the market for advanced mobile phone OSes, says a report from The Diffusion Group (TDG). Linux currently claims 23 percent of the market, while Symbian has 51 percent and Microsoft 17 percent, the research firm reports. Linux enjoyed a "sizeable boost in shipments" during the second half of 2005, a trend expected to continue. Details
PDA MARKET SETS NEW RECORD -- WITHOUT LINUX
The worldwide PDA market hit a new high in 2005, Gartner reports. Annual shipments were 14.9 million, up 19 percent over 2004, and surpassing the previous record of 13.2 million set in 2001. Additionally, Windows CE remained the top PDA operating system, accounting for nearly half of all PDA shipments. But those numbers don't tell the whole story. Details
MARCH
THE NEW ERA OF MOBILE LINUX UBIQUITY
This whitepaper by OSDL Analyst/Strategist Bill Weinberg examines the growing role of Linux and open source software in the device industry, with a particular emphasis on mobile phones. It examines Linux's rise to prominence, obstacles to even wider adoption, and efforts underway to make Linux even more ubiquitous. Details
ANALYST SEES SMARTPHONE MARKET DOUBLING IN 2006
Smartphones will advance beyond early adopters and into the mainstream in 2006, doubling their shipment volumes to around 123 million units, and attaining 15 percent of the worldwide mobile phone market, ABI Research forecasts. Additionally, while Symbian continues to be the market leader, Linux and Windows Mobile appear to be gaining ground. Details
LINUX GROWTH STRONG IN $6B NORTH AMERICAN POS MARKET
Shipments of PC-based point-of-sale (POS) systems in North America grew five percent in 2005, to nearly $6 billion, market analyst IHL reported Wednesday. Linux-based systems accounted for nine percent of shipments, up from five percent the previous year. Windows-based systems led the market, with a 71 percent share of shipments, IHL reported. Details
APRIL
NETWORKED HOME ELECTRONICS MARKET SET TO TAKE OFF
The market for home networking and connected entertainment devices will grow from $14 billion in 2005 to more than $85 billion in 2011, ABI forecasts. This "astonishing" growth rate will be driven by a desire for "pervasive connectivity" in applications such as multi-room PVRs, place-shifting, and networked gaming. Details
U.S. ADVISED TO PROMOTE OPEN STANDARDS, SOURCE, INNOVATION
A business- and university-led public policy group has issued a downloadable 72-page report examining open standards, open source software, and "open innovation." The report concludes that openness should be promoted as a matter of public policy, in order to foster innovation and economic growth in the U.S. and world economies. Our news item provides a link from which you can download the complete report. Details
MOBILE PHONES, FEATURES, USES PROLIFERATE
Mobile phones will displace PCs as the top Internet access platform, connect increasingly with home networks, and within five years, serve as electronic wallets, according to recent reports from several market research firms. Additionally, phone shipments continue to grow fast, fueled by both replacement business and developing markets. Details
MAY
MOBILE PHONE MARKET TO TOP $250 BILLION BY 2011
The worldwide market for "wireless handsets" totaled $110 billion in 2005, and will grow 23 percent to $136 billion this year, researcher In-Stat reports. Additionally, although decreasing growth rates are forecast over the next five years, the firm expects the market to top $250 billion by 2011. Read our news item for more interesting bits. Details
WIMAX'S ROLE IN IMS, FMC, MANS, AND 3G
WiMAX and WiFi mesh networking, IMS (Internet multimedia services/subsystems), FMC (fixed-mobile convergence), and real-world MANs (metropolitan area networks) are among the topics discussed by Peter Jarich, principal analyst of wireless infrastructure for market research firm Current Analysis, in an in-depth online article. Details
EMBEDDED LINUX MARKET GROWTH PLOTTED
The results of LinuxDevices.com's sixth annual Embedded Linux Market Survey are in! Overall, we find the results encouraging for embedded Linux, and for companies in the embedded Linux OS and tools market. This brief summary outlines our interpretation of a few key data points. Details
JUNE
HIGH-GROWTH HANDSET MARKET FACES LOW-COST DILEMMA
The market for mobile phones continued to expand rapidly in Q1, but it is becoming more fragmented, ABI Research reports. One important segment that manufacturers ignore at their own peril is the emerging market for ultra-low cost handsets, according to ABI's most recent market update report. Details
FMC ADOPTION COMING, CARRIER-ENTERPRISE BATTLE BREWING
Enterprise-focused fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) initiatives could help carriers, as well as enterprises, by driving adoption and usage of mobile devices, a report from research firm Unstrung Insider suggests. However, a battle between carriers and enterprises over control of converged networks may follow, the report warns. Details
JULY
CONVERGED HANDSETS BECOMING IRRESISTIBLE
Annual shipments of "converged" handsets -- devices combining cellular and WiFi wireless -- will exceed 132 million units by 2010, In-Stat forecasts. Carriers have been reluctant to offer WiFi-capable handsets for several reasons, but WiFi has now "spread so fast that they will not be able to resist much longer." Details
HOME ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKS COMING ON STRONG
By 2010 some 30 million households are expected to have "connected entertainment networks," according to a recent study by Parks Associates. A connected entertainment network is "a network composed of either a PC connected to at least one consumer electronic (CE) device or multiple interconnected CE devices such as a whole-house DVR system." Details
MOTO RIDES LINUX TO #2 SMART MOBILE DEVICE SPOT
Motorola shipped a million Linux-based smartphones in China last quarter, making it the second-largest vendor of smart mobile devices, according to mobile industry analyst Canalys. Chinese smartphone shipments enabled Motorola to pass RIM, Sharp, and Palm, but the number-two mobile phone vendor still trails Nokia by a wide margin. Details
AUGUST
ENTERPRISES TO EMBRACE IMS?
By 2010, mobile phone carriers could generate more than $15 billion annually by providing IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services to enterprises, according to In-Stat. IMS services could be integrated with a variety of enterprise applications that require remote access, security, and high availability, industry analyst In-Stat believes. Details
MOBILE PHONE TV -- HALF A BILLION WATCHING BY 2011?
By 2011, 446 million people could be watching TV on their cell phones, according to IMS Research. Given adequate service quality, the market research firm expects 50 percent year-over-year TV phone growth, fueled by both TV-over-cellular and broadcast-based services such as DVB-H. Details
OPEN-SOURCE STACK PROVIDERS GETTING SQUEEZED?
Pure-play open-source software providers are being squeezed out of the enterprise market by increasingly complete offerings from application and OS providers, according to a report from The 451 Group's just-launched "Commercial Adoption of Open Source" service. The report's findings may also apply to embedded Linux stack providers. Details
CELLPHONE VIDEO FUTURE UNCLEAR
The market for "long form" (30+ minutes) mobile video content is likely to remain "experimental" for at least two years, In-Stat reports. Furthermore, the analyst firm's research remains inconclusive as to whether consumers will eventually adopt all-purpose multimedia cellular phones, versus using separate mobile phone and media player devices. Details
SEPTEMBER
OPEN SOURCE "GAINING ENORMOUS MOMENTUM"
The open-source software "phenomenon" extends far beyond Linux, and is "gaining enormous momentum," IDC reports. Following a recent survey of over 5,000 developers in 116 countries, IDC has concluded that open-source software represents "the most significant all-encompassing and long-term trend that the software industry has seen since the early 1980s." Details
WHITEPAPER ASSESSES LINUX IN THE MOBILE PHONE SPACE
This EDC whitepaper explores the progress and prospects of Linux in the mobile phone market, examining major vendors, application development trends, geographic factors, and Linux drivers/inhibitors. Although commissioned by PalmSource, it appears to take a balanced view of the market, drawing upon several prior EDC surveys. Details
EMBEDDED SOFTWARE TOOLS VENDORS FACE MARKET CHALLENGES
Embedded software companies selling only development tools face challenges ahead, according to VDC. The research firm's recently released report on the embedded software development tools market warns that the market for "unbundled" software development tools such as compilers and debuggers is expected to undergo little if any growth. Details
SMARTPHONE MARKET TAKES OFF
Worldwide shipments of converged mobile devices achieved record shipments of 19.3 million units in Q2 of 2006, a 42.1 percent year-over-year gain, IDC reported on Sept. 12. For the entire year, shipments of the devices are expected to reach nearly 100 million units, according to the analyst firm. Details
OCTOBER
LINUX CELLPHONE DOMINATION NEAR, REPORT SUGGESTS
Forget Symbian! The "war of the OSes" in mobile phones looks rosy for Linux and Windows, according to a detailed, insightful, freely available whitepaper from ARCchart. Funded by Trolltech, the 27-page "independent" report overviews the entire cellphone software market, offering in-depth reviews of 15 software stacks. Details
LINUX AND THE MOBILE PHONE MARKET
Our roving reporter returned with photos and presentation slides from last week's SDForum meeting in Palo Alto, where mobile Linux experts Bill Weinberg (OSDL), Benoit Schillings (Trolltech), and John Cook (Palmsource) teamed up on a set of presentations entitled, "The state of Linux on mobile devices." Their three informative presentations are now available for viewing and download by LinuxDevices.com readers. Details
VDC NOTES MINI-ITX'S "SURPRISING" RISE IN SBC MARKET
It's official: mini-ITX is making a "huge splash" in the single-board computer (SBC) market, according to embedded-industry analyst firm VDC. Sales of the small, low-power, low-heat boards with rich PC I/O have grown at a compound annual rate of 22.5 percent over the last four years. Details
LINUX MAKES MOT TOPS IN PDA/SMARTPHONE GROWTH
Strong Linux smartphone sales in China helped Motorola achieve the highest overall year-on-year growth among the top five vendors in the PDA/Smartphone market, according to Gartner. In contrast, Motorola's Symbian- and Microsoft-based smartphones are "not making significant progress," Gartner reports. Details
ACCESS/PALMSOURCE SHARES MOBILE PHONE MARKET ANALYSIS
What do titanium legos, "meritocric" processes (is that a word??), and Horatio Ableton the cat have in common? They're all part of Access/PalmSource VP of Engineering Michael Kelley's informative and entertaining LinuxWorld presentation, entitled "Beyond the PC: the realization of Linux in the mobile device market." Our news item provides a link to the complete presentation, in PDF format. Details
ONE BILLION CELLPHONES EXPECTED TO SHIP THIS YEAR
Despite a soft second quarter, both in terms of units and average selling prices, the mobile phone market is expected to achieve shipments of one billion units this year, according to ABI Research. Over 245 million mobile handsets shipped in Q3, and 4Q is expected to be a "bumper quarter." Details
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FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.
Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.
Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.
Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.
High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.
Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.
Embedded Hardware and OS Technology Empower PC-Based Platforms
The modern embedded computer is the jack of all trades appearing in many forms.
Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
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