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Universal Serial Bus Living Up to "Universal" Description (16/2/2005)

USB-enabled devices will continue their march to ubiquity in electronics products, as total USB-enabled devices will rise from 705.7 million in 2004 to 2.1 billion in 2009, according to In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). Growth will continue in all categories - PCs, PC peripherals, consumer electronics, and communications devices - through 2009, with the fastest growth coming in the communications category.

"In the PC market in 2004, high-speed USB has nearly saturated the desktop market, and now comprises over three-quarters of the notebook market, whose slower design cycles mean less rapid adoption," says Brian O'Rourke, In-Stat analyst. "2004 also saw significantly increased USB adoption in the computer peripherals market. External hard disk drives and external optical writers were among the first to transition to high-speed, and essentially all have it now."

In-Stat has also found that:

Wireless USB 1.0 should make its debut in the PC market late in 2005 in the form of dongles that hook into USB ports.

In consumer electronics (CE), transition to high-speed hasn't been as rapid as in the peripheral space due to less dependence on PCs in this segment. However, products like set top boxes, digital still cameras, and digital camcorders are adopting USB.

The first wireless USB-enabled devices should be available by the end of 2005. The report, "USB 2005: The Market for USB-enabled Products" (#IN0501924MI),provides forecasts of USB-enabled products by market segment and individual product categories through 2009. It also includes a forecast of USB chip average selling prices. The report also profiles USB silicon and IP providers.

www.in-stat.com