Analyst sees 200M UMDs shipping in 2013

Last updated Sep 27, 2008 — 215 views

From a virtual standing start of just 10 million units in 2008, more than 10 million ultra-mobile devices (UMDs) are expected to ship in 2013, predicts ABI Research. UMD is ABI’s umbrella term for UMPCs (ultra-mobile PCs), netbooks, and MIDs (mobile Internet devices).

“The UMD market will still be small compared to the wireless handset market, but with a forecast revenue of nearly US$27 billion in 2013, it will certainly be significant,” said ABI principal analyst Philip Solis.

MID shipments expected to surge

While netbooks account for about 90 percent of today’s UMD market, ABI expects them to fall to a distant second place by 2013, with MID shipments surging ahead to take nearly 68 percent of the market. UMPCs, meanwhile, are likely to remain a niche category.



Representative devices: UMPC (Samsung Q1); netbook (Asus Eee PC); MID (Nokia N810)
(Click each image to enlarge)

To put the UMD market forecasts into perspective, ABI notes that its estimate of 200 million UMD shipping in 2013 is roughly the anticipated size of that year’s worldwide laptop PC market.

“As this market enters its rapid growth phase and starts to evolve,” Solis continued, “we will see considerable experimentation with different distribution channels: some will sell direct from the manufacturer, some via retail outlets, and some through mobile operators who will subsidize them to encourage new data plan subscriptions.”

This data comes from a new ABI report entitled “Mobile Internet Devices and UMPCs.” The study analyzes drivers and barriers for UMDs across the ecosystem., as well as key issues that are expected to shape this market. The latter include the contest between x86- and ARM-based processors, distribution and subsidization, device definitions, and the effect of cellular voice-enabled MIDs. The report also provides detailed, segmented market forecasts through 2013, ABI says.


[This research brief is copyright © 2008 ABI Research. All rights reserved. Reproduced by DeviceGuru.com with permission.]

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