MarketWatch Biweekly: Featured Stories

Smartphones, Tablets, and Notebook PCs to Grow at 25.7% CAGR Through 2015

Tuesday, 31 January 2012 11:18

Read this week's issue - January 30, 2012

While the consumer electronic (CE) market was once driven by the ability of devices to provide specific functions, like music playback, video, or voice communications, CE devices are increasingly providing multiple functions and Internet connectivity for information, communications, and entertainment. This is resulting in the overlap of features and functions between product categories not only in the mobile segment, but also in other CE devices like digital TVs and set top boxes. As a result, this entire category is morphing into a larger category often referred to as smart devices. These devices are increasingly sharing the same silicon components, operating systems, and application software.There are three leading platforms in the mobile segment—smartphones, tablets, and notebooks PCs—and new In-Stat (www.in-stat.com) research forecasts that this category of mobile "magnet platforms" will grow at a CAGR of 25.7% through 2015 as compared to 8.7% for the overall mobile market.

Read more in the January 30, 2012 ECN article "Smartphones, Tablets, and Notebook PCs to Grow at 25.7% CAGR Through 2015"

Flash revenue expected to overtake DRAM in 2012

Tuesday, 17 January 2012 09:40

Read this week's issue - January 16, 2012

Sales of flash memory chips are expected to eclipse sales of DRAM for the first time in 2012, according to market research firm IC Insights Inc.

IC Insights (Scottsdale, Ariz.) projects that flash memory revenue will hit $32.8 billion in 2012, up 11 percent from 2011. Meanwhile, the firm predicts that DRAM sales will slide to $30.3 billion, down 3 percent from 2011 due to softening average selling prices (ASPs), according to the firm.

Capital spending for DRAM is also expected to decline to less than $5 billion in 2012, according to the firm. This would translate to roughly 4.3 percent of expected DRAM sales, the lowest level ever, according to IC Insights. By contrast, DRAM capital spending equated to roughly 7.3 percent of sales last year and about 11.3 percent of sales in 2010, according to the company.

Read more in the January 13, 2012 EE Times article "Flash revenue expected to overtake DRAM in 2012"