 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
GPS IC Shipments Growth Slowing To 15 Percent In 2009
New York NY (SPX) Mar 31, 2009 Shipments of GPS semiconductors will increase 15 percent on a unit basis in 2009 compared to the previous year, according to a new analysis by ABI Research. This growth rate is lower than the year-on-year growth experienced in 2007 and 2008 and reflects the impact of several factors, most prominently the softness in demand for consumer devices in the current economic downturn. "Demand for GPS-enabled consumer devices is continuing to grow," says senior analyst George Perros. "But pressure on GPS prices and shorter product life cycles will have a negative effect on GPS chipset supplier margins. While the market outlook for GPS as a mobile device feature is positive, the business outlook for semiconductor sector participants is more uneven and quite a bit more challenging." Unit growth will be driven by applications for mobile consumer devices, in particular handsets and personal navigation devices. These, along with emerging device markets that include digital cameras and netbook computers, will push total GPS semiconductor shipment growth rates higher in 2010 and beyond. Professional and industrial GPS markets, including machine control, timing and synchronization, and commercial fleet telematics will also experience healthy growth. GPS IC suppliers are responding to trends in consumer device markets by designing chipsets with higher levels of integration and improved packaging, and in the process are addressing the desire of OEM device suppliers to reduce cost and space while expanding feature content. A recent series of announcements for chips that combine GPS with other radios such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM is being driven in part by the view among GPS suppliers that more functionality in less space will provide a competitive edge in major consumer device applications. Despite favorable growth prospects for GPS semiconductors, continued profitability will require insightful planning and aggressive cost management on the part of sector companies. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links ABI Research GPS Applications, Technology and Suppliers
LockMart GPS III Team Maintains Schedule In Preliminary Design Review
Newtown PA (SPX) Mar 31, 2009The Lockheed Martin team developing the U.S. Air Force's next-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) spacecraft, known as GPS III, continues to meet or exceed key milestones on schedule in the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) phase of the program. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook