Wi-Fi Direct Breaks Out in 2011

In-Stat announced it forecasts that 173 million Wi-Fi Direct-enabled devices will ship in 2011.

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Unedited press release follows:

173 Million Wi-Fi Direct-Enabled Devices to Ship in 2011, Says In-Stat

SCOTTSDALE, AZ–(Apr 20, 2011) – Already on the market in small numbers, Wi-Fi Direct is expected to have a break out year in 2011. The number of Wi-Fi Direct-enabled devices shipped will reach 173 million, says In-Stat (www.in-stat.com). Devices shipping with embedded Wi-Fi Direct in 2011 will be led by desktop PCs, digital TVs, mobile phones, and notebook PCs.

Wi-Fi Direct creates a much more powerful Wi-Fi solution, as it enables the premier wireless networking standard to add peer-to-peer capability, with no need for a Wi-Fi access point. This creates a much more compelling standard, a type of one-stop-shop for wireless connectivity, and brings Wi-Fi into competition with specifications such as Bluetooth. And because Wi-Fi Direct is software based, the marginal cost of Wi-Fi Direct-enabled silicon over basic Wi-Fi silicon is negligible.

“Wi-Fi Direct enjoys wide backing from Wi-Fi silicon vendors,” says Brian O’Rourke, Research Director. “Companies such as Atheros, Broadcom, CSR, Intel, Marvell, Qualcomm, Ralink, and Realtek all have plans for widespread release of Wi-Fi Direct-enabled silicon. In fact, many of these companies received Wi-Fi Direct certification for at least one chip solution in the fourth quarter of 2010, shortly after the specification was released by the Wi-Fi Alliance in October. Ultimately though, the key to Wi-Fi Direct’s success will lie in the application programming interface (APIs) software that is developed to make Wi-Fi Direct useful to the consumer.”

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• Every PC, CE device, and mobile phone that ships in 2014 with Wi-Fi silicon will be Wi-Fi Direct-enabled.
• The Wi-Fi Direct-enabled device shipment compounded annual growth rate will be 79% between 2011 and 2015.

Recent In-Stat research, Wi-Fi Direct: It’s All About the Software (#IN1104983MI) includes annual penetration forecasts through 2015 for Wi-Fi Direct in 21 separate applications in four product segments:

• PCs including: mobile PCs and desktop PCs
• PC Peripherals including: printers & multifunction peripherals, keyboards and mice, USB Wi-Fi adapters, and speakers & audio adapters
• Consumer electronics including: digital televisions, digital still cameras, digital camcorders, digital set top boxes (STBs, streaming media players, portable media players, video game consoles, handheld game consoles, DVD and Blu-ray players and recorders, digital photo frames, and e-readers
• Communications including: mobile phones
• Company profiles including: Atheros, Broadcom, ConnectSoft, CSR, Intel, LG, Marvell Semiconductor, Ozmo Devices, Qualcomm, Ralink, Realtek Semiconductor, and Wi-Fi Alliance

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In-Stat’s market intelligence combines technical, market and end-user research and database models to analyze the Mobile Internet and Digital Entertainment ecosystems. Our insights are derived from a deep understanding of technology impacts, nearly 30 years of history in research and consulting, and direct relationships with leading players in each of our core markets. In-Stat provides its research through reports, annual subscriptions, consulting and advisory services to inform critical decisions.