Friday, December 30, 2005

Women are catching up to men in most measures of online life

Pew Internet & American Life Project A wide-ranging look at the way American women and men use the internet shows that men continue to pursue many internet activities more intensively than women, and that men are still first out of the blocks in trying the latest technologies. At the same time, there are trends showing that women are catching up in overall use and are framing their online experience with a greater emphasis on deepening connections with people.

The percentage of women using the internet still lags slightly behind the percentage of men. Women under 30 and black women outpace their male peers. However, older women trail dramatically behind older men.

  • 68% of men are internet users, compared with 66% of women. Because they make up more of the population, the total number of women online is now slightly larger than the number of men.

  • 86% of women ages 18-29 are online, compared with 80% of men that age.

  • 34% of men age 65 and older are online, compared with 21% of women that age.

  • 60% of black women are online, compared with 50% of black men.

    Men are slightly more intense internet users than women. Men log on more often, spend more time online, and are more likely to be broadband users.

  • On a typical day, 67% of online men use the internet, compared with 64% of women.

  • 52% of men have broadband connections at home, compared with 48% of women.

    In most categories of internet activity, more men than women are participants, but women are catching up.

  • Compared with women, online men are more likely to: check the weather, get news, get do-it-yourself information, check for sports information, get political information, get financial information, do job-related research, download software, listen to music, rate a product/person/service through an online reputation system, download music files, use a webcam, take a class.

  • Compared with men, online women are more likely to: use email, get maps and directions, look for health and medical information, use web sites to get support for health or personal problems, get religious information.

  • For many online activities, the growth rate for women’s participation is greater than the growth rate for men’s, including: using government web sites, getting religious information, watching video clips or listening to audio clips, getting news, researching products.

    More than men, women are enthusiastic online communicators, and they use email in a more robust way. Women are more likely than men to use email to write to friends and family about a variety of topics: sharing news and worries, planning events, forwarding jokes and funny stories. Women are more likely to feel satisfied with the role email plays in their lives, especially when it comes to nurturing their relationships. And women include a wider range of topics and activities in their personal emails. Men use email more than women to communicate with various kinds of organizations.

    More online men than women perform online transactions. Men and women are equally likely to use the internet to buy products and take part in online banking, but men are more likely to use the internet to pay bills, participate in auctions, trade stocks and bonds, and pay for digital content.

    Men are more avid consumers than women of online information. Men look for information on a wider variety of topics and issues than women do.

    Men are more likely than women to use the internet as a destination for recreation. Men are more likely to: gather material for their hobbies, read online for pleasure, take informal classes, participate in sports fantasy leagues, download music and videos, remix files, and listen to radio.

    Men are more interested than women in technology, and they are also more tech savvy.

  • 68% of men are responsible for home computer maintenance, compared with 45% of women.

  • 50% of men have changed the browser homepage on their computers, compared with 34% of women.

  • Among people who are not currently internet users, 58% of women say they don’t need the internet or want it, compared with 45% of men who say they don’t need it and 43% of men who don’t want it.

    More: How Women and Men Use the Internet Publ 20051228

  • Wednesday, December 28, 2005

    Women are catching up to men in most measures of online life

    Pew Intgernet: Washington – A wide-ranging look at the way American women and men use the internet shows that men continue to pursue many internet activities more intensively than women, and that men are still first out of the blocks in trying the latest technologies. At the same time, there are trends showing that women are catching up in overall use and are framing their online experience with a greater emphasis on deepening connections with people.

    Project shows how men’s and women’s use of the internet has changed over time. Some highlights:

    The percentage of women using the internet still lags slightly behind the percentage of men. Women under 30 and black women outpace their male peers. However, older women trail dramatically behind older men.

  • 68% of men are internet users, compared with 66% of women. Because they make up more of the population, the total number of women online is now slightly larger than the number of men.

  • 86% of women ages 18-29 are online, compared with 80% of men that age.

  • 34% of men age 65 and older are online, compared with 21% of women that age.

  • 60% of black women are online, compared with 50% of black men.

    Men are slightly more intense internet users than women. Men log on more often, spend more time online, and are more likely to be broadband users.

  • On a typical day, 67% of online men use the internet, compared with 64% of women.

  • 52% of men have broadband connections at home, compared with 48% of women.

    In most categories of internet activity, more men than women are participants, but women are catching up.

  • Compared with women, online men are more likely to: check the weather, get news, get do-it-yourself information, check for sports information, get political information, get financial information, do job-related research, download software, listen to music, rate a product/person/service through an online reputation system, download music files, use a webcam, take a class.

  • Compared with men, online women are more likely to: use email, get maps and directions, look for health and medical information, use web sites to get support for health or personal problems, get religious information.

  • For many online activities, the growth rate for women’s participation is greater than the growth rate for men’s, including: using government web sites, getting religious information, watching video clips or listening to audio clips, getting news, researching products.

    More than men, women are enthusiastic online communicators, and they use email in a more robust way. Women are more likely than men to use email to write to friends and family about a variety of topics: sharing news and worries, planning events, forwarding jokes and funny stories. Women are more likely to feel satisfied with the role email plays in their lives, especially when it comes to nurturing their relationships. And women include a wider range of topics and activities in their personal emails. Men use email more than women to communicate with various kinds of organizations.

    More online men than women perform online transactions. Men and women are equally likely to use the internet to buy products and take part in online banking, but men are more likely to use the internet to pay bills, participate in auctions, trade stocks and bonds, and pay for digital content.

    Men are more avid consumers than women of online information. Men look for information on a wider variety of topics and issues than women do.

    Men are more likely than women to use the internet as a destination for recreation. Men are more likely to: gather material for their hobbies, read online for pleasure, take informal classes, participate in sports fantasy leagues, download music and videos, remix files, and listen to radio.

    Men are more interested than women in technology, and they are also more tech savvy.

  • 68% of men are responsible for home computer maintenance, compared with 45% of women.

  • 50% of men have changed the browser homepage on their computers, compared with 34% of women.

  • Among people who are not currently internet users, 58% of women say they don’t need the internet or want it, compared with 45% of men who say they don’t need it and 43% of men who don’t want it.

    If there is an overall pattern of differences here, it is that men value the internet for the breadth of experiences it offers, and women value it for the human connections. How Women and Men Use the Internet Publ 20051228

  • Tuesday, December 27, 2005

    Camera-equipped Cellular Phone Shipments to Surge

    Net Insights:Global Camera phone shipments to reach 910 million in 2009. The cellular handset market is expected to be very exciting over the next few years. One part of the handset market that will be a driving force in the future will be the camera phone segment.

    Historically, Japanese cellular subscribers have been especially receptive to more features added to their handsets. Although the cellular handset market in Japan is up 27% in 2005 (to 52 million units) as compared to 2002 (41 million units), the Japanese digital-camera-equipped cell phone market has more than doubled, growing from 19 million units in 2002 to 47 million units in 2005!

    Although the Japanese market was the "early adopter" of the camera phone, it is estimated that the Japanese market will represent only about 13% of the total demand for camera-equipped handsets in 2005, down from 95% just three years earlier in 2002. One of the pleasant surprises in the cellular phone industry over the past couple of years has been the significant popularity of the camera phone outside of Japan.

    In 2009, camera-equipped cellular phones are forecast to represent almost three-fourths of the total handset market, up from about 45% in 2005 (Figure 1). Nokia alone is expected to ship over 100 million camera-equipped handsets in 2005. Moreover, the quality of the camera in the cellular handset is increasing dramatically.

    In early 2002, most camera phones offered 300,000-pixel images. In 3Q03, Sony Ericsson’s leading-edge MovaSO505i handset was equipped with a built-in camera featuring a resolution of more than one million pixels. In May of 2004, Casio introduced a camera-equipped cellular phone that offered 3.2 million pixel autofocus imaging capability. Samsung began shipping its SCH-770, the world’s first 7.4 million-pixel camera-equipped cell phone in mid-2005! This handset was priced at over $900.

    The high-resolution (i.e., >1Mpixel) versions of camera phones are forecast to go from representing only about 4% of the 2004 camera phone market to almost 95% of the market in 2009. Moreover, most of the high-resolution camera phones sold in 2009 are expected to have >2Mpixel capability.

    A Integrated Circuit Market Drivers Publ 20051227

    Thursday, December 22, 2005

    Video Downloads an Ideal Audition for Television Portable Audio, Video and Game Market Evolution

    ABI: The emerging video download industry based on portable video players will be a perfect test bed for full-length television shows. That we won't be seeing full-length episodes of hit television shows downloaded to portable devices in 2006. Instead, we'll have more of what's available now: short-form video . These trailers, promos, and mini-episodes are only a few minutes long. But their brevity provides a golden opportunity. The mainstream broadcast model is an extraordinarily expensive way to trial new concepts and shows. Over 70% of all new shows don't survive the first season. The logic of trying short versions on emerging platforms at relatively low cost before committing to the expense of hour-long TV productions will soon be apparent to content owners. For content owners, it's like conducting a customer survey: Should this be a full-length show? And while short-form and feature shows differ, a portable download hit is probably worth a full-length investment. 2005 was the year that both halves of the industry — equipment vendors and major entertainment content owners — tested the water. Apple's video iPod, the Sony PSP, and PMPs, have established the idea: a technology to distribute premium Hollywood content without worries about piracy. Leading Hollywood studios and networks including Disney, ESPN and ABC have used 2005 to give the portable market a try. So far they seem pretty happy with what the portable and mobile telephony industries can provide them. But a network can save much more on upfront program development costs than it will make by selling short clips for $1.99 each. ABI Research's study, Portable Audio, Video and Game Market Evolution , Publ 20051222

    Navigation, Entertainment, and Wireless Abound at CES

    Telematic: US.Telematics is about the wireless delivery

    of information and content to (and from) autos. From emergency call buttons to

    satellite radio, telematics is a host of technologies and solutions that bring wireless

    technology into the car.

    Bluetooth -- A common theme at CES, nearly all wireless device manufacturers

    support Bluetooth in one way or another. The most common applications are hands

    free phones devices but Bluetooth is just now getting deployed for music players.

    Expect a handful of first-time Bluetooth audio solutions to make their debut at CES.

    Portable Navigation Devices – PNDs include dozens of products based on PDA-like

    form factors. The key selling point is portability and the ability to travel with these

    devices from car-to-car. This category is now being characterized by a convergence

    of technologies and applications—most new devices combine navigation with other

    features such as MP3 or Bluetooth.

    GPS-enabled Mobile Phones -- Most CDMA phones have built-in GPS (Assisted GPS)

    and we are seeing the emergence of location-based services designed for these

    devices. The most common applications include off-board navigation, but a host of

    new devices will support real-time traffic.

    Rear Seat Entertainment Systems – Rear seat entertainment is already a big hit for

    both retailers and automotive OEMs. In-vehicle systems that allow users to

    transfer video programming from their home to the car will be a trend in rear seat

    entertainment. Strong competitive pressure from the aftermarket is pulling down

    premium price points for rear seat system. At the same time, attach rates are

    growing.

    Satellite Radio – Satellite Radio is seeing a breakout year. Nearly all mobile

    electronics companies support satellite radio with headunits that are XM and/or

    Sirius enabled. The latest portable satellite receivers are designed to be used inside

    and/or outside of the car, competing with iPods for obvious reasons.

    HDD-based Entertainment/Navigation Systems -- Hard disk drives are used to

    archive content such as music files and navigation data. The most compelling

    Music/iPod Docking Devices – iPod docking devices are responding to pent-up

    demand in the automotive space. Since the automotive OEMs have not responded

    fast enough to meet the demand, there are a flood of aftermarket devices that

    interface the iPod with the audio system. Sophisticated units now support physical

    connections to the audio (vs. FM) and also include control of the device with some

    supporting audio titles and track info on the DIS or head unit displays.

    Automotive Telematics: Enabling Vehicles for Wireless Publ 20051222

    ADVANCED TCA MARKET PENETRATION AND EXPECTATIONS

    Venture Development : AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA equipment indicates that, in 2006, shipments of merchant Blades and Mezzanine Cards for use in ATCA or MicroTCA environments will comprise US$ 291.3 million. This represents 74% of the total ATCA board-and-chassis level merchant hardware market, as shown in the Exhibit below.

    At the AdvancedTCA Summit, held in early December in San Jose, some vendors and developers expressed some dismay that this architecture had not achieved greater penetration, and expressed some doubts as to its viability or acceptance by the market, given the "somewhat lackluster" shipments achieved in 2005 and projected for 2006. The AdvancedTCA base specification, PICMG 3.0, was only released in 2002, and extensions defining the Backplane Link Technologies (switch fabrics) were not released until 2003. Thus, in 2006, the beginnings of a viable AdvancedTCA ecosystem will have been in place for barely three years. It took roughly ten years for VME to become established, and five or more years for CompactPCI.

    Are the total expected year 2006 shipments of US$ 291.3 million significant enough to indicate that the architecture has become accepted and established, or does this truly represent "lackluster" performance? The Merchant Computer Boards for Embedded/Real-Time Applications Intelligence Program, published in April of 2005, projects the total value of the global merchant embedded board market, including all standards-based board types and architectures, to be US$ 4,178 million in 2006. The projected 2006 AdvancedTCA shipments are just under 7% of this total market.

    AdvancedTCA (and MicroTCA) comprise passive backplane architectures. The aforementioned merchant board study projects total global shipments of slot cards and mezzanine cards for use in passive backplane systems to be US$ 3,188 million; projected AdvancedTCA shipments comprise more than 9% of this total. This is by no means lackluster performance for an emerging architecture and ecosystem. The apparent disconnect arises from unrealistic expectations caused by industry and media hype. The trumpeting headlines have led some to believe that AdvancedTCA would “take over the world” almost overnight. This cannot and will not happen. Penetration will be evolutionary and gradual, not abrupt. Indeed, despite industry hype, both VDC's research and that conducted by certain other organizations have indicated that many carriers are still not aware of ATCA and its value proposition and, among those that are aware, many are still less than convinced.

    Nevertheless, VDC expects continued growth of AdvancedTCA and its sibling MicroTCA such that ATCA Blades and AMC/PMC Mezzanine Cards for use in ATCA/MicroTCA environments will comprise US$ 1,918 million in shipments in 2009; this will be roughly equivalent to 34% of the total standards-based merchant embedded board market, or 45% of the slot & mezzanine card market. Lackluster performance? We don't think so!

    Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA) and MicroTCA Components and SolutionsPubl 20051222

    Java Dominates Chinese Wireless Development

    More than four in five Chinese wireless developers use Java some of the time, . Twenty-five percent of Chinese wireless developers use Java for the majority of their wireless development. Chinese developers’ current use of J2ME, 52%, is slightly higher than the worldwide wireless developer population, 46%, but Chinese developers are substantially more likely to consider adopting J2ME for development with only 14% indicating no plans to evaluate or use J2ME. JavaPhone is in use by 25% of Chinese wireless developers compared to 14% of global wireless developers and 78% of Chinese developers have some adoption planned for JavaPhone compared to 51% of the global wireless developer population. Sun identified China as a major player in the world IT space years ago and made a concerted effort to introduce and encourage the adoption of Java technologies that is paying off in mindshare and use among Chinese wireless developers today,. Additionally, Chinese wireless developers also chose to use Java-based alternatives instead of the two most common methods, among the global wireless development population, for connecting back-end applications to wireless devices, XML/SOAP or ADO.NET.

    • Chinese wireless developers lead global development when it comes to messaging: SMS, 57%; EMS, 39%; and MMS 34% compared to global wireless developer development: SMS, 45%; EMS, 20%; and MMS, 25%.

      Chinese wireless developers prefer digital signatures, 26%, and firewalls, 15%, for security mechanisms over SSL/TLS connections and encrypting the data before its sent mechanisms that are favored by global wireless developers.

    • Eighty-five percent of respondents are involved in slim-client application development (a combination of thin and rich), compared to 53% amongst the general global wireless community (and only 46% in North America).

    Chinese Wireless Development Survey Publ 20051221

    Future of Email As It Navigates Security Threats, Compliance Requirements, and Market Alternatives

    IDC: Although email remains the dominant form of electronic communication, it faces significant challenges from real-time communications, such as instant messaging, and from parasites, including viruses and spam, that threaten the health of the email host. IDC predicts that nearly 84 billion emails, more than 33 billion of which will be spam messages, will be sent daily worldwide in 2006. For email to retain its status as the prevailing form of electronic communications, email solution providers and their customers must uphold the high value of email while reducing the associated costs and risks.Email has faced its challengers – viruses, spam, regulations – and emerged with its reputation bruised, but intact. Except among teens and young adults and inside certain fast-paced work environments, email is staying ahead of instant messaging in terms of usage.

    The size of business email volumes sent annually worldwide will exceed 3.5 exabytes in 2006, more than doubling the amount over the past two years (Note: 1 exabyte = 1 thousand petabytes = 1 million terabytes = 1 billion gigabytes).

    Future status of email will depend on several factors, including:

    • Preserving the value of email throughout its life cycle – from creation to permanent deletion – while reducing the associated costs and risks

    • Minimizing the impact of real-time communications by providing low- or no-cost access to corporate and consumer email from a variety of devices

    • Retaining a crucial role for email throughout the collaboration process

    • Raising the visibility of email content so that it parallels that of other enterprise application data and business processes

    Worldwide Email Usage 2005-2009 Forecast: Publ 20051222

    Deployment of IMS Technology to Create Scope for European Telecommunications Operators to Increase Revenues

    Frost: Increasing competition between fixed and mobile carriers in the European telecommunications market and the success of Internet telephony services such as Skype have increased the focus on Internet protocol (IP). In keeping with these trends and the need to address the requirements of end users, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) standards based on the third generation partnership project (3GPP) are gaining emphasis. The deployment of IMS is likely to facilitate the offering of differentiated services and this will lead to a significant reduction in application costs and a surge in new opportunities, thereby increasing revenues. “MS is a very exciting technology in the industry today, providing many different advantages and benefits. At the same time, there are strong implications on carrier strategies, structures and market approaches, which must be taken into account when assessing the implementation of IMS technology.

    Dividing the traditional core network infrastructure and separating the application and transport layers makes the core network access-agnostic and offers interoperability to operators. IMS deployment also ensures the availability of session initiation protocol (SIP) stacks on a number of devices, particularly 3G devices. Additionally, IMS technology enables applications for general packet radio service (GPRS) devices. Hence, issues pertaining to device availability no longer pose an impediment to the introduction of new services in the telecommunications market. IMS technology also provides an impressive platform and standard for implementing different IP-based applications such as push-to-talk (PTT), instant messaging and presence. Moreover, the high costs involved in developing new applications are reduced, as IMS deployment offers a single platform with complex interfaces and connections already present.

    More application trials are expected to become viable as lower developmental costs significantly reduce the risk of failure. Furthermore, applications are likely to be developed for more specific end-user segments. Therefore operators will do well to enter into partnerships to better address the specific needs of these segments.

    Despite the ease of developing new applications, which enable faster time-to-market, operator structures must provide flexibility in aspects such as marketing and sales, to exploit the improved time-to-market advantage. Evaluating new access technologies such as worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) in its various forms and digital video broadcasting (DVB-H) or broadcasting for mobile handsets will provide additional opportunities to deliver services. While IMS technology contributes to application development and promises to move away from a ‘siloed’ approach, in the short term, it will require an additional silo that must be managed and supported. Moreover, the need to work with the existing circuit-switched infrastructure will also lead to additional expenses and hence, the degree of cost efficiency of the IMS technology cannot be accurately ascertained.”

    PTT services drive voice usage and can be suitable to vertical markets such as construction, education and healthcare. Clearly, IMS is the only PTT industry standard and European operators are likely to leverage IMS architecture to launch PTT services. On the other hand, some operators have launched PTT services on proprietary technologies from the likes of Nokia and Kodiak, in a bid to overcome the present uncertainty that is associated with IMS technology. In the short term, non-IMS PTT implementations will succeed in attracting early adopters as IMS PTT services are still pending. However, since IMS PTT will be a standardised service, many suppliers of the push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) infrastructure have developed migration paths to enable interoperability with IMS infrastructure and devices. IMS technology will also enable the application of presence, which essentially shows the availability of contacts in one’s address book. Providing combinational services where various simultaneous sessions may be initiated using different media can enhance the value of sessions and create opportunities for higher revenues from subscribers. However, voice is and will continue to remain the major telecommunications application in the foreseeable future. Undoubtedly, the deployment of IMS will have fundamental implications at the financial, strategic, technical and marketing levels. Within Europe and beyond, operators are engaged in trials of IMS technology. Despite some issues about the future of this technology, IMS deployment will be widespread, as an in-house solution by medium and large operators or as a managed solution by smaller operators.

    IP Multimedia Subsystem: The Long-Term Implications,

    Publ 20051222 SIP? Wikipedia Red Viking

    Total Automation Business to Discrete Industries to Exceed $38 Billion

    ARC: The worldwide automation market for the discrete industries experienced robust growth as the global economy enjoyed a strong year of expansion with heightened demand from various emerging markets. The worldwide automation market for the discrete industries is expected to grow at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.0 percent over the next five years. The market was over $27 billion in 2004 and is forecasted to grow over $38 billion in 2009.

    Manufacturing companies increased expenditures for automation equipment to set up new plants in Asia and expand production capacities globally. A primary factor contributing to market growth during the next five years is the continued infusion of capital for automation in many industries and regions driven by globalization. “Although overall capital expenditures have remained flat in previous years, globalization is causing manufacturers to allocate increased investments in automation in order to drive down costs and raise the quality of their manufactured products.

    New Regional Dynamics Are Driving Growth: China continues to be the primary country driving automation market growth, while India is also providing increasingly bright prospects for automation. In most Asian countries end users continue to build new infrastructure, expand their manufacturing base, and modernize many existing plants which have less sophisticated or limited automation. New dynamics in Japan also made an unexpected resurgence, returning to higher growth rates after many years of lagging performance.

    Eastern Europe is also experiencing a surge in automation investment with increased consumer demands due to rising real wages in a number of countries, and a stabilizing labor market. New activities in the OEM machine builders segment are pushing high growth also in Latin America.

    Total Automation Business for Discrete Industries Worldwide Outlook Publ 20051220

    30% OF ONLINE CONSUMERS NOW TURN TO CABLE TV WEB SITES FOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    JupiterResearch: Cable television and portal Web sites are well-positioned to dominate the online news market. While most online consumers still get their national and international news from television, 30% of online consumers turn to cable TV news sites for their national and international news versus 29% for print newspapers. News Web sites will need to make some key changes over the next one to two years in order to remain competitive. Among these changes are to embrace the "grammar of connectedness" - the features that link Web publishers to each other and to their readers more closely, such as syndication, aggregation, outside-the-site linking and feedback. Web news organizations must think of their fundamental product as the story, and not the site. A Web site is not experienced as a coherent product, but rather as individual pages, each of which serves as an entry point. Also, far too few Web news publishers have adopted the emerging "grammar of connectedness" that will drive growth on the Web in the next five years. The popularity of Web content over offline newspapers means newspapers must adapt to meet the needs of their changing audiences. Newspapers are advised to look to the Web not just to retain their older, offline user base, but to attract a younger - and in many cases, entirely different - group of users as well. Taking a predominantly local approach is another necessity for newspapers, since television and cable TV news sites already attract the most national and international news seekers. It is no surprise that newspaper circulation is declining,. The Internet has been eating away at the time consumers spend with other media. And now it is actually dictating an entirely new set of news habits and expectations. The Future of News Publ 20051221

    PIN Debit Transactions Will Exceed Signature Debit by 2009; Commercial Card End-User Spending Will Triple

    Financial Insights: US. Examines the growth over the next four years in spending on all types of general purpose cards and provides a forecast of credit and debit card transactions and spending in the United States from 2005 to 2009. Both consumer and commercial transactions are included in this study.

    U.S. Commercial Credit and Debit Card Spending Share by Brand, 2004 and 2009

    Figure 1

    Source: Financial Insights, 2005

    Porecasts strong growth over the next five years in spending on all types of general purpose cards, but this growth will not be equally distributed. Premium brands such as American Express will grow more quickly, as will cards that offer merchants a lower transaction cost, in particular PIN debit cards.

    In fact, PIN debit cards are forecast to overtake signature debit cards in total transaction volume by the end of 2009. These changes are being driven in part by legal pressures weighing on Visa and MasterCard that are likely to force down interchange, making PIN debit more attractive for issuers relative to signature debit and leveling the playing field between the large association-branded cards, such as Visa and MasterCard, and the premium or niche brands, such as American Express or Discover.

    On the commercial side, American Express has heretofore been the dominant provider, but both Visa and MasterCard will increase their share of the market at its expense, as shown in the Figure. This reflects the strides that both card associations have made in improving the attractiveness of their commercial card products to businesses as well as the growing business acceptance of cards as a viable payment option. It is not so much a showing of weakness by American Express as it is a showing that the market has become truly competitive. Dealing with the rapidly changing card market will require more flexible strategies from card issuers and acquirers, as well as more flexible technology to back up these strategies.

    U.S. General Purpose Card 2005-2009 Spending Forecast and Analysis, Publ 20051221

    Video Downloads an Ideal Audition for Television

    ABI: USA. The emerging video download industry based on portable video players will be a perfect test bed for full-length television shows. We won't be seeing full-length episodes of hit television shows downloaded to portable devices in 2006. Instead, we'll have more of what's available now: "short-form video". These trailers, promos, and mini-episodes are only a few minutes long. But their brevity provides a golden opportunity. The mainstream broadcast model is an extraordinarily expensive way to trial new concepts and shows,. Over 70% of all new shows don't survive the first season. The logic of trying short versions on emerging platforms at relatively low cost before committing to the expense of hour-long TV productions will soon be apparent to content owners. For content owners, it's like conducting a customer survey: "Should this be a full-length show?" And while short-form and feature shows differ, a portable download hit is probably worth a full-length investment. 2005 was the year that both halves of the industry — equipment vendors and major entertainment content owners — tested the water. Apple's video iPod, the Sony PSP, and PMPs, have established the idea: a technology to distribute premium Hollywood content without worries about piracy. Leading Hollywood studios and networks including Disney, ESPN and ABC have used 2005 to give the portable market a try. So fart hey seem pretty happy with what the portable and mobile telephony industries can provide them. But a network can save much more on upfront program development costs than it will make by selling short clips for $1.99 each."

    Portable Audio, Video and Game Market Evolution Publ 20051222

    Wednesday, December 21, 2005

    Enterprise Asset Management Market to Grow to $2.8 Billion by 2010

    ARC: The worldwide market for Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), including IT assets, is currently at $2.2 billion and is estimated to grow at the Cumulative Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.0 percent reaching $2.8 billion in 2010. The majority of the EAM market growth will come from important market trends and new developments in EAM and industrial IT Enterprise Asset Management (ITEAM) solutions. The EAM and ITEAM markets are beginning to merge, creating new opportunities for suppliers and good potential cost savings for customers.”

    Enterprise Asset Management (EAM/CMMS) and ITEAM Business

    Factors Contributing to Growth: Market maturity in North America and Europe has created many new opportunities for suppliers. Customer service and support expectations have increased, requiring more consulting and continuous improvement services from suppliers. Emerging markets in Asia Pacific and Eastern Europe are witnessing the importance and proven benefits of EAM/CMMS and ITEAM solutions in the mature markets. EAM software suppliers with a strong presence in global markets and a focus on Collaborative Asset Lifecycle Management (CALM) will continue to see an increase in sales, as customers adopt best practices and drive continuous improvement.

    New Developments and Important Market Trends: Asset Management has never been more challenging for organizations. Aging assets, tougher regulatory compliance, and increasing security requirements are driving up costs while budgets are continuously being cut. Professional asset managers have implemented most of the conventional practices and need new ways to drive improved asset performance and lower costs.

    Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solution providers are addressing this challenge in many ways. They are offering product enhancements that exploit better information management to finally enable true lifecycle management strategies. They are also incorporating enhanced performance measurement and analysis tools to drive continuous improvement; supporting new technologies that can enable improved productivity; and, embedding growing compliance requirements directly within work processes. Anyone not following these developments is likely missing some significant opportunities.

    EAM/CMMS Solutions Worldwide Outlook.Publ 20051221

    More households in the UK than ever are connected to the Internet via broadband access

    eMarketer: Thanks to government efforts, Internet access overall is widespread—56.7% of the entire UK population is now online. 73% of these online users are connected via broadband. This year's rapid growth has outpaced even the most optimistic projections made earlier in the year.

    Thanks to BT's broadband-enabling lines now being open to competing ISPs at wholesale rates, the UK is on the way to being the top broadband country in Western Europe in just three years. As a percentage of online users, eMarketer projects that the UK will catch up with the US by 2008

    With the market to provide broadband so competitive, ISPs will increasingly offer the triple play of Internet, TV and phone service from one provider. This will position TV over Internet protocol (IPTV) and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) as solid alternatives to existing television and phone options, suiting the 41% of customers who have said they want such services. In addition, e-commerce is growing as a result of more broadband power. British users are getting more comfortable with completing transactions on their high-speed connections, and that's making for robust growth in e-commerce,. As users gain even more experience, they buy higher-ticket items on the Web—even to the detriment of some physical High Street retail stores UK Online Triple play? Wikipedia Red Viking

    Publ 20051220

    Global digital living. Taiwan & Korea Lead in the adoption of Consumer Technologies

    Parks Associates: Global. U.S. consumers lead the world in consumption of television-related products; Asian consumers lead in computer products.

    Taiwan and South Korea lead the world in the adoption of consumer technologies, a new international study from .

    GDL surveyed over 10,000 households in 13 countries and ranked nations according to their proclivity to adopt and use MP3 players, video-on-demand (VOD), home networks, computers, online services, and similar advanced technologies. The United States proved the most receptive to TV-related technologies (such as DVRs and digital cable) but fell behind Taiwan and Korea in the adoption of computer-related technologies. Europe countries generally placed behind North America and developed Asian countries like Japan in the adoption of all categories surveyed.

    Each nation has particular strengths and weaknesses in terms of technology adoption. Canada, for instance, is a very impressive market for home networking while Japan is the undisputed champion for mobile phones, with over one-half of all Japanese households using mobile phone features like e-mail or photo messaging every month. Of course long commute times in Japan encourage the use of mobile phone entertainment features.”

    Global Digital Living™ DVR? Wikipedia Red Viking Publ 20051221

    Worldwide Semiconductor Capital Equipment Market to Return to Positive Growth in 2006

    Gartner: While demand for capital equipment in 2005 softened, creating a decline in overall spending, the worldwide semiconductor capital equipment market is poised to grow 8.4 percent in 2006, with spending totalling $36.4 billion. In 2005, capital equipment spending declined 10.6 percent (see Table 1), as orders weakened in the first half of the year. However, by the second half of the year, the market experienced a turnabout in orders, especially in the back-end segments. The industry has managed to respond well to inventory fluctuations, slightly excessive capacity levels, and rapidly changing market parameters,. The industry appears to have a reasonable balance between production levels and capacity and end-user demand.Looking further ahead, spending will rise in the first half of 2006, but spending should flatten in the second half of the year before starting a sustainable recovery into 2008. Table 1 Worldwide Semiconductor Capital and Equipment Spending Forecasts (Millions of Dollars)

    2004

    2005

    2006

    2007

    2008

    2009

    2010

    Semiconductor Capital Spending

    48,359

    46,617

    46,431

    51,026

    65,410

    60,998

    52,747

    Growth (%)

    63.0

    -3.6

    -0.4

    9.9

    28.2

    -6.7

    -13.5

    Capital Equipment

    37,580

    33,580

    36,413

    41,483

    52,804

    45,993

    38,817

    Growth (%)

    64.2

    -10.6

    8.4

    13.9

    27.3

    -12.9

    -15.6

    Wafer Fab Equipment

    28,221

    25,739

    26,580

    29,688

    38,838

    34,786

    30,230

    Growth (%)

    68.6

    -8.8

    3.3

    11.7

    30.8

    -10.4

    -13.1

    Packaging and Assembly Equipment

    4,569

    4,061

    4,958

    5,595

    6,861

    5,547

    4,741

    Growth (%)

    45.9

    -11.1

    22.1

    12.9

    22.6

    -19.1

    -14.5

    Automated Test Equipment

    4,790

    3,780

    4,875

    6,200

    7,105

    5,660

    3,845

    Growth (%)

    58.5

    -21.1

    29.0

    27.2

    14.6

    -20.3

    -32.1

    Other Spending

    10,778

    13,037

    10,018

    9,542

    12,606

    15,005

    13,930

    Growth (%)

    59.2

    21.0

    -23.2

    -4.7

    32.1

    19.0

    -7.2

    Source: Gartner Dataquest (December 2005) Worldwide wafer fab equipment spending is forecast to grow 3.3 percent in 2006, after declining 8.8 percent in 2005. Worldwide semiconductor wafer fab utilization rates in 2005 remained in a fairly narrow range of between 85 percent and 90 percent, this to continue, albeit on a slightly upward trend, through 2007 when total utilization rates will break into the 90 percent range. We expect to see capacity and wafe. With equipment costs increasing an estimated 10 percent for each new technology node, manufacturers will manage investments in new technology very carefully. The packaging and assembly (P&A) equipment market will decline 11.1 percent in 2005, which is slightly better than Gartner's previous forecast in October for a14.9 percent decline. The first half of 2005 was relatively slow, paralleling the slowness in the overall packaging/assembly market. More positive conditions developed late in the second quarter as industry utilization rates began to tighten and move back near the 85 percent mark. For the first half of 2005, revenue dropped significantly for many key automated test equipment (ATE) providers. However, ATE spending picked up in the second half of the year. The current increase in ATE sales is primarily being driven by increasing capacity requirements for memory and SOC testers. Expanding demand for these semiconductor devices, coupled with the trend toward further outsourcing of test to SATS companies, is sparking the latest ATE market growth cycle. Gartner Semiconductor Focus Area. Publ 20051221

    Bus systems: The Next Step in Industrial Communication

    Frost: As bus systems become more essential in both discrete and process industries there is a call for standardization of protocols in industrial communication systems. Pneumatic valve manufacturers will be able to manufacture products based on such standard protocols and tailor them according to the end-users’ needs. A move towards standardization is also helping manufacturers to develop and train their staff for installing and maintaining their products at end-user sites. In the North American region products based on DeviceNet protocol are popularly used in discrete manufacturing applications. Newer protocols like the Ethernet/IP, which can facilitate control through high-speed data lines, is expected to gain prominence among automotive end-users. The market earned revenue of $122 million in 2004 and estimates to reach $367 million in 2011.

    Some end-users feel that it is difficult to work with fieldbus electronic products once they are installed at their site Udayachandra A.S. Pneumatic valve manufacturers may find it difficult to provide support after they install it, like having their staff on the work floor and supporting it through its operations. Fears of incurring additional costs and more down time, is making some end-users stick to existing solutions.”

    For some manufacturers of pneumatic valves installing the valve systems at the user site is an issue due to the unique nature of work being carried out at the user site and integrating it into their industrial communication systems. The need of most end-users is to have custom made fieldbus solutions along with installation and maintenance support for a typical operation at the work site. This aspect is proving difficult for many valve manufacturers,.

    Historically pneumatic products have been sold through distributors, but fieldbus valve manifolds requires direct involvement of the manufacturers to install them and trouble shoot problems at the end-user sites. As the demand for fieldbus valve manifolds increases, manufacturers should invest in improving manufacturing capabilities, training technical staff and take up more direct sales.

    North American Electropneumatic Markets,

    Publ 20051221

    Increasing Competition Boosts Fixed-Mobile Convergence in the Telecommunications Market in Europe

    Frost: Europe. The trend of providing telecommunication applications and services independent of the access network through fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) is gaining significant momentum and initiating changes across the value chain from the end users to the core network infrastructure. Intensifying competition both within the fixed and mobile markets and between them is also prompting the adoption of FMC and fixed-to-mobile substitution strategies aimed at fostering customer loyalty and combating the high costs of customer acquisition and retention. FMC is a gradual trend, but it is a fundamental shift with wide-reaching implications on all carrier types. FMC is possible at many different levels, from core network infrastructure, business support, operations and access networks to different applications and services. Hence, operators must adopt clear, long-term strategies that prepare these different elements for the changes to come."

    To successfully exploit the growth opportunities in the fixed-mobile convergence market, carriers and service providers will benefit by devising effective strategies at various levels such as the application, service, device and network levels. Carriers enabling end-users to access a range of core services irrespective of the device or access network and service providers that offer value-added services are entering into agreements, partnerships or acquisitions to capture greater market share.

    The penetration of the wireless local area network (WLAN) technology into the telecommunications market through its integration into broadband and cellular data and the development of voice over WLAN products and solutions will further spur FMC. Fundamental changes in the core network levels of various carriers following the implementation of the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) will lead to savings in operations and capital expenditure and will further underline the appeal of FMC.

    Application-level strategies will assume importance with the deployment of IMS, which will facilitate the implementation of a single application platform that can be offered as services for fixed and mobile access. This will encourage the telecommunications industry to shift form a vertical structure based on access technologies to a horizontal one that emphasises applications and services.

    To avail of the opportunities that FMC offers, carriers will do well to offer complete service bundles, which will enable cross-selling, by which additional services can be sold to existing customers to avoid the high costs of customer acquisition. However, carriers providing value-added services such as unified messaging or communication must ensure that legacy infrastructure and billing systems are capable of charging for such services.

    Moreover, carriers can significantly reduce capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) by integrating core networks and sharing back-end functions such as customer service, network operations and maintenance, customer relationship management (CRM) and other administrative functions. In addition, the IMS architecture, which breaks down barriers between fixed and mobile networks, will also encourage carriers to develop new applications and services with lower investment requirements.

    The emerging trend of several users replacing their fixed lines, offers opportunities for carriers to develop an integrated device and eliminate the need for multiple address books, passwords and message portals. However, despite these benefits, the market for integrated devices is still at a nascent stage due to limitations such as short battery life and the high costs associated with integrated devices.

    Fixed carriers in the market, such as cable operators, Internet/DSL service providers, fixed network operators and wireless hotspot network operators/(VoIP) service providers can also avail of the increasing opportunities to offer converged solutions due to the well-developed support systems they possess. Moreover, their understanding of enterprise requirements is likely to induce enterprise mobile data solutions, which promises tremendous potential. Integrated carriers (with their own cellular and fixed networks) are also likely to benefit from the integration of core networks and offering converged solutions will be viable for such carriers due to their strong market positions.

    Mobile carriers such as Vodafone, O2 and Bouygues are making efforts to increase fixed-mobile substitution and there are others who are also aiming at inducing clients to scrap their fixed lines altogether. Additionally, most mobile operators are offering converged services by integrating WLAN into their cellular networks. While partnerships with fixed carriers to develop converged solutions will be advantageous, mobile operators must ensure that the new services do not compete with their existing ones.

    Uncertainty in the market is driven by the development of various technologies, especially voice-over-IP, wireless LAN, the emergence of WiMAX (and similar) technologies, dual mode handsets and higher speed cellular capabilities despite the presence of some challenges (essentially supply-related), operators which succeed in creating attractive value propositions and providing adequate customer support, can expect to gain from FMC. Fixed-Mobile Convergence Operator Strategies Publ 20051221 IMS? Wikipedia Red Viking