In-Stat: Bluetooth Product Shipments More Than Double Again

A new report from In-Stat finds that for the fourth consecutive year, Bluetooth-enabled product shipments more than doubled. In-Stat predicts that "this year’s shipments are forecast to be 316 million units, a total that will rise to 866 million in 2009.

Brian O’Rourke at In-Stat said, "Mobile phones are at the core of Bluetooth’s popularity. They are in turn helping Bluetooth penetrate into other products, including notebook PCs, mono and stereo headsets, automobiles, and portable digital music players."

Key findings include:

• Bluetooth will need to constantly adapt in the face of competition that includes Wireless USB, Wireless 1394 and Wi-Fi.
• Results from In-Stat’s Residential Technology Survey (RTS) of typical US consumers indicates increasing recognition of Bluetooth and significant interest in cordless stereo headsets.
• Chips complying with Bluetooth 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) are beginning to hit the market in 2005, providing both greater bandwidth and lower power consumption.