Hard Disk Drive Demand - Yenra

Digital Entertainment Devices Driving Demand for Consumer Electronics Storage

Storage

As the amount of digital content available to the consumer and the desire to store it continues to increase, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of devices integrating hard disk drives, reports In-Stat/MDR. The high-tech market research firm finds that because a growing number of consumers are interested in storing video content, the choice of magnetic hard drive storage over other formats continues to make the most sense. This year, In-Stat/MDR estimates that consumer electronics with integrated hard drives will represent about 7% of the total hard drive market, which is nearly double that of 2002. The market is forecasted to grow from 9.3 million units in 2002 to about 16.7 million units this year.

"As the PC market, which represents the bulk of hard drive shipments, has matured, there has been an increased emphasis by storage manufacturers to address, and even formulate, specific strategies to address the consumer electronics (CE) market," says Cindy Wolf, an Industry Analyst with In-Stat/MDR. The number of consumer CE devices with integrated hard drives includes a variety of products in the audio and video segments. The most notable products in the CE segment, at this time, include the PVR, DVD recorder, video game console, and portable digital audio player markets. However, according to Wolf, "There are a number of emerging markets which will also represent significant opportunities for storage providers in the coming years, including PDAs/Handheld PCs, portable A/V players, televisions, and digital camcorders."

In-Stat/MDR has also found that:

The report, "Hard Disk Drives For Consumer Electronics: Digital Entertainment Devices Drive Demand for Storage", examines the integration of hard disk drive-based storage in consumer electronics products. It offers worldwide unit shipment and revenue forecasts for the following segments of consumer electronics with integrated hard drives: PVRs, DVD players/Recorders, video game consoles, portable digital audio players, and digital audio jukeboxes. Additionally, it examines emerging product segments, specifically highlighting PDAs/handhelds, portable A/V players, televisions, digital camcorders and mobile phones. The forecast summary consolidates shipments for the entire market and compares drive sizes and regional shipments, as well as trends and issues affecting the market.