Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry’s research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, predicted in a new study on mobile devices that 80 percent of Smartphones will have stereo 3D cameras and screens by 2015. It’s not just about games; the addition of two cameras will enable gesture based controls, advanced augmented reality applications, and visualization with depth.

Based on its research, JPR believes that just as cameras and GPS became mainstays of mobile phones and tablets, the next must-have feature for mobile devices will be stereovision 3D (S3D). Smartphones and tablets may not be the only mobile devices to embrace S3D.

JPR looked at several mobile devices that use advanced semiconductors or system on a chip (SoC) and found that the demand for mobile devices has exploded creating a market for over two billion processors.

Over three quarters of a billion smartphones will ship in 2016
Feature and other phones will hit 869 million units in 2016
Almost 300 million tablets will ship in 2016
E-book readers shipments could reach 100 million a year by 2016
Handheld game consoles will hit 91 million by 2016

However, in order to support 3D, processors will need to be powerful. JPR says the processors powering these new mobile devices will be truly amazing, consuming remarkably little power, built in the latest nanometer technology, and delivering unbelievable performance and functionality. And although all of the devices will share some functionality and capabilities, no single device will kill any of the others … at least immediately. Each device will have a different form, primary function, and price. They will be connected all the time.

More than 16 processor companies and 4 IP suppliers will be chasing this market. Compared to the four or five processor companies chasing the PC market that makes the mobile processor market over populated by four-to-one—is a consolidation coming? Are there too many suppliers chasing the same customers?

The market study includes a historical perspective that illustrates the sharp growth devices have enjoyed recently. For example, the first standalone tablet was the GRiDPad in 1989. In 2001 Microsoft reinvented the concept calling it a “pen Computer”. And then in 2010 Apple brought the category to life with the iPad. The first smartphone was the IBM Simon in 1992, then Nokia entered the market in 1996 and since then, the segment has taken off like a rocket.

The concept for the e-book came from Michael Heart in 1971, and the first battery powered standalone unit was the Rocket eBook in 1998, but it was the Kindle that lit up the market in 2007.

Other popular mobile devices like game consoles, navigation units, portable DVD players, and digital picture frames all use high resolution screens and sophisticated processors known as systems on a chip (SoC).

Pricing and Availability

The 2012 Mobile Devices and their Semiconductors Market Study is available now in electronic editions, and can be purchased for $3,500.

www.jonpeddie.com