Wireless networks have made a revolution in the world of computers, but they will also make a revolution in the world of consumer electronics (CE) thanks to new high-definition TV-sets, mandatory support for networking in Blu-ray 2.0 players and so on. According to market analysts from In-Stat, by 2012 there will be one billion of CE devices featuring Wi-Fi shipped per annum.

“Digital TV will be the second largest category of CE stationary devices shipping with Wi-Fi. The sheer volume of digital TV shipments will make it a strong market, despite a relatively low Wi-Fi attach rate,” said Victoria Fodale, an In-Stat analyst.

In addition, a recent research by In-Stat found that  more than 294 million CE devices with Wi-Fi shipped in 2007. Moreover, compound annual growth rate for CE Wi-Fi devices through 2012 will be 26%, which quite a significant face.

In-Stat also believes that by 2011, cellular/Wi-Fi handsets will surpass mobile PCs as the large category of Wi-Fi devices, which is very important. In developing countries, such as China or India, a lot of people have mobile phones, but considerably less have personal computers. With one billion of Wi-Fi supporting devices shipped yearly, people in those markets will be able to get Internet access even without a PC provided that there are Wi-Fi networks nearby.

The growth in the number of Wi-Fi-enabled devices is a good news. But since wireless networks do not cover large areas and therefore cannot provide certain services, it may be more important for Wimax-powered CE devices to emerge widely on developing markets.

Tags: Wi-Fi