The total number of USB-enabled devices will rise to 2.1 billion by 2009, up from 705.7 million last year, with the fastest growth in the communications sector, according to a report from In-Stat. The market research firm reports that USB has now thoroughly penetrated all categories of electronic products — including PCs, PC peripherals, consumer electronics, and communications devices.

According to In-Stat analyst Brian O'Rourke, high-speed USB has now nearly saturated the desktop market. Additionally, 2004 “saw significantly increased USB adoption in the computer peripherals market,” O'Rourke said, adding that “external hard disk drives and external optical writers were among the first to transition to high-speed, and essentially all have it now.”

In-Stat says that it expects Wireless USB 1.0 to begin to show up in the PC market late in 2005, in the form of dongles that hook into USB ports.

On the consumer electronics front, In-Stat says the transition to high-speed USB “hasn't been as rapid as in the peripheral space, due to less dependence on PCs in this segment. However, products like set top boxes, digital still cameras, and digital camcorders are adopting USB.”

The report, USB 2005: The Market for USB-enabled Products, provides forecast data on USB-enabled products by market segment and individual product categories through 2009, along with profiles of USB silicon and IP providers.

 
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