The popularity of Wi-Fi tablets like Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s Kindle Fire has negatively impacted the growth of embedded mobile broadband cards.
The vast majority of embedded device units come from connected tablets.
Infonetics Research says the 3G/4G mobile broadband device market, including smartphones, embedded devices and routers, touched $93 billion in Q1 2013, decreasing 6 percent from Q4 2012.
Tablets comprised 89 percent of embedded device units in Q1 2013.
Richard Webb, Infonetics Research’s directing analyst for microwave and carrier Wi-Fi, said: “Both unit shipments and revenue for the embedded card segment sank by double digits in 1Q13 from the previous quarter and the year-ago quarter.”
Wi-Fi tablets face threat from FDD-LTE mobile broadband tablets
By 2017, Infonetics expects FDD-LTE mobile broadband tablets to edge out Wi-Fi tablets in revenue share, with the higher selling price of connected tablets playing a key role.
BlackBerry losses third rank to Microsoft Windows 8
Infonetics Research report — 3G and 4G Mobile Broadband Devices and Subscribers market share, size and forecasts report — says Microsoft Windows 8 has overtaken BlackBerry in Q1 to take 3rd place behind Google Android and Apple iOS.
Tablets impact netbooks business
The rapid growth of tablets has impacted netbooks business. For instance, netbook manufacturers Acer and Asus plan to cease production of netbooks.
Meanwhile, A Gartner report suggests that Intel-based Chromebooks and Windows 8.1-based Haswell are likely to eat into Apple iPad and Galaxy Tab10.1 tablet market share.
Demand for ultramobiles – Chromebooks, thin and light clamshell designs, and slate and hybrid devices running Windows 8 — will come from upgrades of both notebooks and premium tablets, such as the Apple iPad or Galaxy Tab10.1.
The device market report says ultramobile devices will gain more in the fourth quarter of 2013 when the combination of new design based on Intel processors Bay Trail and Haswell running on Windows 8.1 will hit the market.
