A new report has outlined how annual revenues generated by MEMS devices built into mobile phones will exceed US$6bn by 2016
p>A new report has outlined how annual revenues generated by MEMS devices built into mobile phones will exceed US$6bn by 2016
The report says the increase will be a result of increased use of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), including sensors, audio, displays and RF, in smartphones, tablets, eReaders and Ultrabooks. The report from Juniper Research identifies three different contributing categories to this billion dollar opportunity for MEMS devices: those already deployed (accelerometers, magnetometers and gyroscopes), those currently in initial stages of deployment (displays, RF devices, pressure sensors and microphones) and future applications, such as joysticks, temperature and humidity sensors, speakers and pico-projectors.
The report finds that inertial sensor adoption, including accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers, has mainly depended on advanced availability and capability of gaming and navigation applications, thereby becoming ubiquitous in all mobile devices, particularly in smartphones and tablets. This along with the continuous growth of mobile device shipments is driving MEMS sensors forward.
“It is worth noting that MEMS sensors are expected to become an important differentiator for mobile device manufacturers towards enabling different capabilities and functionalities, including location based and navigation services,” said report author, Nitin Bhas. “There are lots of additional functionalities that smartphones and tablets will pick up over time and those capabilities have already started to appear such as stabilisation control.”
Other findings from the report highlight the opportunity for other MEMS devices including microphones and RF components in mobile:
As device vendors are expected to differentiate themselves with high-quality audio input and to integrate multiple microphones, the total number of MEMS microphones present in mobile devices shipped will exceed two billion in 2016.
MEMS RF devices are expected to be found in most products designed for use in wireless products and this is indicated by recent mass production deals in RF MEMS.
