ITmedia, a Japanese tech news website, summarizes a report issued by JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association) on March 11, forecasting robust growth in the optical-drive industry through much of the decade.
"Recordable DVD drive shipments up 316%, [demand for] blue-laser units to |
JEITA states that a total of 222 million optical drives were shipped in calendar 2003, a 14% year-over-year increase. Against this background, the Japan domestic market experienced "solid growth" of 13%, reaching just over 20 million drives. Particular areas of growth included DVD burners--a whopping 316% increase over the previous year--and CD-R/DVD-ROM combos, whose shipments grew by a respectable 67%.
Looking into the future, JEITA predicted shipment of 247.7 million optical drives in 2006. While this figure is only 11% greater than the number for 2003, JEITA predicts that the difference will be made up in quality rather than quantity: "While the actual size of the market will not grow so much, improvements will continue in capacities and recording speeds." They single out DVD burners for growth, saying that they will grow from 10% (2003) to 31% of the market in 2006, "surpassing CD-RWs."
Finally, JEITA predicts demand for blue-laser drives to take off from 2006, "when discs using this technology are expected to achieve widespread status."
Source: ITmedia
