SuperSpeed USB Adoption Slowed by PC Core Logic Integration, but Future Is Still Bright

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., December 22, 2010 - SuperSpeed USB (also known as USB 3.0) will ship in nearly 14 million devices in 2010, just short of industry expectations, according to In-Stat (www.in-stat.com).  By 2014, however, over 1.7 billion devices will ship with the interface enabled, a 12x increase over 2010.

“Late 2009 saw the first, limited shipments of SuperSpeed, while 2010 has seen increased shipments in mobile PCs, desktop PCs, aftermarket cards, external hard disk drives, and USB flash drives,” says Brian O’Rourke, Principal Analyst.  â€œOverall, the rollout of SuperSpeed is progressing.  Large scale adoption though is still dependent on the integration of SuperSpeed into the core logic chipset on the PC.  This allows PC OEMs to effectively offer SuperSpeed for free, and leads to its adoption among PC peripherals, consumer electronics, and mobile devices.”

Recent updates found the following:

• By 2014, nearly 7 million set top boxes will have integrated SuperSpeed USB.
• SuperSpeed USB will reach 40% penetration in the portable digital media player market in five years.
• Nearly 200 million digital TVs will ship with USB in 2014.
• 225 million SuperSpeed USB flash drives will ship in 2014, representing a CAGR of 791.8% from 2009 to 2014.
• More than 3 billion USB-enabled devices shipped in 2009; nearly 4 billion will ship in 2012.

Recent In-Stat research, USB 2010 Semi-Annual Update (#IN1004689MI), covers the worldwide market for USB technology and provides updated forecasts of USB device sales through 2014 by type and by application in several categories: PCs, PC peripherals, consumer electronics, communications, and automotive.

This research is part of In-Stat’s Multimedia Interfaces service, which provides comprehensive analysis and forecasts the worldwide markets for interface technologies and tracks penetration of these technologies into PCs, PC peripherals, consumer electronics, communications, automotive and industrial applications.

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