The market for pocket projectors poised for growth
The market for pocket projectors, which are small handheld devices that enable a larger image to be projected onto a wall or screen in either stand-alone or embedded/dedicated formats, is poised for strong growth in 2010 and beyond. The recently released Pocket Projector Technology and Market Forecast Report, from DisplaySearch, forecasts that the total pocket projector market will grow from 0.5 million units and $117 million in revenues in 2009 to 142 million units and $13.9 billion in revenues in 2018, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 70% for revenues and 88% for units.
“There were over 130 new pocket projector models released in the market in 2009, along with the first releases of embedded projectors into the market. Despite this, pocket projectors still face challenges of low brightness, short battery life and high price. Continuing progress in all the technologies surrounding pocket projectors will be needed to achieve the expected growth,” noted Jennifer Colegrove, Director of Display Technologies at DisplaySearch. “Good things really do come in small packages, as pocket projectors eliminate form factor and size limitations for images in portable electronics. They are ideal devices for sharing, either for social, business or entertaining activities,” noted Colegrove.
Currently, the market for pocket projectors is dominated by stand-alone devices, which can be connected to other devices, and allow for additional integrated functions. DisplaySearch forecasts the stand-alone pocket projector will reach 45 million units and $8.9 billion in 2018. DisplaySearch forecasts that shipments of embedded/dedicated projectors will surpass those of stand-alone units in 2014, as current limitations such as power consumption, size, brightness and price are improved. It is estimated the embedded type pocket projectors will reach 97 million units and $5 billion in 2018.
Due to early entrance in the market, pocket projectors leveraging LCOS with color filters dominated in 2009, but DisplaySearch forecasts that DLP and LCOS field sequential technologies will take the lead in shipments for 2010. DLP will lead in revenues while LCOS field sequential will have the highest unit share in coming years. The fastest growing technology in unit and revenue terms will be scanning MEMS.
The DisplaySearch Pocket Projector Technology and Market Forecast Report discusses the technology challenges for microdisplays, light sources, batteries, and the supply chain. It also provides pocket projector specification analysis, BOM (bill of material) analysis, and business strategy recommendation and entrance opportunities. The report profiles about 200 pocket projector-related companies. It provides market history data in 2009 and a market forecast through 2018. The Excel database provides a pivot table with market forecasts for units, revenues and ASPs, by five types of microdisplay breakdowns: DLP, LCOS with color filter, LCOS field sequential, MEMS, and others. The pivot table market forecast also provides a detailed breakdown by seven resolutions, and four form factor/applications: stand-alone; embedded/dedicated to mobile phone; embedded/dedicated to digital camera/camcorder; and embedded/dedicated to other devices. The report also covers touch screens for pocket projectors.
For more information on this report, please contact Charles Camaroto at 1.888.436.7673 or 1.516.625.2452, or contact at displaysearch dot com or contact your regional DisplaySearch office in China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan.
PMA reports flat February consumer printing
JACKSON, Mich. – PMA – The Worldwide Community of Imaging Association, reports the amount of digital printing remained essentially level for the month of February. According to PMA Marketing Research, the volume of prints made from digital-still camera images decreased by 1 percent compared to the same month the previous year. Printing volumes at retail minilabs and instant kiosks grew 8 percent and grew 11 percent, respectively. Online ordering fell 16 percent and home printing grew by 2 percent in February. “The opening of over 800 new drugstores in 2009 seems to be the main driver behind the continuous growth in the retail channel share and decline in the online channel share” said Dimitrios Delis, PMA Director of Marketing Research. With the absence of significant price changes at retail – see April 2010 Online Print Price Report – the home channel is maintaining its share. Statistics from the NPD Group Inc. showed overall camera sales dropped 14 percent in February 2010. Overall demand for digital cameras decreased 14.3 percent in February.
The PMA Monthly Printing and Camera Trends Report, available exclusively to PMA members, provides timely insight into the printing and camera purchasing behaviors of consumers. PMA also translates the camera sales data from NPD Group into year-over-year trends on both a monthly and year-to-date basis. Available from the marketing research area of the PMA website (www.pmai.org), the report is available for member download.
About PMA – The Worldwide Community of Imaging Associations
As a professional trade association, PMA® helps the worldwide photo imaging community achieve business success and adapt to new technologies. Its commitment to its members in 100-plus countries is part of an 85-year legacy that connects business owners to a network of knowledge and support. PMA furthers this purpose through the development of educational programs and business services, marketing research, publications, and trade shows. As a nonprofit organization, any success enjoyed by PMA in its endeavors directly benefits the industry, allowing PMA to provide continual services and activities for members.
PMA Data Watch: Photo-quality printer purchasing down slightly
According to the 2010 PMA U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, 9.7 percent of U.S. households purchased photo-quality printers in 2009, down slightly from the year prior. More likely to purchase photo-quality printers are higher income households and households with children. Households owning digital cameras with more resolution were most likely to purchase photo-quality printers.
The majority of printers purchased in the past 12 months (59 percent) produce a maximum print size of 8-by-10 inches. The share of printers capable of producing an 11-by-17 inch print grew from 14 percent in 2008 to 17 percent in 2009. The share of printers producing even larger prints rose in 2009 as well. Small format printers, those capable of producing 4-by-6 inch and 5-by-7 inch prints, lost share last year.
The largest share of photo-quality printers were purchased from discount/combination stores. HP holds the largest brand share of printers purchased in the past 12 months, followed at a distance by Canon and Lexmark. More than half of the printers purchased cost $100 or less, however, the average amount spent on a printer was $142 in 2009. It appears printers are not as likely to come with a camera purchase as they were in the past. Six percent of photo-quality printers obtained in 2009 came with a camera purchase, compared to 10 percent in the previous year. More than half of printers that came with a camera purchase were small format printers with a maximum print size of 4-by-6 inches.
PMA Data Watch: Photo card creation by U.S. households
According to the PMA 2010 U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, 11 percent of U.S. households made/ordered photo cards in 2009. This includes holiday cards, greeting cards, invitation cards, announcement cards and business cards with photos. Households that made photo cards were most likely to order them online, with 32 percent ordering online and later picking up at the local retailer and 30 percent ordering online and having them shipped to the home. Twenty-two percent of households brought the memory card to the store to make cards and 20 percent made photo cards from their home computer printer.
For the most part, making photo cards did not have an effect on the number of standard 4-by-6 inch photo prints made since 84 percent of households said their printing behavior remained the same as a result of making photo cards. Eleven percent of households said they increased the number of standard prints they made and 5 percent said they decreased printing. Making photo cards lead 30 percent of households to decrease the amount of traditional cards and stationery they buy. Sixty percent said making photo cards did not affect their purchasing of these other items and 5 percent said it caused them to buy more traditional cards and stationery. Most households appear to be satisfied with the photo card creation process (90 percent). Eight percent of households were indifferent to the process and just 2 percent expressed some dissatisfaction.
PMA Data Watch: Photo publishing product prices remain constant
Each quarter, PMA Marketing Research reviews a variety of online photo sites tracking the latest prices and other news related to photo publishing products to report in Newsline International. Spending on photo publishing products was estimated to hit about $1.32 billion in 2009, and is expected to grow this year to $1.4 billion. Despite a weakened economy, photo publishing products are affordable in relation to other gift products and retailers continue to promote them.
Spring is in full bloom and many spring-themed products were emphasized across the sites surveyed. Greeting cards were greatly emphasized on the majority of the sites with Mother’s Day, graduations and wedding season upon us. Photo books remain prominent on the sites, as usual and new designs and features are available for these and other products being displayed. Snapfish is offering discounts on photo gifts in honor of its 10th birthday this month. Kodak Gallery is gearing up for Mother’s Day with 25 percent off a $25 photo gift purchase and 40 percent off autofill photo books.
Determining an average price for certain products has become increasingly difficult due to the wide variety of sizes and styles available. Sometimes changes in average prices reflect new and improved product offerings, or the addition or subtraction of a product. Average prices documented this quarter for photo books were pretty close to what they were last quarter. Average prices for mugs and mousepads also did not change. The average price of posters and personalized photo calendars fluctuated a little bit. Finally, greeting card prices remained constant. Prices are listed for folded greeting cards and photo cards.
There are many photo sites on the market that were not part of the informal survey by PMA Marketing Research. New photo sites are constantly emerging as well, so these averages do not necessarily represent the entire online custom photo gift market. Limited time sales prices were also not included in the average prices. A more detailed report of custom product prices is available on the PMA Marketing Research website.
PMA Data Watch: Online print prices — how do they compare?
PMA Marketing Research looks at various online photo sites on a quarterly basis to keep track of the latest online digital print prices and site updates. Print prices remained steady this quarter compared to January, however, there were a few fluctuations that took place. Price increases were more likely to take place among larger prints rather than standard ones.
The average price of a basic 4-by-6 inch print based on the sites surveyed dipped slightly to 13 cents from 14 cents in January. The average price of a basic 4-by-6 inch print, when shipping is taken into consideration, increases to 24 cents. This was the result of Photobucket being removed from the mix since it no longer openly listed print prices. Ten of the listed sites continue to offer standard prints below 10 cents per print. The average prices for 5-by-7 inch, 8-by-10 inch prints and 11-by-14 inch prints increased slightly this quarter. A few minor changes were implemented in the shipping category causing the average to slip by ten cents.
Spring fever has many sites advertising print discounts and really encouraging printing springtime photos. Some sites were also offering limited time discounts on prints, especially for larger quantities, without the need to sign up for any particular plan. A more detailed report of April online print prices is available to members only on the Marketing Research website.
