Strategy Analytics Exclusive Presentations at MWC 2013

Strategy Analytics Exclusive Presentations at MWC 2013
	Strategy Analytics is delighted to announce that we will again be hosting our exclusive breakfast presentations at Mobile World Congress (MWC). Our invitation-only breakfast events will provide insights into: 1. Smart Device & Smart Experiences in a Multiscreen World 2. Adjacent Market Opportunities & New Business Models for Service Providers Presentation Date: Tues. 26th & Wed. 27th Feb. 2013 Location: Expo Hotel, Calle Mallorca 1-23, Barcelona (Map) Transportation back to the new Fira will be provided Registration & Breakfast: 8AM Session: 8:30-10AM Each presentation is a unique opportunity to hear an objective market view from some of our senior analysts. Our events are free of charge but as we have limited space we ask you to register in advance using the buttons above and below or by going to our website at: www.strategyanalytics.com/MWC2013.html This year's presentations will be complemented by demonstrations of our Teligen OECD Mobile Price Benchmarking Services, Handset Country Share Tracker, ConsumerMetrix survey database as well as PriceTRAX and SpecTRAX, both before and immediately after the breakfast. Join us for a demonstration at 10am, straight after the breakfast presentations. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, otherwise we look forward to seeing you at the MWC in Barcelona! Please remember to indicate on which date you would like to attend. Please also note that copies of our presentation will only be made available to attendees and clients.
Steve Entwistle - Vice President, Strategic Technologies Practice

Tunable antennas improve smartphone battery life and reduce dropped calls

Several popular smartphones shipped in 2011 with compact, integrated antenna tuners, the first of a wave of such tuners from Peregrine Semi, RFMD and others. We have been looking into the outlook for active antennas & tunable components in cellular phones by comparing the different suppliers and technical approaches and we are now convinced of an upbeat forecast of the market through 2017.

Mobile devices that support 4G, 3G and 2G in multiple bands have complex RF front-ends, with compromises in antenna performance that can degrade calls, as Apple learned last year.  Tunable components can reduce dropped calls and improve battery life, while simplifying the cellphone.

Significant new strategic avenues open for radio component vendors

Antennas with tunable impedance matching will bring success to some new entrants such as WiSpry and inevitably shake up the existing order among cellphone RF front-end component vendors.

The new ‘antenna tuner’ product category will emerge as an important piece of the cell phone RF front-end, and we expect antenna specialists including Ethertronics and Skycross, in combination with front-end component suppliers including Skyworks, RFMD, Avago Tech, TriQuint and Murata, to compete aggressively in this segment using GaAs, CMOS, RF MEMS and voltage-dependent dielectric variable capacitor technologies.

Stephen Entwistle

Client reading: The Strategy Analytics report, “Outlook for Active Antennas & Tunable Components in Cellular Phones”  reviews the prospects for tunable RF components, comparing the different approaches and suppliers, and provides an upbeat forecast of the market through 2017.

Recently we initiated quarterly coverage on tablet apps processor market to complement our broad mobile processor market coverage. Here are some highlights from our quarterly tablet apps processor market share report:

• Apple continues to lead in the tablet apps processor market and held 61 percent unit share in Q1 2011. Apple is expected to retain its leadership despite the rising competition as most iPad rivals still lack coherent content and developer ecosystems.
• In non-iPad tablets, NVIDIA topped with 34.4 percent unit volume share in Q1 2011, thanks to NVIDIA's first-mover advantage with the dual-core Cortex-A9 processors and Honeycomb Android design-wins. Provisionally we estimate that NVIDIA's tablet apps processor share increased to 48.6 percent in Q2 2011 in non-iPad tablets.  NVIDIA's Tegra 2 processors featured in multiple tablets from tier-one vendors including the Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad 3D, Acer Iconia Tab 500 and Asus Eee Pad Transformer. NVIDIA is expected to maintain this momentum with its upcoming Kal-El quad-core processor.
• Qualcomm, TI, Samsung and Intel also featured in our top-five non-iPad tablet apps processor rankings.
• We estimate that x86 processors accounted for less than 5 percent of total tablet apps processors shipped in Q1 2011. Intel is expected to support Android tablets from later this year which could potentially improve the x86-based processor share in tablets.
• By our estimates, stand-alone apps processors accounted for 93.5 percent of total tablet apps processors shipped in Q1 2011 and we continue to believe stand-alone apps processors will dominate the tablet market in the near-to-medium term given the business model and pricing issues surrounding Wi-Fi-only versus 3G / 4G connectivity integrated tablets. We expect Qualcomm's upcoming LTE Snapdragon processor MSM8960 could potentially increase integrated processors' share in tablets.
• The non-iPad camp is still waiting for a blockbuster product and we believe most tablet apps processor suppliers' fortunes are now tied up with this to see further growth. We expect Amazon's rumored tablet and Microsoft's Windows 8 platform could potentially serve as positive catalysts for tablet apps processor vendors.

Hear insights from Stuart Robinson, Director of Strategy Analytics’ SpecTRAX service, who will talk about the important trends in recent global cellular handset model announcements. Join us on Thursday 9th September for a complimentary live online webinar.

Topics covered by the webinar include:

• OS penetration; how many phones feature Android compared to LiMo, Windows and Symbian?
• Analysis of current spec trends; Bluetooth, touchscreen, QWERTY, form factor, screen & camera resolution….
• Shelf share analysis by region; which carriers offer the most Android phones?
• Typical specs of Android phone vs handsets running other operating systems

The webinar is targeted at existing clients of the SpecTRAX service as well as product planners, product marketers and portfolio managers across the industry.

Attendance to the webinar is free however pre-registration is required. REGISTER –>>>           

Date:                 Thursday 9th September 2010           

Duration:           30 minutes, followed by 15 minutes Q&A           

Time:                  2pm BST UK / 9am EDT Boston, repeated at 5pm PDT LA

Once we have processed your registration, you will receive a confirmation email message with instructions on how to join the event. Feel free to forward this message to your colleagues who may be interested in this webinar.

Strategy Analytics Exclusive Presentations at MWC 2010

Strategy Analytics is delighted to announce our presence at Mobile World Congress, the premier event for the wireless industry. We will be hosting our annual exclusive breakfast presentations, and invite you to attend one of our sessions that will showcase our latest research into the dynamics of the wireless market. This invitation-only breakfast event will provide insights into the critical threats and opportunities facing the wireless industry in 2010.

Mobile Broadband Traffic, Revenue & New Connected Devices  

Date

Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th February 2010*

Location

Expo Hotel, Calle Mallorca 1-23, Barcelona (same as last year)

(10min walking distance from the Fira de Barcelona where the MWC is taking place)

Registration Breakfast

08:00

Session 08:30 - 10:00

* Please note that this year the sessions on the two days will be identical, giving you the choice to select the more convenient time for you.

Managing the Traffic: Revenue Imbalance Notebooks/Netbooks, Feature Phones, Smart phones & Other Connected Devices

• Presentation One: A brave new world of connected devices. Which devices? Which OS? Which Brands for connected netbooks, notebooks, MIDs, ebooks?
• Presentation Two: The future of Apps: On/Off Portal & Managing the Tsunami of choices facing consumers
• Presentation Three: Managing the traffic explosion from over 1.3B broadband accounts
• SpecTRAX Global Handset Specification Database Demonstration

Each presentation is a unique opportunity to hear an objective market view from some of our senior analysts. Our events are free of charge but as we have limited space we ask you to register in advance by going to our website at: www.strategyanalytics.com/MWC2010.html

Please remember to indicate on which date you would like to attend. Please also note that copies of our presentation will only be made available to attendees and clients.

You will have the opportunity to meet our analysts after each presentation and/or can arrange a separate meeting during the Congress. Please feel free to forward this invitation to any of your colleagues if you think they would be interested.

If you are not going to be in Barcelona or if the timing is inconvenient, we would be happy to meet you at another time, just let us know! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, otherwise we look forward to seeing you at the MWC in Barcelona!

What would you do with $888 million?

• Expand your manufacturing capacity?
• Acquire a competitor?
• Enable the solid-state lighting revolution by moving up the supply chain?
• Shore up for an expensive legal battle?
• All of the above?

Such are the options for Cree. The North Carolina company, whose GaN LED chips are selling like very hot cakes indeed, has just posted record quarterly revenues and a pre-tax income of $28.4 million. That merely added to the company’s already swollen coffers, thanks to its September stock offering.

Cree sold 11 million shares at $35.50, doubling its cash balance at a stroke. As much as $900 million will soon be burning a sizeable hole in its pocket.

As Cree tries to keep up with the demand for its high-performance chips, the company needs to seriously expand its manufacturing capacity. It has earmarked up to $165 million to make significant additions to LED production and component packaging facilities. But even that expansion will still leave some $750 million in Cree’s war chest.

With a history of acquisitions, Cree could be scouring the corporate landscape for the kind of company that will help it kick on to another level. Another chip maker perhaps? Cree CEO Chuck Swoboda suggests a different tack entirely. With no obvious gaps in its stable of products (unless you count AlInGaP LEDs), he is looking for a deal that will catalyze the LED lighting revolution, rather than merely service it, thereby enabling the market for Cree’s customers, and their need for LED chips.

There is another reason why Cree might need that pile of cash. As one of the only companies to decline a settlement with the octogenarian academic Professor Gertrude Neumark Rothschild, its lawyers are probably preparing to do battle over key patents relating to GaN chips. These battles can be very expensive and Cree will want to make sure that it has the means to win the case, or at least afford any settlement agreement.

Strategy Analytics’ Strategic Technologies Practice releases regular insights and reports on the compound semiconductor industry, covering GaAs RF, GaN, LED and laser diode technologies and more. To find out more click  --->> HERE

Asif Anwar

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