PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
We round up the latest news from analysts and firms to see which tech categories are doing well and which aren’t, as well as future predictions and the latest trends.
Foldable screens for tablets will have to wait
Lenovo has yet to offer a production timetable for its foldable tablet, which is likely to remain as a concept for a while due to a lack of technological resources and AMOLED panel supply.
AMOLED technology is rapidly gaining acceptance in the smartphone and wearable device markets. In addition to having a wide color gamut, AMOLED panels expand the range of design options for displays because they can be made on substrates that are light, thin and flexible.
Manufacturers of AMOLED panels are expected to continue prioritize their capacity utilization in favor of making displays for smartphones and VR devices. It is also expected that the production cost of AMOLED panels for the tablet application is unlikely to go down anytime soon. WitsView forecasts that the penetrate rate of AMOLED products in annual global tablet shipments over the next five years will linger around 3 per cent.
Worldwide security software market grew 3.7 per cent in 2015
Tech analyst company Gartner has revealed that the worldwide security software market grew 3.7 per cent in 2015.
Worldwide security software revenue totaled $22.1 billion in 2015, a 3.7 percent increase in from 2014, according to Gartner. Security information and event management (SIEM) remained the fastest-growing segment in 2015, with 15.8 percent growth, while consumer security software showed the sharpest decline at 5.9 percent year on year.
In 2015, the top five vendors together accounted for 37.6 per cent of the security software revenue market share, down 3.1 percentage points from 2014. These vendors also displayed a collective decline of 4.2 percent in 2015, while the rest of the market grew strongly at 9.2 per cent year-on-year.
See below for a table showing the revenue of the top five security software companies in 2015 (in US dollars)
Global 3D printer market up 9% in Q1 but industrial segment sees decline
Worldwide shipments of 3D Printers rose 9 per cent in the first quarter compared to a year ago, according to figures released today by Context. The growth was mainly bolstered by desktop printer shipments, however, the professional market, which accounted for 78 per cent of the global revenues, saw 20 per cent fewer printers ship in Q1 than in the previous year.
Global market leaders Stratasys and 3D Systems witnessed declines, shipping 32 per cent and 66 per cent fewer units than a year ago.
The professional portion of the 3D Printing market continued to struggle in Q1 especially due to poor performance from market leaders Stratasys and 3D Systems. The bright side of the professional 3D printing sector continued to be Metal 3D Printing, seeing a 29 per cent year-on-year growth in the number of metal based 3D printing machines shipped in Q1 versus a year ago.
