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WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
Windows 8 to Offer Native Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi Direct & NFC Support
Microsoft has recently announced that its next operating system, Windows 8, will offer support for a range of new wireless connectivity standards, including Bluetooth low energy, Wi-Fi Direct, and NFC. If PCs or portable computing devices (such as notebooks or tablet PCs) include both Windows 8 and the associated radios, this paves the way for them to connect to a wide range of devices such as wireless PC peripherals, health or fitness monitoring devices, and other consumer electronics products - without the need for an additional dongle.
But will PC and portable computing device manufacturers see the value in integrating low-power wireless radios? The signs of this are good with Acer recently announcing that it’s Acer Aspire S3 is set to contain Bluetooth low energy (v4.0) capability.
Windows 8 is targeted at both static and portable computing devices (more specifically, at tablets and netbooks) with the announcement that there will be an ARM processor compliant version of Microsoft’s latest operating system. Within most notebooks, tablets and netbooks, ‘dual-mode’ Bluetooth low energy is set to be incorporated as standard as a direct replacement for classic Bluetooth, which is already included in many of these devices. According to a recent report from IMS Research – The World Market for Low-Power Wireless-enabled Consumer Electronics – 2011 Edition, in 2015, annual shipments of dual-mode Bluetooth low energy ICs for portable computing devices (notebooks, netbooks & tablet PCs) will top 200 million units**.
According to Phillip Maddocks, a market analyst with IMS Research’s Connectivity group, “the fact that Bluetooth low energy is being natively supported in the next generation of Windows operating system is a massive boost for the creation of an ecosystem of connectable devices. According to another recent report from IMS Research (The World Market for Low-Power Wireless Modules – 2011 Edition), by the end of 2015, shipments of single-mode Bluetooth low energy ICs are projected to exceed 300 million units*, across a wide range of application areas”.
For some applications, however, Bluetooth low energy will face stiff competition from Wi-Fi Direct, as low-power Wi-Fi solutions become increasingly available. Although the power consumption of Bluetooth low energy is significantly less than Wi-Fi Direct, certain Wi-Fi solutions are still able to achieve an “acceptable” battery life within certain applications such as PC peripherals. Wi-Fi Direct enabled PC peripherals are already able to communicate to Windows’ current operating system, Windows 7, through the use of a software-base Access Point (SoftAP) which allows the connection of peripherals without the need for an access point. IMS Research projects that, by 2015, over 70** million low-power Wi-Fi ICs will have been shipped for use in PC peripherals.
With the news that Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system is now supporting a number of low-power wireless connectivity standards, this is set to stimulate the creation of new device ecosystems – ranging across a wide range of different application areas – and often employing a variety of competing low-power wireless solutions.
*The World Market for Low-Power Wireless Modules – 2011 Edition
**The World Market for Low-Power Wireless-enabled Consumer Electronics – 2011 Edition
About The World Market for Low-Power Wireless Modules – 2011 Edition report
This report presents market estimates (2009-2010) and forecasts (2011-2015) for the uptake of a range of low-power wireless technologies such as: Bluetooth low energy, low-power Wi-Fi, ZigBee, ZigBee RF4CE, Z-Wave, DECT ULE, ANT, WirelessHART, ISA100.11a, and Proprietary & others. These technologies are then forecasted in eleven different application areas. Please see the report proposal for more information.
About IMS Research
IMS Research is a leading independent supplier of market research and consultancy to the global electronics industry, offering syndicated market studies, custom research and consultancy services. Clients include most of the household names in the industry. IMS Research has offices in Europe, the US, China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. To find out more, contact IMS Research: enquiries@imsresearch.com; T: +44 (0) 1933 402255; http://imsresearch.com
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