Bluetooth uptake starts to bite

The much heralded and long delayed Bluetooth boom is just around the corner, according to Dataquest expert Stan Bruederie.

Speaking at the Bluetooth developers' conference in San Francisco, Bruederie explained that the technology, which enables wireless connections between notebooks, handhelds and printers, is starting to reach "critical mass", and that he expected a long list of products to be released next year.

"It is becoming clear that Bluetooth is set to appear in many devices. The manufacturers have gone from cautious conservative mode to an expansive inclusive mode," he said. "We think 2003 will be a really big year for Bluetooth."

But this is not the first time that Bluetooth has been touted as 'arriving soon'. In fact, many analysts had predicted 2001 as Bluetooth's debut year.

Delays in getting products to market, the industry slow down and interest in the rival 802.11b wireless technology had led some to believe that the product was doomed.

However, Dataquest predicts that Bluetooth demand will result in the release of 36 million chipsets next year rising to 186 million in 2003. Another analyst, Cahner's In-Stat, said that Bluetooth could ship as much as 780 million chipsets by 2005.

In a recent report, Cahner's maintained that the only reason Bluetooth was held up was unexpected product delays and the fact that Microsoft didn't include it in its new Windows XP operating system.

Microsoft announced this week that it would back Bluetooth by the summer of 2002.

See also:

Laws bite at Bluetooth

Federal Communications Commission regulations may keep the wireless standard at bay.  16 Jan 2002

Palm aims to bolster Bluetooth

Handheld computing specialist launches developer kit  15 Jan 2002

Bluetooth overshadowed by cousin 802.11b

Bluetooth, the talk of the wireless world, is in danger of being overshadowed by rival technology 802.11b.  12 Jun 2001

Bluetooth bites into market

Companies are gradually beginning to develop products that will support Bluetooth-enabled devices.  07 May 2001

The promise of Bluetooth

The first Bluetooth product has arrived in the shape of a wireless headset for mobile phones, but the real promise of the technology would appear to be in providing users with 'always-on' access to the internet.  11 Jan 2001

Intel dismisses Bluetooth

Intel has dismissed emerging wireless technology Bluetooth as a "cabling replacement".  19 Jul 2000

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