Bluetooth to reach 95% penetration by end of 2008: ABI Research

While we have been touting the trends for a while now, it's always nice to be backed up by research!  By reaching near ubiquity, Bluetooth measurement is quickly becoming the best way to conduct passive, inexpensive traffic monitoring and analysis out there.

“All Mobile Internet Devices will feature Wi-Fi from the start,” says ABI Research senior analyst Douglas McEuen. “That is the essential form of wireless connectivity that no MID will be without. But in addition, ABI Research expects to see Bluetooth reach a 95% penetration rate by the end of 2008.”

While many MIDs will include voice capabilities, they are larger than mobile phones, and for convenience some users will carry a low-cost phone as well. However many consumers still want an all-in-one device, and the handset/headset configuration enabled by Bluetooth will meet their needs. That will be one of the main rationales for its early adoption in MIDs.

More enhanced forms of connectivity are in the pipeline too. The first to reach the market will be“Bluetooth over 802.11,” also known as AMP (Alternate MAC PHY). It involves a software addition that will allow the device’s Bluetooth circuits to “piggyback” on its much faster Wi-Fi connection when it is necessary to transmit large amounts of data."

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