Market research firm Cahners In-Stat Group said that the IEEE 1394 standard, known to Mac users as FireWire, is “making gains in consumer electronic markets.” The results come in a recently released report entitled IEEE 1394: XP Backs it to the Next Level .
Last year, according to Cahners, more than 35 million PCs and consumer electronics products were equipped with the high speed digital interface, which is standard issue on all desktop and portable Macs. Apple pioneered the development and adoption of FireWire — the first FireWire Macs first appear in 1999 with the introduction of the blue and white Power Mac G3. Since then, the interface has been deployed across the entire line of Power Macs, iBooks, iMacs, and PowerBooks. Since then, PC makers and peripheral manufacturers have adopted the IEEE 1394 interface as well. Cahners said that IEEE 1394 deployment is expected to exceed 200 million units by 2005.
In-Stat director Joyce Putscher said that her company expects “positive market momentum,” albeit at a more moderate growth rate, given the industry slump and recessive economy. USB 2.0 was cited as competition that “may have significant impacts in selected markets.”
The number of FireWire-equipped devices grew by 192 percent between 1999 and 2000, according to Cahners. The company said that PC-based products accounted for most of that number, but digital consumer electronics are expected to overtake PC devices in 2001.
Cahners also confirmed that digital video editing is the number one reason behind this growth. This is certainly no surprise to Mac users, who depend on FireWire as the de facto standard for video import and export when crafting their own iMovies.
Cahners suggested that growth markets for IEEE 1394 include more consumer-priced digital camcorders and still cameras, as well as “using 1394 over 802.11a,” an emerging high-speed wireless networking standard.
The Cahners In-Stat report, IEEE 1394: XP Backs it to the Next Level, is available for purchase directly from the company for US$3,495.
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