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Stereo Bluetooth - No Longer a Broken Record
Date: 31 October 2011

A recent study from IMS Research predicts shipments of Bluetooth headsets to grow, surpassing the 45 million unit mark in 2015. Much of this growth is forecast to be derived from the less mature stereo segment of the market, with mono Bluetooth headsets now a mature technology in its key markets of North America and Western Europe.

Shipments of stereo Bluetooth headsets have been touted to see significant growth for a number of years. “Previously, the market had been held back by issues such as sound quality and many consumers finding pairing Bluetooth devices awkward, but these issues appear to be a thing of the past” noted Liam Quirke, Connectivity market analyst at IMS Research. Utilisation of A2DP in devices has vastly improved when compared with early iterations, not to mention that codecs such as apt-X can also improve sound quality and latency. Many headsets today also feature far simpler pairing processes giving the devices greater user friendliness, whilst NFC may go one step further in solving that particular problem.

The major stumbling block for the stereo Bluetooth headset now appears to be awareness that Bluetooth offers wireless stereo audio streaming, with many consumers simply unaware that this is the case. A recent consumer survey from IMS Research found that 44% of respondents without a stereo Bluetooth headset were unaware of this functionality. A surge in demand for high end corded headsets has been witnessed in recent years, with brands such as Monster capitalising on this. Announcements that companies such as Monster will be incorporating Bluetooth into its range of stereo headset products may help to drive the increased awareness required to kick-start the stereo Bluetooth headset market.

Providing a positive backdrop to this particular market is the increasing demand globally for smartphones and the early success of the tablet PC. Both of these devices combine high levels of media functionality with a small form factor, severely inhibiting the quality of any speaker included. To benefit from a high quality output from either of these devices, headphones are required. With Bluetooth present in almost all such devices, and portability being a major selling factor, a stereo Bluetooth headset could be an ideal companion.

 

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Bluetooth Headsets – World – 2011 report

The report examines the market for Bluetooth mono and stereo headsets in detail. It quantifies and analyses the current and future market for Bluetooth headsets in terms of revenues and devices shipped. Market shares are provided for both mono and stereo headset markets. Top level figures for related Bluetooth-enabled peripheral and competitor products are also included.

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Bluetooth Headsets – World – 2011

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