A lot of technologies have come and gone since the first consumer Bluetooth device made its debut in 1999, but the short-range wireless standard remains a vital part of many devices.
This looks set to continue as industry body the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) estimates that sales of Bluetooth devices will hit a record high of more than 7 billion shipments per year by 2026 – almost enough to provide one device to everyone in the world today.
According to Bluetooth SIG, Bluetooth sales took a major hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, in common with many other products and sectors.
Disrupted supply chains and a dampened consumer demand had a big initial impact, but the consumer electronics market started to recover in 2021.
Analysts now believe that this year will see a faster-than-anticipated growth with 5 million Bluetooth-enabled devices being shipped.
Mark Powell, chief executive officer at Bluetooth SIG, said that the community members worked hard to produce innovations that improved the technology, helping to shape the market and create a more connected world in the process.
Growth in shipments will be driven by innovation and new devices
According to the group’s 2022 Bluetooth Market Update, the projected growth is being driven by that process of innovation and the emergence of new types of devices.
One of the biggest areas of growth is predicted to be that of Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio.
This enables both a better sound quality and lower power consumption in audio products such as speakers, headsets and earbuds.
By 2026, it is forecast that there will be 619 million worldwide shipments of Bluetooth-enabled earbuds, representing around two-thirds of all wireless headsets sold.
The attributes of Bluetooth LE Audio technology could also enable the development of new product lines such as smart hearing aids.
As the metaverse develops, it’s thought that the demand for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) devices will continue to grow.
The report predicts that shipments of Bluetooth-enabled VR headsets will increase by 51% between 2022 and 2026.
Bluetooth-compatible AR devices such as smart glasses are forecast to increase by more than two-thirds (68%) over the same period.
Shipments of Bluetooth-compatible real-time locating systems (RTLS) are also predicted to rise by around three times, reaching 250 million by 2026.
Today’s news was brought to you by TD SYNNEX – the UK’s number one solutions distributor.
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