Tablets becoming epicentre for convergence says iSuppli

The market research firm says the implications of the convergence in consumer electronics go well beyond tablets such as Apple's iPad. According to iSuppli analyst, William Kidd, the rise of the tablet parallels the growing importance of the mobile OS in a large number of consumer electronics devices where previously there was no OS—or the OS wasn't a factor. "As a result, it's a time of great risk and opportunity for all the players across the electronics value chain," said Kidd. "This is why so many technology firms seem to be rushing to deliver—or to become a key supplier to—a next generation tablet, smart phone or both, like the iPad/iPhone. At the same time, these companies also are attempting to keep their design options somewhat open, because it is still so early in the tablet's life cycle." Kidd warns that companies in the electronics value chain must face the reality that the rise of the mobile OS means that distinct product categories now are blurring together. "For example," he noted, "similarities abound in both external functionality and internal electronics among Apple's tablet, smart phone, mp3 player and set top box product lines. Not only do all these Apple devices run the same OS, they are also internally similar—plus or minus a screen and touch interface." iSuppli believes that given the proliferation of mobile OSes, industries likely to face the impact of convergence include televisions, cell phones and notebook pcs. "These OSes provide a framework for consumers to cheaply and effortlessly create custom use cases for devices by using apps that greatly exceed the utility of an Internet browser alone," Kidd said. He added that mobile OSes will proliferate because of their range of benefits to technology providers and users. "Using mobile OSes, content providers can distribute their wares and add another convenient option for consumers to access content. For developers, mobile OSes allow the creation and monetisation of apps. Finally, mobile OSes enable interconnectivity between connected devices, and thus generate even more new use cases." iSuppli believes televisions could represent the next important catalyst in this evolution toward a broader and more unifying consumer's platform that encompasses significantly more devices.