Tag: MIC

Tablet sales slow down

Posted on September 17, 2014 by - News

cheap-tabletsSales of tablets are set to slow down next year because the market is saturated with devices.

So says Taiwanese market research company Market Intelligence and Consulting (MIC). MIC is a Taiwanese government quango and is in a position to know because most tablets are made in Taiwan and mainland China. Many are so-called “white box” units – often sold at rock bottom prices and unbranded.

And it also forecasts that the global PC market will shrink next year because enterprises are slowing down buying the gear, according to a report in English language newspaper the Taipei Times.

MIC said global shipments will be 293 million units next year, which represents a 9.2 increase from sales this year. But the rate of increase is in decline.

One of the reasons is that smartphones are getting bigger.

Meanwhile, MIC said worldwide shipments of PCs will be 295 million units, that’s down from shipments this year. Sales this year got a boost because Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP.

3D printing market worth $4.45 billion by 2016

Posted on July 26, 2013 by - News

taipeiThe market value for 3D printing could zoom past $4.45 billion as soon as 2016, according to Taiwan’s Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC).

The figure is roughly double its value in 2012 at $2.15 billion – itself 22.2 percent growth from the previous year.

MIC notes that the current picture it’s a long way since the initial rounds of investment into 3D printing in the 80s, including from companies like 3D Systems, Stratasys and Helisys. But an injection of R&D cash in recent years has been progressive for the technology and lead to an expansion in the application market.

Now, thanks to R&D progress, a wide range of materials can be printed, including metals, ceramics, resins, plastics, nylon, PVC, ABS plastic and wax.

Since these developments, 3D printing has found itself being used for the production of metal modules, personalised goods, automobile and airplane parts, medical apparatus, gadgets, consumer goods and jewelry.

MIC points out that governments are expressing their support for advances in 3D printing and other big players, including in the Asia Pacific region, have entered the scene.