New models helped the push, and interestingly over half of all netbooks shipped last year came to the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) market. Alan Brown, senior industry analyst at Future Horizons described the PC and mobile phone markets as "surprisingly resilient" in his presentation on semiconductor applications market at the Semiconductor Industry Forecast Seminar in London earlier this week.
And he reckons the trend will continue into this year. "Low-cost mobile PCs will drive the market," he declared, adding that the market will also get a stimulus from the introduction of Windows 7;
On the mobile phone front it is Smartphones which are proving to be the driving force, along with the consumer's penchant for low cost models. Some words of warning from Alan Brown. "There is relentless pricing pressure on mobile phones." And that pressure will be applied by mobile phone makers to their semiconductor suppliers.
Automotive applications which hit rock bottom are now beginning to perk up, albeit slowly. "There are signs that government stimulus is working in China, said Brown. He expects other sales in other regions to pick up, though he outs a question mark over the sustainability of scrappage schemes.
He is confident semiconductor penetration into the car will continue to go deeper, particularly to slake the thirst for entertainment and connectivity consumers are used to in their homes.
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