Fueled by market drivers, such as inexpensive flash-based players available around the world, growing broadband penetration, and the increasing availability of affordable, legitimate music and video online, the market for portable media equipment will see strong growth in Japan over the next several years, reports In-Stat. Music-enabled cell phones, however, may cut into this market.

“While video capable, dedicated PMP/MP3 players seem safe from multimedia cell phone competition, there is a significant opportunity for cellular operators to capture those consumers who are considering audio-only MP3 players,” says Alice Zhang, In-Stat analyst.

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• More than a quarter of the respondents to an In-Stat survey of Japanese consumers would like to use a multimedia mobile phone as a substitute for a multimedia player.
• Japanese PMP/MP3/PDP player market retail volume is expected to reach nearly 1.5 million units by 2011, up from 760,000 units in 2007.
• Consumer interest in video will constrain the growth of audio-only MP3 players in Japan. As PMP prices drop, more Japanese consumers will choose to purchase a PMP.

About this study

The In-Stat research, “Portable Music and Multimedia Market In Japan” (#IN0703500ACM), covers the market for portable multimedia equipment in Japan. It provides forecasts for Japanese portable MP3 players, portable media players (PMPs), and portable DVD players. For portable audio-only MP3 players and PMPs, both flash-based and HDD-based players are included. Results of an In-Stat survey of Japanese consumers are also included.

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