About 60 Percent of Portable Media Players Models in the Market Today Were Launched During H1 2005.

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c38025) has announced the addition of China Sourcing Report: Portable Media Players to their offering.

2006 is poised to be the breakout year for portable media players, its growing popularity driven by falling prices of storage media including flash memory and hard disk drives.

With production set to more than double this year, do you know --

--Which suppliers can provide you with top-quality products?

--What models and features are available at your price-entry point?

--Where prices are headed in the coming months

Get all the answers from this 88-page report featuring in-depth industry overview, product-comparison information and profiles of 36 leading suppliers.

What you will get

--In-depth profiles of 24 key portable media player suppliers in mainland China, Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan, including details on their manufacturing capabilities, QC processes, product trends, pricing strategies and more. Based on personal factory visits and interviews with senior managers, this information is available nowhere else

--Short profile tables of 12 additional manufacturers highlighting key sourcing information such as their production capacities, product approvals, main export markets, product roadmaps and other data

--A product gallery of 40 top-selling export models, featuring top-line specifications and full-color pictures

--Breakdown of key production bases, including a detailed look at Guangdong as a sourcing center

--This report covers: flash- and HDD-based PMPs

How you will benefit

--Identify the suppliers who serve the world's biggest brands including K-Mart, Best Buy, Carrefour, Thomson, Haier, Wal-Mart, Daewoo, Philips

--Find out how much of the production process is outsourced and understand its impact on your orders' quality, FOB pricing and delivery times

--Get a competitive advantage with a preview of upcoming features in entry-level, mid-range and high-end portable media players

--Benefit from quick-to-use summary listings of all featured suppliers with easy-to-compare statistics, as well as verified contact details

Contents are as follows:-

Executive Summary

Industry Overview

Suppliers At A Glance

Supplier Profiles

Supplier Tables

Product Gallery

Supplier Contact Details

2006 will be the breakout year for portable media players (PMPs). Previously hindered by high price quotes, digital rights management issues and limited video content from service providers, PMPs broke ground in 2005 because of the continuous decline of the costs of storage media such as flash memory and hard disk drives. About 60 percent of PMP models in the market today were launched during H1 2005.

Surveyed makers are projecting an output of 4.91 million PMPs in 2006, after shipping about 2.2 million units in 2005.

Mainland China suppliers are mainly assemblers that rely on reference designs from component suppliers or cooperate with design houses. The region's supplier base is expected to increase to as many as 90 makers by the end of 2006 from about 50 makers in 2005.

Taiwan's supplier base will increase to 50 companies by the end of 2006, with new entrants that include several well-known IT companies which have been observing industry developments in the last couple of years.

This report covers PMPs that support more than one media format, such as audio and video, and include an LCD or OLED screen.

Based on the manufacturing, product development and export statistics provided by 36 PMP manufacturers, including 21 from mainland China, six from Taiwan, three from Hong Kong and six from South Korea, Global Sources presents the following findings:

The Manufacturing Capability section talks about what production processes the surveyed makers generally outsource and what processes are done and monitored in-house to ensure quality output and fast delivery time. It also outlines the quality control tests and inspections vital during assembly and pre-shipment, and component sourcing.

Products and Prices discuss the production share of HDD and flash PMPs. It reports on the current product trends as well as functions and features that distinguish high-end units from entry-level and midrange PMPs.

Major growth drivers that are likely to contribute to the PMP market in the future is explored in Outlook. The section includes pricing and component cost and supply forecasts. Part of the section focuses on the features and functions that buyers can expect from upcoming models

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c38025

Source: Global Sources