NEWS BRIEFS

Framingham, MASS — Shipments in the worldwide optical automation market are sliding, which will land them at approximately 15,000 units by 2004, down almost 30%. However, the market value is in an upswing, increasing from $220 million in 1999 to $283 million in 2004. This data comes from IDC’s Worldwide Optical Automation Market Forecast and Analysis, 2000-2004 report.

“Unit shipments in many optical automation segments will decline, but this does not mean there are no opportunities in the overall market,” said Wolfgang Schlichting, research manager with IDC’s Removable Storage program. “Stable prices and increased importance of large jukeboxes will be important trends for manufacturers to leverage.”

Worldwide shipments in the optical automation market decreased 14% in 1999 whereas the revenue for this same period increased almost 8%. This is due to the accelerated shift toward larger jukeboxes. The CD/DVD jukeboxes are leading the industry with growth of 15% in 1999. The CD/DVD jukeboxes and 5.25-inch optical jukebox manufacturers are offering network-attached storage (NAS). “Optical jukeboxes will continue to play their role as secondary storage solution and in data archives. Medical applications and email storage solutions will pose particular opportunities.” Schlichting said.

IDC’s Worldwide Optical Automation Market Forecast and Analysis, 2000-2004 (IDC #B22320) presents forecasts for the worldwide market broken down by three regions: Asia/Pacific, Europe, and the United States. Data is provided for CD/DVD, 3.5-inch magneto-optical (MO), 5.25-inch optical, and 12-inch/14-inch WORM jukebox/autochangers markets. The 5.25-inch optical and CD/DVD jukebox segments are thoroughly analyzed by slot size. Detailed data are provided for market value, shipments, average selling value, installed base, regional shipments, and market share. For more information on the Storage program, please visit http://www.idc.com/hardware .

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