New Study Says Four Out of Five Handsets Will Have 3D Cameras, Screens by 2015

Odds are good that you'll be carrying a stereo-3D camera in your pocket within the next four years, according to a just-released study from graphics and multimedia consultancy Jon Peddie Research (JPR). The firm says 80 percent of smartphones will boast not just 3D screens, but 3D cameras.

What new features will you get when the iPhone finally goes 3D? Beyond the obvious 3D imaging capabilities and 3D gaming, a whole new world of gesture-based interaction and augmented-reality apps opens up. A phone with twin cameras mounted on the front and back could create a virtual version of the space around the handset and monitor movement – like what your fingers are doing – inside that space.

3D phones are just a tiny sliver of the market today, and JPR isn’t forecasting that to change much in 2012 or even 2013. But in 2014, the company’s projections show an explosion of 3D-enabled smartphones dominating the market. The company’s figures anticipate a fairly linear expansion of the smartphone market, with yearly shipments increasing steadily from 300 million units worldwide in 2010 to more than 750 million in 2016.

Despite the emphasis on smartphones, tablets seem to be where the action is in the near future. JPR predicts a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 66.8 percent for tablets between 2010 and 2016. Compare that to expected CAGR of 42.5 percent for mobile game systems, 40.2 percent for Ebook readers, and a comparatively paltry 20.2 percent for smartphones. Demand for dumb phones will slide by 2.6 percent in the same timeframe, JPR says.

The full 2012 Mobile Devices and their Semiconductors Market Study is available for $3500.

For more information: www.jonpeddie.com.