A Look Inside Tablet Computers, Netbooks, and Smartphones; The Linley Group Releases Report on Mobile Application Processors

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - January 27, 2010) - What makes an Apple iPad or Amazon Kindle tick? Inside each is a powerful mobile processor that delivers their cool user interfaces and amazing multimedia capabilities. The processors inside next year's hottest new gadgets are already profiled in The Linley Group's new report "A Guide to Mobile Processors, Second Edition." The guide focuses on the application processors and mobile multimedia processors powering today's mobile devices such as tablet and notebook computers, smartphones, personal media players (PMPs), e-readers, personal navigation devices (PNDs) and other mobile Internet devices (MIDs). These advanced processors are designed to run a high-level operating system and application software serving as the main CPU in a mobile device.

"Choosing the right processor is critical to the design of any mobile device," commented Linley Gwennap, principal analyst of The Linley Group. "To satisfy end users, the processor must support the right operating system and apps, display web pages quickly, and handle high-quality audio, video, and 3D content, all within a miserly power budget that permits all-day battery life. Designers need to be able to count on a solid roadmap for future products."

Despite the global economic downturn, shipments of application processors grew 3.5% in 2009, according to our preliminary estimates, and we expect growth of 17% in 2010. This growth is driven by the increasing popularity of smartphones, although a shift to integrated smartphone processors will limit the long-term size of this market to an estimated $1.15 billion.

Availability

"A Guide to Mobile Processors, Second Edition" is currently available directly from The Linley Group and is priced at $2,995 for a single-user license. For further details, visit the web site at http://www.linleygroup.com/Reports/application_processor_guide.html

About The Linley Group

The Linley Group is the industry's leading source for independent technology analysis of semiconductors for networking, communications, mobile, and wireless. The company provides strategic consulting services, more than a dozen in-depth analytical reports, and Linley Tech events focused on advanced technology topics. For insights on recent industry news subscribe to "Linley Wire" and "Linley on Mobile," the company's free email newsletters. More information about The Linley Group is available at http://www.linleygroup.com.

Contact Information: Company Contact: Candace Doyle The Linley Group 408.370.7631 candaced@linleygroup.com