Abstract
The inkjet market is on track to meet the original forecast. The inkjet market
is forecast to increase at a CAGR of 6.4% to give a 2011 market size of
23,355,105 units.
Despite the much-hyped talk of the A3 models, the major shipments of these
types of products have failed to materialize and 99% of all inkjet shipments
will be A4 in nature. The majority of these models will be aimed at the home
user, the professional user, or the general office user. The consumer products
are a mixture of 3:1 entry-level tri-ink cartridge systems, which are simple
products, through to more sophisticated solutions aimed at professional
photographers, where six or more separate ink tanks are used. Most vendors
competing in these markets have at least one product aimed at both segments.
Most of the 4:1 products will be shipped into the office environment. The
office in question will either be the SoHo workers, the workgroup users, or a
4:1 device used for personal use. Most of these products will be flatbed in
configuration as the demand for sheetfed products declines.
Prices continue to decline and all manufacturers now compete in the entry-level
segments. They simply have to in order to compete in the volume markets.
However, cost-effective prices do not necessarily mean high features. Some of
the features of the entry-level products are so basic the units are effectively
printers with the scan and copy function. Some are so inexpensive to purchase
that one set of new ink cartridges costs more than the original machine. This
means that, to some extent, some of the models are becoming disposable models.
The two largest segments will naturally be the <$100 and $100-$199 segments. In
2011 these two segments will account for 91.1% of all the inkjet shipments. The
$200-$299 and $300-$399 segments will decline as price competition forces
prices down while the $400 segment will also decline despite the introduction
of the A3 models. The amount of A4 products migrating downwards will mean a
total segment decline.
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