Although it faces a challenging uphill course, Bluetooth technology is definitely headed for the top, recent Frost & Sullivan research on end-user perception showed, rebuking several reports circulating in the industry claiming the hyped-up technology will never pan out.
According to the company’s survey of more than 120 European IT network-executives, end-user acceptance of the technology is high, but confusion and caution also surfaced in the results.
For instance, the research showed end-users often link Bluetooth to wireless LAN technology, and sometimes too closely. “Although this is true to a degree, and indeed in some respects, the two technologies are becoming more and more similar, they also differ in many ways,” explained Jan ten Sythoff of Frost & Sullivan. “It is important that the industry increases awareness of the capabilities and limitations of the technology, or disappointment could lead to a backlash.
Frost & Sullivan added that while most end-users look forward to Bluetooth technology because they believe it will offer increased flexibility and convenience, those expecting “seamless inter-device connectivity” may be in for a surprise, at least in the beginning.
But, despite the apparent bewilderment among end-users, and the obstacles the technology faces in implementation, including and not limited to: interoperability, robustness, interference and perceived security flaws, Frost & Sullivan still predicts a more-than-bright future, which will likely begin in the European market.
Proclaiming “Bluetooth-enabled devices will be a runaway success, set to slowly revolutionize communications,” Frost & Sullivan said the technology will push industry revenues from this year’s just less than $2 billion to $333 billion by 2006. During those five years, the marketing company added, Bluetooth shipments will jump from 4.2 million to 1.01 billion.
