| Leveraging
the strength of its analog-intensive, mixed-signal technology into its highly
integrated ICs, SigmaTel has established a strong presence in a range of consumer
electronics markets, including portable media players, digital televisions and
consumer audio devices. The company has been especially successful in penetrating
mid-range consumer electronics spaces due in part to a strong presence in the
Asia Pacific region. SigmaTel's
technology and talent will merge with Freescale's Multimedia Applications Division,
which reports to Lynelle McKay, senior vice president and general manager of the
company's Networking and Multimedia Group. Freescale will now begin incorporating
SigmaTel employees into its engineering, marketing and sales organizations worldwide.
The
portable digital multimedia market is one
of the fastest growing markets for semiconductor
solutions. With 2007 shipments in excess
of 215 million units, portable media players
(PMPs) continue to dominate the portable
consumer electronics (CE) device market
and are expected to continue growth in excess
of 15 per cent per year, according to In-Stat
(www.In-Stat.com).
In
addition to PMPs, one of the hottest consumer
products in 2007 was the personal navigation
device (PND), a sophisticated portable device
that combines stored map data with location
data derived from a built-in global positioning
system (GPS) satellite receiver. In-Stat
predicts worldwide unit shipments for PNDs
will grow from 14 million units in 2006
to approximately 56 million units in 2011.
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