Demand For Handset Memory Increases
The trend to store more and more digital info and entertainment — such as video, music and digital photos – on the handsets is creating a demand for more memory storage. Apple’s iPhone, with 8GB memory available, has accelerated the race. Flash memory is the term for chips that can store data even if a device is off (also called non-volatile memory). Flash memory is commonly used in usb drives, digital cameras and mp3 players and has replaced bulky and expensive solid-state drives.
The demand for memory in Pakistan is also high. A common use of such memory is to swap content offline. The word from blogistan (Pakistani blogosphere) is that this is how most of the “entertainment” circulates, either from person-to-person or from the street vendors.
According to iSuppli, a market-analysis company, the amount of available memory in cellphones is expected to surge tenfold in the next two years. This puts handset manufacturers in a difficult situation as they struggle to keep the costs down and profitability up. This is less of an issue for high-end phones with better margins.
As recently reported by Wall Street Journal:Â
Flash is a popular option for handset makers because its thin profile and low power consumption make it ideal for increasingly smaller phone designs. The demand for more memory, however, leaves handset makers a few unsavory options, such as eating the costs, raising the product’s price or making consumers buy their own removable flash cards.
To keep costs down, handset makers have gone with the third option of making consumers buy their own removable flash cards. The companies argue the external memory is more flexible because users can swap out cards with different data.
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