The tethered PC camera market is outperforming market expectations and the products have started showing up in mass merchants and warehouse club stores, a trend industry executives expect to continue as USB becomes an industry standard.
Data from Intel and PC Data project sales for the cameras will hit the two million-mark this year, up from the 950,000 sold in 1998. USB-ready camera sales have risen sharply this year, said Troy Severson, Intel’s retail channel manager. He cited PC Data figures showing that from the first quarter until April of 1999, market penetration of these models had risen from 63% to 70%.
“USB is the number-one reason for the growth of this category,” Severson said. “18 months ago nobody would have predicted that we would sell 2 million units in 1999.”
