After several attempts the market for digital picture frames is starting to take off. According to research Company iSuppli global shipments of displays for DPFs are expected to rise to 22.7 million units in 2008, up 58.8 percent from 14.3 million in 2007. Last year worldwide unit shipments grew 256.7 percent from 4 million in 2006. Worldwide shipments are expected to grow by nearly a factor of four to reach 78.3 million by 2011.
"Introduced in 2005, the DPF initially was purchased by early adopters—and few others," said Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst for mobile displays at iSuppli. "When looking at DPFs, consumers weren't sold on the value proposition of a product that simply cycled the same pictures over and over again with inferior image quality compared to a photo print.
"However, something happened in 2007. DPFs experienced a banner year as falling prices made them more attractive to consumers. Furthermore, DPF makers were able to offer more differentiated and appealing products."
DPF competition proliferated in 2007, with many branded and non-branded vendors entering the market. Each vendor has segmented its brand into a certain niche, including value, high quality, rich features, regional orientation or by pairing its DPFs with digital still camera sales. iSuppli defines a DPF as a device whose primary function is displaying photos and is equipped with various means of transferring images and other media to it.
