At a recent 'Wireless Symposium', Cambridge chip startup Artimi was demonstrating its Wireless USB capability, linking a digital camera via a USB port to a dongle, to another dongle plugged into a PC. So my apologies for my face coming up on the screen!
Artimi is focusing on the cable replacement market, and linking things like external hard disk drives and cameras wirelessly.
Much as I wish them, and any chip startup, well, I worry that there isn't the margin in the market for these devices. Yes, they point to HDMI cables costing $70 to $100, and that's where companies such as Pulse-Link are aiming, and that makes sense. But will people pay $50 for a pair of dongles to replace a $5 cable? No.
So the issue comes down to the consumer equipment makers and getting these chips designed in - Artimi is claiming some success on this front, especially with the hard disk makers, and if we see this starting to happen by the end of the year, or Q1 next year (which is possible) then cable replacement becomes feasible.
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