Digi-Key: CIS Prices to Fall 2% a Year

Digi-Key quotes IC Insights saying that prices for CMOS image sensors are expected to drop about 2% per year for the next four years, although demand for sensors will rise and the market will increase 12% annually through 2017.

In 2012 there was an 8% increase in the average price of image sensors, according to Rob Lineback, IC Insights analyst. "It was unusual because units only increased 13% and revenue was up 22%. This year in 2013 we see a 1% price drop," he says. In 2012, camera phones accounted for 62% the market, but expected to drop to 53% in 2017. Meanwhile, image sensors for automotive will grow from less than 1% 2012 to 8% in 2017, while medical and scientific sensors will rise from 3% in 2012 to 5% in 2017.

The CMOS sensor revenue will increase from $7.1B in 2012 to $12.5B in 2017: