This IDC study presents the actual performance of the 2002–2004 Japan optical automation market as well as forecast for 2005 to 2009. Both actual performance and forecast are presented and analyzed in terms of revenue, unit shipments, technology (CD/DVD, 5.25in. optical disks, and others), and slot size. The 2002–2004 vendor shares are also analyzed by technology.
Masaaki Moriyama, research manager, Japan Storage Systems, IDC Japan, comments, "To outstrip the competition in the archive storage market, clear differentiators are necessary. It is necessary for vendors to concentrate on product reconstruction, marketing and alliance strategies that focus on user industries that can leverage the characteristics of optical storage."