As stated elsewhere in this book, a number of application drivers could potentially trigger important advances in the data conversion landscape in the short term. For instance, in the consumer market, the booming popularity and increasing pervasiveness of personal mobile devices (e.g. smartphones, tablet computers etc.) creates an unprecedented demand for data throughput in the wireless market that is somewhat similar to what has previously happened in the wired world when the internet became widely accessible. The same types of devices also drive a multitude of needs in terms of sensory interfaces and associated converters. Still in the consumer market, the gaming industry is also becoming both more technically sophisticated and more pervasive (which perhaps begs some societal questions) and leading to a considerably higher degree of interactivity and refined human–machine sensory interfaces, again relying on the ability to leverage fast DSP capability and, correspondingly, specialized ADCs and DACs.

TVs have finally made the technological shift from analog to digital, now also with high definition and even 3D. That perhaps means fewer interfaces with legacy analog systems, but more demand for data throughput over cable and fiber optics as well as, wirelessly, in home/apartment localized networks delivering all this digital content to various types of client devices and without passing cables through walls.

Automotive is yet another application area that is rapidly accelerating the demand for connected electronics and sensory networks.