Market Impact

There are many instances of the introduction of a standard bringing about significant and long-lasting market growth. From barrels and wagon wheels, through a single railway gauge and the telephone, to compact cassettes and VCRs.

All of these markets have grown dramatically in size once a single standard emerged. The Open Group anticipates that the market for UNIX systems will be no different. The wide availability of products meeting the Single UNIX Specification will enable to buyers to gain real and lasting benefit which will, in time, help grow the market.

First, easier portability of existing applications and data on to new platforms will ease replacement of existing hardware, and adding systems to existing installations will be eased.

Second, easier connection of UNIX systems will enable the spread of computing into new areas of business.

Third, cost reductions in the development, and particularly in the maintenance, of business applications will free resource, enabling wider use of computers in the organization.

Fourth, the faster, easier and less costly procurements enabled by the availability of UNIX^® 95 products will facilitate speedy deployment of new systems.

The result, as X/Open UNIX branded products come to market, will be an acceleration of growth in market volume and value.

With International Data Corp. reporting a 23.5% increase in UNIX system sales between 1993 and 1994 (from $21,829m to $26,952m) perhaps the market expansion  has already begun. Indeed, procurements referencing the Single UNIX Specification already total over $3.5 billion.