Three other segments joined the consumer sector in posting decreases in semiconductor spending last year: automotive electronics; military/aerospace;  and perhaps the most distressed area of  all, the wired communications sector, where semiconductor spending started declining in 2010 and will continue to do so until 2013. Each of the three segments claimed less than 10 percent share of semiconductor spending.

The remaining portion of semiconductor spending in 2011 was split up among three more small sectors, with each account- ing for less than 5 percent market share. However, despite miniscule share, the three segments—includ- ing power, medical electronics and industrial electronics—all saw pos- itive growth last year, adding their numbers  to an overall  encourag- ing picture for the year just ended. Figure 2 shows how semiconduc- tor spending in 2011 was allocated among all competing 10 segments.

In the fast-growing tablet space, Apple spent more than any other manufacturer in tablet-relat- ed semiconductor spending, to the tune of $4.6 billion last year. To be sure, the iPad continues to be un- matched in its class despite earnest

efforts from rival products to loosen its hold on the market, and tablets like the Playbook by Research In Motion Ltd. or the Xoom from Motorola Inc. have yet to gain significant traction since launc hing to compete with Apple ’ s seemingly impregnable offerin g . Samsung Electronics C o . Ltd. w as a v e r y distant second after Apple as the bi g g est spender on tablets in 2011 with $603.2 million, foll ow ed b y HTC Co r p . from T ai w an with $199.2 million.