Sony Semiconductor has been giving some interesting presentations lately about their current and future sensor business. A few things stood out to me, like this statistic:
DSLR sensors are 1% of SS's production, 27% of SS's sales. By contrast, cell-phone sensors are 81% of production, but only 36% of sales. Sony claims 11% of the cell-phone camera sensor market, 64% of the compact camera market, and 38% of the sensors for DSLRs.
Some of the more intriguing statements came in the presentation on new Super Reality sensors that are coming. Sony is presenting a new filtration idea (seems awful close to one Kodak patented a while back): a WGWB GWRW WBWG RWGW 16-pixel filtration block (W is "no color filter"). This represents a Bayer filter at 45 degrees interspersed with added no filter areas, and provides improved signal-to-noise (dynamic range) at the expense of color discrimination.