[lry198010]

So how many machines have been shipped to its customers, may the 27 submissions is not enough to predict the shipped machines?

[steven]

Hi there,
anything new from the tanks? I only see 27 submissions on your web site

[brjordan]

Another piece of "numerical" news: Roche announces 139 M CHF (~139 M USD) sequencing sales in 2009, based exclusively on the 454 system. If I assume that 50% of this is new machine sales, and a unit price of 500 K USD, this works out to 140 454 systems sold last year, a figure that looks fairly reasonable. Of course this puts Roche last of the "big three", and you can understand why they launch the "GS junior"...

[nickloman]

If there are 1500 Illuminas out there then that means the map is about 1/3 complete. Which is pretty good for a community-run resource like this but I agree we could do better. If you do find a centre not in there, please put a placeholder down!

The results, so far, of the serial number challenge will be announced real soon now, and they are quite interesting!

[avilella]

I think the difference between the ~1500 reported by Illumina and the 540 (as of 20100405) in the HTS website comes mainly from people not being aware of the site, rather than from being reluctant to disclose the machines they have.

Over the weekend, I did a very simple Google search for queries like:
"DNA sequencing facility" Illumina OR 454 OR SOLID site:.edu

and managed to find an extra half a dozen centers that have a website specifying the machines they have, prices, etc. but they weren't in the map.

There might be a portion of the machines that are in pharma companies and don't want to advertise the level of sequencing they are doing, but that is, I would say, in the few hundreds. I think the map could easily reach ~1250 out of the ~1500 if all the machines in all public centers were in the database.

You may have noticed a recent item in In Sequence in which Illumina indicate a total of 1,500 installed machines (theirs plus others). See:

http://www.genomeweb.com/sequencing/illumina-estimates-1500-next-gen-sequencers-installed-date

The google map is nice but still very incomplete - I guess many owners are not motivated or not aware of SequAnswers (too bad for them!)...
By the way, if you're an academic (a pretty loose definition) you can get free access to In Sequence and to the other GenomeWeb newsletters (BioArray news, Pharmacogenomics..). This may require an email to the person in charge of the site, but it works!

Cheers,

Bertrand

[brjordan]

You may have noticed a recent item in In Sequence in which Illumina indicate a total of 1,500 installed machines (theirs plus others). See:

http://www.genomeweb.com/sequencing/illumina-estimates-1500-next-gen-sequencers-installed-date

The google map is nice but still very incomplete - I guess many owners are not motivated or not aware of SequAnswers (too bad for them!)...
By the way, if you're an academic (a pretty loose definition) you can get free access to In Sequence and to the other GenomeWeb newsletters (BioArray news, Pharmacogenomics..). This may require an email to the person in charge of the site, but it works!

Cheers,

Bertrand

[Joann]

Cookies!

I'll send a box of fresh home-baked cookies custom prepared according to the winner's favorite ingredients and specs. Otherwise, chocolate-chip with pecans.
Joann

[steven]

Maybe someone could offer a prize? Illumina, ABI or 454, even Pacific Biosciences perhaps ;-)
James.

They are all too busy changing their serial number policy, setting a +10 iteration at each machine

[james hadfield]

Maybe someone could offer a prize? Illumina, ABI or 454, even Pacific Biosciences perhaps ;-)
James.

[nickloman]

Guys

I've got 15 numbers so far. Mainly these are Illumina, the rest are 454 and only 1 SOLiD number. We probably only need 15 or so more numbers to start making predictions .. Please spread the word far and wide to anyone who can get access to a machine and post a number for this project!

http://pathogenomics.bham.ac.uk/hts/serial

Still no prizes on offer yet, just the warm glow of having helped the war effort. But if incentives are required then so be it!!

Cheers

[steven]

Sure, the assumption of sequential serial numbers for a same product line is reasonable and makes sense (although it is still an assumption). As soon as i get my hands on a machine i will definitely post the number.

[james hadfield]

Hi Steven,

Almost all manufacutrers use sequential serial numbers, they have too as it is very complex to try and hide this kind of info. Assuming this is tru for ABI, 454 and Illumina then this method should give an approximation. I believe they do not use a set of serial numbers across multiple platforms. Our BeadScanner and Cluster station are quite different to our GAs.

The google map (http://pathogenomics.bham.ac.uk/hts) of seqeuncers Nick mentioned might allow us to say if that approximation bears any resemblance to what people say they have on the map.

[avilella]

Maybe we then need a phone picture of the Serial number as a proof :-)

Hehe! That might skew the results a bit

[nickloman]

Hehe! That might skew the results a bit

[avilella]

Awesome initiative!

As an incentive to reports, a prize should be given to the person who reported the highest id at the end of each week (Friday 5pm CET). T-shirt? Chocolate bar?

The number of machines sold by each major manufacturer is a closely guarded secret - they gave some figures at the beginning, but no longer now (as far as I've been able to see). Does anyone have firm or semi-firm estimates? My own guestimate is around 1,000 systems sold altogether, more than half being Illumina and the rest shared (about equally) between 454 and SOLiD...
Do you agree, disagree?

All replies will be VERY welcome!