Digital Lifescapes

There's a key segment of the global online population that has an insatiable appetite for digital media -- they influence others: whether it be text, audio, video or gaming consumption. They are the recognized digital content taste-makers at the center of their social circle. They're often the first to adopt new digital gadgets. Digital Omnivores -- those people who own media tablets, smartphones and notebook PCs -- continue to grow, driven by increased device adoption. According to the latest market study by Deloitte, 37 percent of U.S. consumers are now considered to fit the profile -- that's a 42 percent growth over the previous year. This growth is primarily driven by continued tablet adoption (33 percent increase) and, to a lesser extent, smartphone ownership (18 percent increase). Moreover, women, who made up 35 percent of digital omnivores two years ago, now account for 45 percent of this group. The Deloitte market study compares and contrasts generational pre

The bring your own device (BYOD) to work phenomenon continues to impact IT budgets as demand for better in-office wireless coverage increases with each new wave of mobile business productivity applications. As an example, Voice over IP (VoIP) and emerging video-based collaboration apps typically create the need for improved Wi-Fi or broadband 3G/4G cell coverage. Enterprise femtocell deployments will capture 97 percent of the $4.3 billion market revenue in 2019, outpacing consumer-residential femtocells, according to the latest global market study ABI Research. While femtocells are successful in the consumer market, both mobile network operators and wireless LAN vendors are eager to participate in these lucrative new mobile workplace deployments. "The femtocell business model becomes clear for small and medium enterprises. The cost of a Distributed Antenna System cannot be justified for these firms, but yet there is an increasing demand for mobile voice services," sai

When you imagine the emerging market for Wearable Technologies, you'll likely think of eye glasses or wrist bands -- not garments or apparel. Think again; there's more innovation coming to the rapidly growing wearable tech category. According to the latest market study by IDTechEx Research , the evolving field of electronic textiles (e-textiles) describes new technology that is reliant on e-fibers for electronic, electro-optic and electrical functionality. Today, only conductive weavable fibers are widely available commercially. Include in that embroidery and other interleaving technologies using ribbon or fiber. IDTechEx finds that 24 percent of e-textile development projects develop better conductive fibers and another 24 percent concern photovoltaic fibers. Next comes 16 percent of projects on supercapacitors on fibers, with several projects seeking multi-functionality on one fiber, such as supercapacitor layers to store the harvested energy from piezoelectric vibratio

During the remainder of 2014 there will be more M2M and traditional mobile communications applications introduced for the first time within the American commercial vehicle sector. However, telematics technologies and services were first adopted by the long-haul trucking industry in the U.S. market more than 20 years ago. That being said, new adoption within the non-trucking sector is expected to equal the trucking industry -- in terms of numbers of connected vehicles -- by the end of 2014 and will dominate the commercial fleet telematics industry by the end of 2019, accounting for almost 50 million vehicles globally. The non-trucking sector includes a number of verticals such as services and utilities, private transportation (taxis, private hire vehicles and rental fleets), construction and mining, government and public sectors, emergency services, public transportation, and local delivery markets. "Many of these verticals are facing similar challenges such as the need to

According to the latest market study by Juniper Research , recent findings reveal that vendors of Tablet Hybrid devices will ship nearly 50 million units by 2018, rising from an estimated 9.5 million in 2013. Tablet hybrids, also known as 2-in-1 devices, are designed to achieve additional or improved tablet functionality through the use of accessories, or can be in the form of an Ultrabook that can have the screen removed to perform as a slate. As hybrid devices are relatively young, there is a distinct lack of industry standardization for what it actually constitutes -- when a media tablet or notebook PC becomes a hybrid. Also, due to the lack of demand for these devices, the shipment figures released by vendors do not granulate to the required level. As mentioned recently on Digital Lifescapes, Microsoft and Intel are likely to invest a significant amount of their 2014 marketing budget to motivate their channel partners to introduce and promote these high-cost devices in the m

The U.S. mobile payment landscape is progressing very slowly. Although two-thirds of American consumers are interested in learning more about transitioning to a smartphone wallet platform, that interest is simply not translating into adoption. While traditional point of sale payment methods continue to reign supreme, a number of third-party mobile wallets are jockeying for position in the U.S. marketplace -- but not all have the vision needed for long-term survival. To endure the inevitable wave of consolidation, a well-defined road-map paired with patience and endurance will be among the many competencies required. According to the latest market study by the Yankee Group, they ranked the staying power of Google Wallet, Isis, LevelUp, Loop, MCX, PayPal, and Square as determined by the strength of their merchant and consumer value propositions and ability to deliver on them. Highlights from the market study include: Mobile wallets remain a story of high interest and low adopt

In the recent past, Apple iOS and Google Android have delivered a windfall for both vendors. Moreover, this is a pivotal year for media tablets as the traditional markets leading computing and consumer electronics (CE) deployments reach a tipping point and give way to growth regions. The most mature worldwide markets -- including North America, Western Europe, Japan and South Korea -- are yielding to other growth regions -- such as Latin America, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa -- where the connectivity infrastructure and distribution channels are coming of age. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, they forecast 200 million branded tablet shipments this year -- that's a 20 percent gain year-over-year from the 166 million shipments in 2013. With more choices than ever for mobile computing, consumers and businesses will weigh the role of tablets along with ultrabook PCs and large screen smartphones -- the so-called phablets -- to satisfy their communicat

Professionals working remotely are accepted at most forward-thinking companies today, as more progressive executives direct their recruiters to search out and hire the best talent for the role -- regardless of where they reside. Business is now run at the speed of information exchange, facilitated by online communications and real-time audio and video collaboration. In 10 years, however, the average work environment will likely be foreign to most people, according to the latest market study by Frost & Sullivan. Their latest research features results from a Connected Home survey of more than 1,700 respondents, finding about 30 percent of individuals indicate they already work from home, at least part of the time. The market analysis highlights the transformational technologies that are being introduced into the workplace. The research studied how business can depend less on a formalized structure, and more on a virtualized, idea-driven structure to leverage intellectual proper

Mobile voice calling, despite increased competition and the threat of new disruptive technologies, remains the most important revenue generator for the incumbent mobile network operators worldwide. However, network operator voice revenues face immense pressure and will continue to be eroded by competitors with lower-cost or free (ad-supported) service offerings. Mobile data traffic, though rising impressively in volume, is failing to make up the shortfall in revenues, potentially leading to a scenario where overall revenues remain in decline for mobile service providers. This, in a nutshell, describes the backdrop to today's mobile voice communications industry from the incumbent's perspective. Meanwhile, users of mobile video calling services -- such as Skype -- are forecast to increase to over 130 million users by 2018, according to the latest global market study by Juniper Research. However, questions remain over the upside potential for mobile video calling to gener

Mobile internet adoption and increasing subscriber usage is driving telecom wireless network infrastructure investment. 4G Americas announced that Long Term Evolution (LTE) connections in North America passed the 100 million mark at the end of 2013 and represent half of all LTE connections worldwide. In North America and Latin America, 3GPP mobile broadband (LTE and HSPA) grew to 417 million connections in one year ending December 2013, and now represents over one third of all mobile connections in the Americas region, according to the latest market study by Informa Telecoms & Media. "LTE subscribers passed 200 million worldwide in December 2013 and North America makes up just over half of this deployment," stated Kristin Paulin, senior research analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media . LTE subscribers grew 151 percent year-over-year to end 2013 in North America and LTE is expected to grow at an even faster pace over the next five years within the region. Western

While much of the prior demand for media tablets was for personal use at home, usage is now increasing rapidly in the workplace -- threatening to disrupt the traditional players. Other changes in the marketplace, such as the disappointing results for Ultrabook PC sales, are forcing Microsoft and Intel to rethink their market development strategy. The two legacy PC market players have chosen to promote 2-in-1 devices -- a Windows 8 tablet with detachable keyboard -- in the hope that they gain traction in the workplace. They will likely target these devices at CIOs and IT managers that are at odds with their employee's Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy demands. Both companies have briefed industry analysts about their new strategy, with the expectation that their forecasts of 2-in-1 demand and adoption could eventually result in meaningful new sales for these expensive Windows 8 devices. Only time will tell if this approach will produce the desired outcome for Microsoft and Int

Contactless payment technology is applied when the user fulfills a transaction by tapping a card or mobile phone handset against a Chip & PIN machine, rather than swiping a debit or credit card through the Point of Sale (POS) terminal. According to the latest market study by Juniper Research, the number of contactless transactions via mobile handsets will exceed 9.9 billion globally by 2018 -- that's up from just over 3 billion this year. Their study findings found that two key disruptive factors -- HCE (Host Card Emulation) and the anticipated launch of Apple’s iWallet -- were likely to spur additional contactless transaction growth in the medium term. HCE transforms a smartphone app into a virtual smartcard, so that for NFC (Near Field Communication) transactions, the SE (secure element) no longer has to be physically present in the handset. How Standards Enable Market Development According to Juniper's assessment, utilizing a remote HCE-based SE can reduce time

The last few years have been very instructive for high-tech industry analysts, as we've observed the slow and consistent decline of the Wintel personal computer empire that had symbolized the supreme reign of Microsoft and Intel over this prolific business sector, once upon a time. But now, as the final chapter of this story comes to an end, the lessons learned will likely become yet one more case study for business school MBA students to review and dissect. Perhaps they'll also wonder -- how could they not have anticipated this transition and take corrective action? Meanwhile, here's one more chilling quarterly assessment of the same downward spiral. Clearly, dreams of a miraculous Ultrabook-fueled market recovery were without merit. Replacement custodial CEOs with good intentions simply can't erase the strategic mistakes of the past. It is what it is. Enough said. Update on the Global PC Market Outlook Worldwide PC shipments fell by -9.8 percent in 2013, sligh

Juniper Research has valued network operator worldwide revenues generated from mobile roaming at nearly $90 billion by 2018 -- that's compared to $57 billion this year. This growth will represent over 8 percent of the global operator billed revenues by 2018. Juniper notes that these revenues will largely be driven by increasing data usage, primarily from a reduction in roaming charges. Data roaming represented an estimated 36 percent of the global mobile roaming revenues in 2013. Silent Roamer Upside Opportunity However, the findings from the latest Juniper market study revealed that with increasing global travel, there is an increasing prevalence of silent roamers. Silent roamers exercise caution, or do not use voice and data services at all while roaming, and represent a non-user segment -- essentially a lost opportunity. This behavior presents a huge challenge to mobile network operators both in terms of customer satisfaction and revenue expansion. "This is

As the smart wearable electronics business grows very rapidly from over $14 billion today to over 70 billion in 2024, the dominant segment by value will remain the increasingly merged medical, healthcare, fitness, wellness sector. According to the latest market study by IDTechEx , it has the largest number of big names behind the most promising new developments -- such as Adidas, Fujitsu, Nike, Philips, Reebock, Roche, Samsung and Apple. Collectively, their intellectual property is significant and their agenda is to address many of the biggest issues of our time -- such as the aging of the population and the epidemic of obesity and diabetes. This wearable technology sector even extends to a replacement pancreas as a skin patch and exoskeletons and limbs to make the disabled whole again. The advanced infotainment sector will grow to exceed it in numbers but not value by 2024. Here, Google Glass and other eyewear will be a large sub-sector alongside smart wristwear. Smart glass

The latest market study findings from Frost & Sullivan provides strategic recommendations for broadband service providers. The results show that residential consumers in North America rate Internet service the highest in importance, followed by wireless, subscription video, and then voice. Statistics related to the services consumed concurred with these rankings -- with 97.3 percent of respondents subscribing to an Internet service, and 78.9 percent subscribing to landline telephone service. Finally, among other results, the survey found that Internet usage now exceeds conventional television viewing for more consumers with a data connection. "The implications of these results portend a transformation in consumer perceptions," said Mike Jude, program manager at Frost & Sullivan . “Our findings made it very clear that consumption of the services that ride access channels -- voice and video -- are in decline." It begs the question: does this mean the two

Emerging markets are the key focal point when considering smartphone and mobile internet access growth. According to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), in 2013 the worldwide smartphone market surpassed 1 billion units shipped -- that's up from 752 million in 2012. This boom has been mainly powered by consumption in the China market, which has tripled in size over the last three years. Did you know that China accounted for one out of every three smartphones shipped around the world in 2013, equaling 351 million units? But the surge in growth has started to slow as smartphones already account for over 80 percent of China's total phone sales. The next half billion new smartphone customers will increasingly come from poorer emerging markets, notably India and the African continent. "The China boom is now slowing," said Melissa Chau, senior research manager at IDC . "China is becoming like more mature markets in North America and

Worldwide 4G LTE-related mobile network service provider subscriptions reached 229.7 million in 2013, and will continually grow at a CAGR of 43.6 percent between 2013 and 2019 -- eventually exceed 2 billion subscribers. Moreover, by the end of 2013, LTE-TDD subscribers accounted for 5 percent of the LTE market, while 94.2 percent of the LTE market was taken up by LTE-FDD. "Among the LTE subscription growth, Asia-Pacific contributes the most with a 49 percent market share. The second greatest contributor is North America with an 18 percent share," said Marina Lu, research associate at ABI Research . The large population base in the Asia-Pacific region, combined with rapid LTE network deployment and cost-competitive smartphones, has accelerated the remarkable subscriber adoption thus far. All the major mobile network operators are showing their commitments to carrier aggregation capable LTE-Advanced technology, which can better handle the anticipated explosion in mobile

The enterprise network is in full transformation as new business technology enters the workplace. The decades of status-quo in network architecture is suffering as compelling trends like BYOD, remote access, smart devices, cloud computing, and advanced managed services revamp legacy environments. This evolution is making the network more permeable and harder to delineate, according to the findings from the latest market study by ABI Research. The implications will be significant for all CIOs and senior IT managers. Too often, endpoints and data are residing in places outside of the defined network and of the purview of network administrators, seriously undermining the security of important corporate assets. As a result, network security has been propelled to the top of the agenda. Moreover, the growing complexity of security solutions will increase the demand for guidance and savvy professional services. The changing network requires a new approach to security and better-define

If you thought that you'll likely have to pay more for the best mobile network service offering, then think again. According to the latest global market study by ABI Research, more than 55 percent of the least expensive country tariff plans are now on 4G LTE technology -- that's compared to just 22 percent a year ago. This performance has been driven by the aggressive deployment of LTE-based mobile networks and a wider choice of consumer-centric LTE smartphones. "However, we found that the average cost of mobile Internet tariff plans across the cheapest 20 markets increased by 8.24 percent between Q1-2013 and Q1-2014," said Marina Lu, research associate at ABI Research . While 55 percent of the 20 cheapest country plans were 4G, these 4G tariff plans were only marginally more expensive than 3G tariff plans. One year ago, the 4G data pricing was around 20 percent higher than 3G for the equivalent data-plan. What's happening here? ABI believes that competiti

Throttling over the top (OTT) video may be legal in the U.S. market, now that Verizon has convinced the courts to strike down net neutrality rules. However, there are alternative ways to address the growing video consumption challenges that would not alienate a broadband service providers customers to the same degree. As smartphones and tablets achieve greater market penetration, the data usage they bring shows no sign of slowing as subscribers expect good service whenever and wherever they want. With this growing demand, mobile broadband operators in particular need traffic optimization solutions for their networks now as they already struggle with network congestion, and it will likely get worse over time. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, they now forecast that Web and Video Optimization and Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) investment will increase to over $5 Billion by 2019. "The optimization solutions market continues to challenge those vendors, and co