Digital Lifescapes

The consumer electronics and mobile device vendors have experienced a significant slowdown in demand, due to a number of related factors that result in the ongoing downward trend. This is a global phenomenon, where few markets across the globe are likely to drive significant new growth opportunities. The combined personal computer (PC), media tablet and smartphone markets are on pace to record 0.9 percent growth and eventually reach 2.28 billion units in 2018, according to the latest worldwide study by Gartner. The PC and tablet market is estimated to decline by 1.2 percent in 2018, while the mobile phone market is forecast to increase by just 1.4 percent. Digital Device Market Development "The PC market is still hindered by the undersupply of the DRAM market for all of 2018, due to the lack of new wafer capacity coming online. As a result, PC vendors will continue to increase their prices throughout 2018," said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner . "Larger ...

A blockchain acts as a digital distributed ledger of transactions or records. The ledger, which stores the information or data, exists across multiple participants in a peer-to-peer network. There's no single, central repository. Distributed ledgers technology (DLT) allows new transactions to be added to an existing chain of transactions using a secure cryptographic signature. Worldwide spending on blockchain solutions is forecast to reach $11.7 billion in 2022, according to the latest global market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Blockchain Market Development IDC expects blockchain spending to grow rapidly throughout the 2017-2022 forecast period, with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 73.2 percent. Moreover, worldwide blockchain spending will reach $1.5 billion in 2018 -- that's double the amount spent on the emerging technology during 2017. The United States will see the largest blockchain investments and deliver more than 36 percent of...

Mobile communication service providers across the globe have been eager to uncover new sources of subscriber revenue as over-the-top (OTT) apps continue to disrupt their traditional business model offering voice calling and text messaging. These operators are currently under pressure due to investment in emerging technologies, including 5G and M2M networks. Thus, they must develop and deploy new capabilities that can leverage their networks to both increase revenues from voice services and reduce OPEX (Operational Expenditure). That said, the latest worldwide market study from Juniper Research has found that operator-billed mobile voice revenues will fall from $354 billion in 2018 to $197 billion by 2023 -- that's an average annual decline of 10 percent. Mobile Services Market Development The new research, Mobile Voice: Operator Strategies & Vendor Opportunities 2018-2023, identified a series of new opportunities which collectively would enable mobile network operators t...

Worldwide spending on robotics and drones solutions will reach $201.3 billion in 2022 and achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.6 percent over the 2017-2022 forecast period, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Spending on robotics solutions is expected to total $86.6 billion in 2018 and will account for more than 85 percent of all spending throughout the five-year forecast. Industrial robotic solutions will account for the largest share of robotics spending (more than 57 percent), followed by service robots and consumer robots. Discrete and process manufacturing will be the leading industries for robotics spending at more than $54 billion combined in 2018. The resource and healthcare industries will also make significant investments in robotics. That said, the retail and wholesale industries will see the fastest robotics spending growth over the forecast with CAGRs of 32.7 percent and 30.7 percent, respectively. Robotics and ...

While much of retailer digital transformation continues to drive online commerce applications, innovation is advancing the whole sector. Retail point of sale (POS) technologies is an example, as more CIOs and CTOs seek ways to improve in-store product or service payment transaction processing. According to the latest worldwide market study by Berg Insight, the market for NFC-ready POS terminals continued to show strong momentum in 2017 with annual shipments reaching an estimated 24.7 million units worldwide. Retail POS Market Development The attach rate for near field communications (NFC) was highest in EU28+2 and North America markets, where 90 percent and 88 percent respectively of the POS terminals shipped featured NFC. NFC was also a very popular feature in many other major markets worldwide -- including Brazil, Turkey and China. On a global basis, almost three out of every five POS terminals shipped in 2017 included NFC. Berg Insight projects the global installed base of...

The global adoption of public cloud computing services, the increased performance of smartphones and the demand for Chromebooks continue to negatively impact the rest of the consumer electronics market and to a somewhat lesser degree the enterprise IT marketplace. Results for the second quarter of 2018 (2Q18) showed shipments of traditional personal computers (PCs) totaled 62.3 million units -- that's a year-on-year growth of just 2.7 percent, according to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). While it's a relatively small improvement, it's actually better than IDC's initial forecast of 0.3 percent growth. Personal Computing Market Development Although helped to some extent by a weak second quarter in 2017, which was somewhat impacted by key component issues, the 2Q18 results reversed the trend from the previous three quarters, which had the market hovering slightly above or below flat growth. Business volume appeared to be t...

Savvy CIOs and CTOs in the the retail sector have embraced new technologies that enable them to evolve their business models -- both in-store and online. In particular, automation applications that improve productivity are likely to receive significant IT investment. Artificial Intelligence (AI), computer vision and robotics will ultimately enable retailers across the globe to provide improved customer experiences, streamline legacy business processes, and increase diminishing profit margins. Smart Retail Tech Market Development Brick and mortar retailers can, therefore, improve their chances of remaining competitive if they employ these technologies correctly, prioritizing long-term investment over short-sighted strategies, according to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research. "The high-cost barrier associated with AI, computer vision and robotics will ultimately be overcome by the potential for these technologies to offset the inherent disadvantages facing phy...

Automation can improve commercial productivity by achieving exponential improvements in business performance. Within the digital transformation realm, chatbots hold the potential to replace the tasks of many human workers with Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities that are able to conduct fluent conversations. Analysts describe chatbot technologies as computer-based interactive services that utilize software apps designed to simulate conversational capabilities, which may also include automated business processes triggered from these interactions. Chatbot Application Market Development Chatbots are becoming increasingly influential in our day-to-day life. They have been developed to assist a range of industries, from simple banking transactions, to retail customer service enquiries. In fact, the financial services and retail sector are considered most likely to explore chatbot apps. Online retailers, in particular, are being attracted to the technology by the potential for ...

As more progressive business leaders choose to support mobile, team-oriented and non-routine ways of working, an increasing number of them are looking for assistance in adopting digital workplace technology. But why are they searching for actionable information and qualified guidance? According to the findings from the latest Gartner survey, only 7 to 18 percent of organizations possess the 'digital dexterity' to adopt New Ways of Work (NWOW) solutions -- such as virtual collaboration and a mobile workplace. Furthermore, it's already apparent that forcing employees to accept rigid and inflexible workplace mandates are a recipe for poor performance. Ongoing Change Reshapes the Workforce According to the Gartner assessment, an organization with high digital dexterity has employees who have the cognitive ability and social practice to leverage and manipulate media, information and technology in unique and highly innovative ways. By country, organizations exhibiting the...

CIOs and CTOs report that they continue to explore new internet technology apps. According to the latest worldwide market study by Berg Insight, the global market for the Internet of Things (IoT) device management and application enablement platforms reached $1.1 billion in 2017. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.2 percent, the total market value is expected to reach $4.9 billion in 2022. Internet of Things Platform Market Development IoT platforms provide middleware to connect and manage devices and integrate collected data into various applications and services. These platforms are intended to reduce the cost and development time for IoT solutions by providing standardized components that enterprises can build upon. The IoT platform market is notably crowded and hosts a multitude of players spanning from small start-ups to major legacy companies in the technology and industrial sectors. These pioneers have developed offerings that typically have a specific...

In-flight Entertainment has been the norm on long-haul flights for several decades. In an age where permanent Internet connectivity is commonplace, in-flight Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity is now becoming a standard as well. Developing communications technology, the changing nature of the airline industry and the increasing desire for passengers to stay connected at all times are driving the deployment of new services. Broadband connectivity is drastically changing the consumer passenger experience, the business passenger experience and the operational challenges aircraft operators face. In-flight Entertainment Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, increasing adoption of in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems by airlines and private aircraft operators will drive annual service revenues from an estimated $3.7 billion in 2018 to reach over $8.4 billion by 2023. The research found that systems installation by Low Cost C...