Digital Lifescapes

The personal computing device market continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience despite recent fluctuations. According to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), global PC shipments are projected to reach 273 million units in 2025—a modest but significant 3.7 percent increase over the previous year. This growth reflects the market's adaptation to post-pandemic realities and evolving technology needs across the globe. Personal Computing Market Development While COVID-19 initially triggered unprecedented demand for computing devices during the shift to remote work and online education, we now see a more measured growth pattern. IDC has slightly adjusted its projections downward, indicating a market growing steadily rather than explosively. "In light of so many challenges around the world, Japan is a much-needed source of double-digit growth this year. Enterprises there as well as SMBs have been quickly replacing PCs in advance of the Window...

The once-quiet hum of the warehouse is being overtaken by a new rhythm – the whirring wheels and gentle beeps of mobile robots. As eCommerce booms and customer expectations soar, the pressure is on for faster, more efficient online purchase fulfillment. Warehouse automation has mostly been taken on by big organizations with deep pockets, but growing accessibility and maturing vendors are allowing solutions to trickle down and grow through the market.  According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, the global installed base of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) in warehouses will surpass 500,000 by 2030. Mobile Robotics Market Development "There are now many options to automate a warehouse. Both stationary and mobile automation solutions have continued to expand to new form factors and are becoming more effective as Artificial Intelligence (AI) processing grows," said Ryan Wiggin, industry analyst at ABI Research . After their year in the spotlight with high-prof...

The demand for smart traffic management systems has grown due to rising urban populations and increasing vehicle ownership. With more people and cars concentrated in cities, problems like traffic congestion, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions are pressing issues. Since the early 2000s, government leaders have been exploring ways to leverage advances in IoT connectivity, sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics to address these transportation challenges. The concept of a Smart City emerged in the 2010s, with smart mobility and intelligent traffic management as key components.  Smart Traffic Management Market Development Concerns about continued climate change, as well as cost savings from improved traffic flow, have further motivated local government investment in these advanced systems. According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, they found that by 2028, smart traffic management investment will be up by 75 percent from a 2023 figure...

Building on significant advances in disruptive mobile app technology, ride-sharing services have emerged to become a popular means of urban mobility. This is unsurprising given the advantages of ride-sharing options over traditional transport modes, such as buses and more expensive taxis. Innovative ride-sharing platforms enable app users to customize their journeys according to real-time phenomena, such as nearby traffic conditions, time of day, and rider demand. However, this is not to say that ride-sharing services are perfect. The popularity of ride-sharing has resulted in some additional traffic congestion in major cities already struggling to control this issue, while the widespread disruption caused by the pandemic affected most stakeholders within the local transportation value chain. Ride-Sharing App Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, ride-sharing spending by consumers globally will exceed $937 billion by 2026 -- that's c...

Building on significant advances in big data, analytics, and the Internet of Things (IoT), more innovative transit service offerings aim to increase public transport ridership and reduce emissions or congestion within metropolitan areas. By providing these services through smartphone apps, the transit services also significantly increase user convenience, providing information on different human mobility offerings -- including public transport, ridesharing, and autonomous vehicles. Mobility-as-a-Service Market Development According to the latest market study by Juniper Research, Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) subscribers will generate $53 billion in revenue for MaaS platform providers by 2027 -- that's rising from $5.3 billion in 2021. Let's start with a basic definition. MaaS is the provision of multi-modal end-to-end travel services through single platforms, by which users can determine an optimal route and price. The study identified a monthly subscription model as key to incr...

Today, it's challenging to be in an organization led by a CEO with a custodian mindset. They may reflect back on their legacy of serving longtime customers, even when they're losing customers at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, carefully chosen loyal lieutenants defend their static corporate culture and smile reassuringly. However, there are agile large multinational companies with leaders that reject the status quo. These are the leading organizations that will pursue digital growth in 2021 and beyond. They willingly embrace change.  More savvy CEOs anticipate an economic boom (60 percent) in 2021 and 2022, according to the latest worldwide survey of CEOs and senior executives by Gartner. Digital Business Market Development "CEOs’ top priorities for 2021 show confidence," said Mark Raskino, vice president at Gartner . Over half report 'growth' as their primary focus and see opportunity on the other side of the crisis, followed by 'technology change' and ...

The traditional enterprise software landscape has evolved significantly over the last decade. CTOs and line of business leaders look to online service offerings that deliver functionality via a usage-based pricing model. It's often the fastest path to demo application software and determine user acceptance. Furthermore, while new agile software development methodologies have replaced legacy waterfall approaches that were common during the mainframe and client-server computing era, today's app developers seek on-demand IT infrastructure solutions that they can easily provision and deploy themselves. Worldwide end-user spending on public cloud services is forecast to grow 18.4 percent in 2021 to total $304.9 billion -- that's up from $257.5 billion in 2020, according to the latest market study by Gartner. Public Cloud End-User Market Development "The pandemic validated cloud’s value proposition," said Sid Nag, vice president at Gartner . "The ability to use on-...

As more CIOs and CTOs adopt mobile-first strategies, mobility solutions revenue from the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan (APeJ), will record 5.7 percent year-over-year growth, reaching $541.9 Billion in 2018 and $615.4 Billion by 2022. Spending on mobility-related hardware, software, and services is estimated to achieve a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.7 percent during the forecast period, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Mobility Solutions Market Development "The region is leading the charge in becoming a mobile-first society. Favorable government policies for mobile payments, healthcare, connectivity and citizen focus services are propelling overall investments in mobile technologies and ecosystem development," said Avinav Trigunait, research director at IDC . While for many years the mobility discussions focused on tactical issues such as access to resources and device policies, now organizations a...

Advances in both the consumer and business technology sectors have driven the adoption of mobile internet access and associated service delivery.  Applications of mobile devices -- by customers, business partners, or employees -- delivers unprecedented access to information, improved collaboration, and increased productivity. Worldwide investment in mobility solutions is forecast to reach $1.8 trillion in 2022, according to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). While annual growth will vary somewhat, IDC expects the overall five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) will be 2.8 percent. Furthermore, mobility spending is already on track to reach $1.63 trillion in 2018. Mobility Solutions Market Development Consumers will likely provide more than 70 percent of worldwide mobility spending, with slightly more than half of this amount spent on mobile connectivity services and most of the remainder going toward new devices, such as smartph...

Worldwide spending on mobility solutions is forecast to grow 3.2 percent year over year in 2018, reaching more than $1.6 trillion, according to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). This growth is expected to continue through 2021 with investment on mobility-related hardware, software, and services surpassing $1.7 trillion as the market achieves a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8 percent. "The new mobility use cases and technology adoption in enterprises is driving growth in all three facets of the market, from devices to software and services," said Phil Hochmuth, program director at IDC . Mobility Solutions Market Development Mobility services will be the largest technology category throughout the 2016-2021 forecast period, accounting for nearly 60 percent of overall mobility spending and surpassing $1 trillion in 2021. The category is dominated by mobile connectivity services, which will deliver more than 90 p...

Worldwide spending on mobility solutions is forecast to reach $1.72 trillion in 2021, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Spending on mobility-related hardware, software, and services will see a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.7 percent. Global spending on mobility solutions will total $1.58 trillion in 2017 -- that's an increase of 4.3 percent over 2016. Mobility Market Development The United States will account for a quarter of all mobility spending throughout the forecast, making it the largest geographic market at nearly $392 billion in 2021. Mainland China will be the second largest country in terms of overall spending ($337 billion in 2021), followed by Japan, Brazil, and the UK. The countries that will see the fastest growth in mobility spending over the five-year forecast period will be Venezuela (8.2 percent CAGR), India (8 percent CAGR), Philippines (7 percent CAGR) and Peru (6.7 percent CAGR). In contras...

Consumer appetite for smartphones and mobile-first business strategies are likely to create ongoing demand for mobile communications infrastructure across the globe, but some markets that are already saturated will start to evolve and transform in the coming years. Market maturity creates new opportunity. Western European mobility revenues are expected to reach $224.8 billion in 2017 -- that's a mere increase of 0.1 percent over 2016. Purchases of mobile hardware, software, and services are expected to grow more stably in 2019 and 2020, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 0.4 percent during the 2015–2020 forecast period and reaching $230.3 billion in 2020. European Mobility Market Development Mobile connectivity services currently represent almost 50 percent of European mobility spending, with consumer counting for more than 73 percent of this tech category. Hardware, driven by smartphones, follows, taking 42 percent of the mobility market in 2017, a share expected t...

Retailers across the globe continue to invest in new payment technologies, as the growing use of mobile devices, associated software applications and cloud-based financial services enter the mainstream marketplace. ABI Research forecasts the point of sale (POS) hardware market will increase to more than $4.5 billion in 2021, with revenues generated from a combination of traditional POS and mPOS -- which employs a smartphone or media tablet as the cash register. Merchants looking to enhance convenience and foster new experiences and transaction choices at the point of sale will propel POS hardware development over the next five years. POS Technology Market Development "Arguably, despite hype, mPOS did not yet eat into the traditional POS market as many industry experts initially hoped," said Phil Sealy, senior analyst at ABI Research . This is reinforced by the vendor emphasis on competitive pricing strategies on hardware devices, used in a bid to gain market share a...

Worldwide mobility revenues are forecast to grow from $1.5 trillion in 2016 to more than $1.7 trillion in 2020, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). That's a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.2 percent -- or about $40 billion in annual revenue gains. Mobility revenues will primarily come from purchases of hardware and connectivity services. However, software revenues will likely experience double-digit growth, as app developers meet the mobility needs of both consumers and businesses. Software revenue growth will result from investments in mobile application development platforms, new mobile enterprise use cases, and mobile enterprise security solutions. By 2020, spending on software will increase by 15 percent, driven by mobile DevOps and mobile security capabilities. Mobility Solutions Market Development "Despite the belief that the mobility market is maturing, there is still plenty of opportunity to drive enterprise spe...

More organizations across the globe are proactively making the move to embrace Digital Transformation methodologies. Why change now? Technology must be at the heart of every enterprise. It's time to "Go Digital, or Die," according to the latest worldwide market study by the Everest Group. To become truly digital, enterprises must develop a holistic IT applications and infrastructure strategy, with DevOps as the pivotal enabler. According to Everest Group research conducted during Q1 2016, over three-fourths of enterprises believe in leveraging digital technologies to achieve competitive differentiation. Digital Enterprise Market Development "Enterprises that embrace digital adoption are using technology to create new business, not just enable it. For example, enterprises are discovering how IoT and mobility can dramatically improve user experiences, which is unlike the traditional role of technology for driving efficiencies in back-office operations," said...

Mobile internet adoption has been on a path of exponential growth across the globe, as more low-cost smartphones and media tablets join the millions of new notebook computers entering the marketplace. Many of those devices will connect via Wi-Fi access. Moreover, wireless access to the public internet is a key component of the essential infrastructure that will enable emerging Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Therefore, significant new investment in Wi-Fi access points will likely become an indicator of market development activity. The combined consumer and enterprise worldwide wireless local area network (WLAN) market segments increased 2.1 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2015 (3Q15), according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC ). The overall enterprise segment growth rebounded by 4.3 percent over the same period last year. "The growth seen in 3Q15 is relatively weak compared to 2014 and before, but still represents a pos...

IT security is top-of-mind in most enterprise organizations. It's no surprise, given recent events. Worldwide spending on information security will reach $75.4 billion in 2015 -- that's an increase of 4.7 percent over 2014, according to the latest market study by Gartner, Inc. The increase in spending is being driven by government initiatives, demand for new regulations or legislation and ongoing high-profile data breaches. As a result, affordable security testing or auditing, IT security support outsourcing, and identity or access management present the greatest growth opportunities for technology vendors and cloud service providers. According to Gartner, spending in areas such as network endpoint protection platforms and consumer security software is starting to see commoditization, leading to a downgrade in the forecast for these established segments during 2015. While the visibility and growing awareness of the impact of cyber threats keeps attention on security, the ...

In most developed markets around the globe, there's a key trend that has been in motion for some time. The convergence of digital business technology and internet connectivity is disrupting, transforming and sometimes collapsing industries. Technologies like cloud computing, enterprise mobility, big data and the Internet of Things are driving the surge in digital business transformation and rapidly accelerating the pace of change. "Customers are no longer interested in silo-based apps or services. They demand holistic, end-to end solutions for their connected lives and companies understand the importance of convergence for those solutions to materialize, thus creating partnerships between many sectors," said Andrew Milroy, senior vice president at Frost & Sullivan . Milroy says connectivity is enabled by the proliferation of connected devices and digital technology enablers create disruptions in various commercial sectors that are already in transition, forcing ...

Enterprise spending on Information Technology (IT) budgets will reach a combined worldwide total of $3.5 trillion in 2015 -- that's a 5.5 percent decline from 2014, according to the latest market study by Gartner . Regardless, smart CIOs are undeterred and are meeting their objectives -- they know how to optimize their budget spend. Gartner's analysts attribute the current decline to the rising U.S. dollar. But there are clearly several other logical reasons why business technology spending is in a state of flux. One obvious reason is the growing movement towards Open Source technologies. In constant-currency terms, Gartner says the market is projected to grow by just  2.5 percent. Back in their previous forecast during April, they had forecast IT spending to decline 1.3 percent in U.S. dollars and grow 3.1 percent in constant currency. Communications services will continue to be the largest IT spending segment in 2015, with spending at nearly $1.5 trillion. However, this...

Leaders of large corporations appreciate the significance of thoughtful investment in the future of their business. Most CEOs agree, the competitive advantages of tomorrow hinge on the strategic application of open source software-defined technologies -- such as enterprise mobility, cloud computing and big data. International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that, including internal IT spending, the world's largest companies spent $895 billion on business technology during 2014. All the leading IT vendors should now have a better understanding of the key business imperatives that are driving investments in these large global companies -- clearly, they set the pace of new technology adoption across their industries. Moreover, the activities of the largest IT spenders provide a glimpse into how these industry leaders are taking steps to use targeted investment to transform their businesses for 2015 and beyond. As we enter the Innovation Stage of Digital Business Transformati...