Telecom Lead Asia: Shipments for smart connected devices,
including PCs, media tablets, and smartphones, will touch 1.1 billion in 2012.
By 2016, IDC predicts shipments will reach 1.84 billion units, more than double
the 2011 figure.
The shipment will increase because consumers and business
of all shapes and sizes around the world are showing a nearly insatiable
appetite for smart connected devices. This works out to a compound annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 15.4 percent for the five-year forecast period.
IDC said that the universe of smart connected devices saw
shipments of more than 916 million units and revenues surpassing $489 billion
dollars in 2011.
“Whether it’s consumers looking for a phone that can
tap into several robust ‘app’ ecosystems, businesses looking at deploying
tablet devices into their environments, or educational institutions working to
update their school’s computer labs, smart, connected, compute-capable devices
are playing an increasingly important role in nearly every individual’s
life,” said Bob O’Donnell, vice president, Clients and Displays at
IDC.
In terms of platforms, IDC expects a relatively dramatic
shift between 2011 and 2016, with the once-dominant Windows on x86 platform,
consisting of PCs running the Windows operating system on any x86-compatible
CPU, slipping from a leading 35.9 percent share in 2011 down to 25.1 percent in
2016.
The number of Android-based devices running on ARM CPUs,
on the other hand, will grow modestly from 29.4 percent share in 2011 to a
market-leading 31.1 percent share in 2016. Meanwhile, iOS-based devices will
grow from 14.6 percent share in 2011 to 17.3 percent in 2016.
Smartphone growth will be driven by Asia/Pacific
countries, especially China, where mobile operators are subsidizing the
purchase of 3G smartphones, thus increasing the total addressable market.
