Mobile marketers will have a whole lot of new bulls-eyes to target this year.
According to the latest report from IHS Technology, the global market for connected devices that allow users to access the Internet is set to surpass 6 billion units this year.
Worldwide production of connected equipment will amount to 6.18 billion units this year, up 6 percent from 5.82 billion in 2013.
By all accounts, this will be the largest increase for the market in four years, surpassed only by the 10 percent hike in production during 2010, a year after the global economic recession ended.
Production growth rates will then slow in the next few years, even though total units produced will continue to rise in absolute numbers. Between 2015 and 2017, an estimated 19.42 billion new devices will flood the planet, as shown in the attached figure.
“The improved growth this year of the connected devices industry marks the return of higher production as manufacturers deliver all sorts of connectivity equipment to users,” says Dr. Jagdish Rebello, senior director for information technology at IHS. “Given the voracious appetite of consumers for social media and their yen for always-on connectivity, it’s little surprise that makers will continue to turn out such devices to keep buyers engaged.”
