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Feb 09
37% of U.S. broadband households will buy one or more...

New research from the Parks Associates (www.parksassociates.com) research group predicts rapid growth in the smart home in 2015, as 37% of U.S. broadband households intend to buy one or more smart devices this year.

This growing adoption of smart devices will raise the importance of interoperability and speed in innovation as consumers will expect all devices to work together and offer the latest benefits. In 2014, nearly two-thirds of devices purchased were part of a home controls or security system.

"Connectivity is changing everything and creating market conditions where the speed of innovation is a key success factor in the smart home," says Tom Kerber, director, Research, Home Controls & Energy, Parks Associates. "In the era of the Internet of Things [IoT], traditional development times for appliances are too slow. This webcast will examine the importance of data in extending the...

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Feb 06
Connected cars to form a major element of the Internet...

By 2020, there will be a quarter billion connected vehicles on the road, enabling new in-vehicle services and automated driving capabilities, according to Gartner, Inc. (www.gartner.com).

During the next five years, the proportion of new vehicles equipped with this capability will increase dramatically, making connected cars a major element of the Internet of Things (IoT), says the research group. Gartner forecasts that 4.9 billion connected things will be in use in 2015, up 30% from 2014, and will reach 25 billion by 2020.

"The connected car is already a reality, and in-vehicle wireless connectivity is rapidly expanding from luxury models and premium brands, to high-volume midmarket models," says James F. Hines, research director at Gartner. "the increased consumption and creation of digital content within the vehicle will drive the need for more sophisticated infotainment systems, creating opportunities...

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Feb 04
Asia’s smartphone growth to slow in 2015

The relentless smartphone growth in the Asia-Pacific region is set to slow dramatically in 2015. Asia-Pacific’s growth is set to drop from 43% in 2013 to 17% in 2014 and then to just 10 % in 2015, largely driven as ever by China, according to market intelligence firm ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com).

"A key driver of China’s predicted slower growth is China Mobile’s announcement in mid-2014 that it will be cutting handset subsidies by US$2 billion over the next three years," says ABI Research Senior Practice Director Nick Spencer. "China Unicom and China Telecom quickly followed with their own cost-cutting plans. This is in response to the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission directive to carriers to cut costs on subsidies and marketing."

Given China’s position as the largest smartphone market and supplier, a reduction in subsidy will accelerate the move in smartphone volume...

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Feb 03
Yahoo, Bing fight to gain share from Google

Merkle | RKG (www.merkleinc.com), a customer relationship marketing firm, has released its Q4 Digital Marketing Report, which covers trends in paid search, SEO, product ads, social media, display advertising, comparison shopping engines, holiday trends and more.
Overall, paid search spending was up 21% in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2014, as click traffic increased by 14% and cost-per-click (CPC) rose by 6%. Google Product Listing Ads (PLAs) continue to show impressive growth and accounted for nearly 30% of retailer Google search ad clicks in Q4 2014. Advertisers also saw strong holiday growth overall, with retailer paid search revenues up 20% over last year.

In December, Yahoo became the default search option for Firefox in the US, supplanting Google after its ten-year run. Accounting for the percentage of search traffic coming through Firefox along with the switchback rates of users opting to go back to...

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Feb 02
Digital business requires organizations to rethink how...

Digital business success will require organizations to take bold actions, including inventing new business models and changing the way they function, according to Gartner, Inc. (www.gartner.com). The research group predicts that, by 2017, 70 percent of successful digital business models will rely on deliberately unstable processes designed to shift with customers' needs.

"Many organizations are either beginning, or in the midst of, digital business transformation initiatives," says Julie Short, research director at Gartner. "We expect that only 30% of these efforts will succeed. To be part of that 30 percent, business and IT leaders must be ready and willing to innovate rapidly from a business model, business process and technology perspective."

As a result of business model innovation, some business processes must become deliberately unstable. Deliberately unstable processes are designed for change and can...

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Jan 30
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication tech driven by...

While early implementations of V2V-equipped vehicles will start appearing in the next years—partially driven by Europe’s C2C-CC consortium—wide-scale deployments should not be expected before 2020, according to ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com).

"Industry awareness about the importance of V2V and V2I is clearly gaining momentum, largely driven by its expected key role in enabling driverless vehicles, as stated by NHTSA in its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Begin Implementation of Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications Technology. It has prompted car OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] such as GM announcing a 2017 Cadillac CTS model to be equipped with V2V technology from Delphi, in conjunction with the Super Cruise ADAS solution. Other OEMs such as Toyota and Audi are also committed to V2V," says ABI Research Vice President and Practice Director Dominique Bonte.

The supplier ecosystem is...

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Jan 29
E-waste management market to reach $49.4 billion by...

A new report from Allied Market Research (www.alliedmarketresearch.com) says that the global E-waste management market will reach an amount of US$49.4 billion by 2020, registering a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of 23.5% during 2014-2020.

The ever-growing need for adapting the latest technology is the prime factor for a large volume of E-waste generated across the globe, says the research group. The Asia Pacific region contributes to the largest revenue share in the global E-waste management market, followed by European countries. Analysis of the market indicates that the global volume of E-waste accounted for 57.7 million tons in 2013.

StEP (Solving the E-waste problem) is a German based establishment that manages the processing of E-Waste in developed countries. Ruediger Kuehr, executive secretary of StEP, states that Rapid product innovations and replacements for electronic...

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Jan 28
One-in-four to buy new TVs in 2015 (and spend more...

Year-over-year survey results from FatWallet.com show consumers flip flop on when to find best TV deals, ranking Black Friday just ahead of Super Bowl sales this year, while 1 in 4 now choose to stream TV programming.
 
The survey reports 26% said they will purchase a new TV this year (38% under age 30) and only Black Friday ranks higher than Super Bowl sales when asked when they’re most likely to make a TV purchase. The survey also reveals that their purchasing decisions are influenced most by price (45%), and one-in-four now stream the majority of their TV programming.

Key survey results for those that said they will purchase a new TV this year:
° 25% will buy during Black Friday; 17% will buy during Super Bowl sales (32% in 2014); 4% during Cyber Monday.

° 53% will spend $500+ (up 18% over 2014); 28% will spend $700+ (up 17% over 2014), 43% with annual income +$75k; 19% will spend less than $300 (up 26% over 2014), 33% with annual income under $30k....

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Jan 26
Annual IT spending by Western European healthcare...

According to a new IT spending forecast report published by IDC Health Insights (www.idc.com), IT investment by the Western European healthcare sector is forecast to grow from US$13.2 billion in 2013 to $14.6 billion in 2018.

Growth will be driven especially by software (4.6%), while investments in IT services will grow more slowly (1.6%). Hardware spending is expected to decrease over the 2017 horizon (-1.0%), according to the IDC research group. The Western European healthcare provider market continues to show moderate IT spending growth.

"Financial constraints in the market are still a major barrier to sustainable growth, but health authorities and decision makers are turning to digital transformation to reform healthcare systems, with the objective of achieving a balance between ensuring access and quality of healthcare services and ensuring long-term financial sustainability. Integrated care initiatives and...

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Jan 26
Global embedded telematics increasingly appearing in...

Market intelligence firm ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com) finds the penetration of embedded telematics in new vehicles will increase from 13.4% in 2014 to 52% in 2020.

"While penetration levels of embedded connectivity in vehicles continue to grow steadily, it remains challenging for car OEMs to convince users to pay for built-in connected car services," says says vice president and practice director, Dominique Bonte. "While initiatives such as allowing adding connected car systems to shared data plans by GM in the United States are definitely going to boost uptake, full penetration is unlikely to be achieved solely through consumer-led drivers."

Perceived value of safety services or in-car Wi-Fi hotspots simply aren't big enough (yet), especially with free smartphone integration "tethering" standards such as CarPlay and Android Auto expected to become widespread in the next years, he adds. ABI...

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Jan 23
SIM card market reached 5.2 billion units in 2014

ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com) forecasts that global SIM card shipments will reach 5.2 billion units in 2014, marking a revitalizing 5.32% increase from 2013. LTE, NFC, and M2M have successfully paved their way into the industry and are considered the trends for the next few years.

The research group says that large markets like India, China, and Saudi Arabia are currently among the last countries to undergo ID registration regulations. Among them only India saw a massive decline in shipments during 2013 but data from 2014 show that the market has successfully stabilized and steady growth is expected from 2015 onwards.

The era of technological advances brings forth renewed competition while the market share battle rages on. In one of the major highlights of 2014, European Union (E.U.) vendors are pushing forward with new product developments in an effort to claim a bigger portion of the market...

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Jan 22
Ease of use is vital for companies to communicate with...

A new survey from the IDC research group (www.idc.com) revealed that the most important characteristic to ensure satisfaction in communicating with a company is the ease of use/simplicity of process.

According to the survey, on average, 65% of respondents said they were satisfied with the communication options available. The 18-24 and 25-34 year age groups were the least satisfied, both with 62% satisfaction with the breadth of channel options compared to 65% overall. Seventy-one percent of respondents said that communicating with a company using their preferred channel is very important.

"Companies need to support the communication needs for all of their customers as they have a wide range of preferences. This means ensuring customers are supported on 'newer' channels, such as social media, as well as on 'traditional' channels, even as newer channels grow and evolve," says Melissa O'Brien, research analyst,...

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Jan 20
Business needs to reset its purpose to attract...

Business should focus on people and purpose, not just products and profits in the 21st century according to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited's (Deloitte Global) fourth annual Millennial Survey. This and other findings from the survey suggest businesses, particularly in developed markets, will need to make significant changes to attract and retain the future workforce. 

Deloitte Global surveyed tomorrow's leaders, from 29 countries, on effective leadership, how business operates and impacts society. Millennials overwhelmingly believe (75%) that businesses are focused on their own agenda rather than helping to improve society.

"The message is clear: when looking at their career goals, today's Millennials are just as interested in how a business develops its people and how it contributes to society as they are in its products and profits," says Barry Salzberg, CEO of Deloitte Global. "These findings should be viewed as a wake-up call to the business community,...

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Jan 19
TV, movies drive the online video market

User-generated content (UGC) or more broadly speaking, short-form video (from services like YouTube and Dailymotion), has become far more than cats playing the piano, according to ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com).

Companies are using viral ads to extend brands and reach a wider breadth of customers than traditional media channels. Professionally generated short-form content also allows consumers to view video (e.g. news) in bit-sized manageable chunks, ideal for today’s hectic lifestyle. The revenue potential for short-form video is expected to approach US$13 billion by 2019, carrying a six-year CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of 18.5%.

"As the overall online video market evolves we anticipate the value for short-form video will rise in kind. Multi-channel networks (MCNs) that work with content contributors and advertising agencies targeting services like YouTube are finding suitors and...

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Jan 19
Market for IoT analytics to reach US$5.7 billion in...

A new market analysis by ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com) finds that the revenues from integrating, storing, analyzing, and presenting Internet of Things (IoT) data will reach US$5.7 billion in 2015. In the next five years, the market will expand dramatically, to an extent that in 2020 it is estimated to account for nearly one-third of all big data and analytics revenues.

"About 60% of this year’s revenues come from three key areas: energy management, security management, as well as monitoring and status applications. Within these segments, we can generally find analytic applications that reduce the cost base of asset-intensive operations (condition-based maintenance), automate routine workflows (surveillance), or even enable new business models (usage-based insurance)," ABI Research principal analyst Aapo Markkanen says. "These early growth drivers also have in common the fact that the economics of IoT...

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Jan 16
Worldwide semiconductor spending to increase 0.8% this...

Despite strong growth of 12.9% in 2014, worldwide semiconductor capital spending is projected to only grow 0.8% in 2015, to US$65.7 billion, according to Gartner, Inc. (www.gartner.com). Capital equipment spending will increase 5.6% in 2015, down from 11.3%in the third quarter 2014 forecast, as the largest spenders adopt conservative investment strategies, notes the research group.

"Equipment spending outperformed capital spending in 2014 and will continue to do so in 2015, a situation that will reverse in 2016. Total capital spending will grow 0.8% in 2015, compared with 8.8% in our previous forecast," says Bob Johnson, research vice president at Gartner. "As we get better visibility into individual company spending plans for 2015, it is apparent that caution is a prevailing sentiment, with the exception of memory where manufacturers are adding capacity in response to favorable market conditions."

In 2015,...

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Jan 15
Mobile broadband modem volume to Slide 27% in 2014

Mobile broadband modems used in mobile devices and computing outside of smartphones continued to decline over the first half of 2014 (1H 2014), according to the latest study from ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com).

The market intelligence firm anticipates a 27% drop in unit shipments from full-year 2013 to 2014 to 53 million. Forecasted to be valued at US$3.5 billion in end-user revenues from the sale of modem hardware, vendor ecosystem consolidation continues with some modem makers shifting focus to M2M modules, while other suppliers have been acquired or divested their R&D effort entirely.

"Earlier last year, we predicted the decline based on an evolving market for both business and consumer adoption of computing solutions," says ABI Research Senior Practice Director Jeff Orr. "Increased form-factor choices from tablets to 2-in-1 ultraportable PCs have pushed mobile broadband modems further...

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Jan 14
Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW dominate ADAS market

According to ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com), Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and BMW continue to comprise the top three players in the consumer Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) market. They outperform competitors either in terms of the degree and significance of their innovation, or in how effectively they make their systems available to consumers – sometimes in both, according to the research group.

As mass-market OEMs [original equipment manufactureres] have strived to offer affordable ADAS solutions to their customers, luxury brands have sought to distinguish themselves either by increasing the sophistication of their systems, or by offering their systems across more of their model range. Most have adopted a combination of these approaches.

Western Europe maintains its position as the largest market for ADAS, due in no small part to the inclusion of such systems as criteria in Euro NCAP ratings...

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Jan 13
Survey: workplace etiquette, ethics lacking in...

Kessler International (www.investigation.com) — provides forensic accounting, digital forensics and investigative services — has released the results of a nationwide survey that outlined the state and fate of workplace manners, etiquette and ethics.

Kessler conducted a survey by polling upper and mid-level management at 40 professional services firms, and found that the respondents indicated by an 845 margin that their staff was inconsiderate and rude in the workplace. In addition, the same respondents cited by 65% that they felt a majority of their staff lacked a moral compass.

The survey was conducted by asking individuals to anonymously comment on their employees' use of personal electronic devices, dress, manners, ethics and level of respect for other employees. In fact, some respondents expressed disgust of certain individuals on their staff, as well as their own inability to say something...

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Jan 12
Gartner: weak mobile customer service harming customer...

Weak mobile customer service is harming customer engagement, according to Gartner, Inc. (www.gartner.com). No rallying principle in the enterprise matters more than the creation of superior customer engagement and IT leaders will need to innovate in engaging customers on all channels and have the metrics to choose the right projects. 

"Marketing may fill the sales funnel, and the sales department can close a deal, yet it is the overall impression of the enterprise generated by the quality of customer service that differentiates one enterprise from another," saays Michael Maoz, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. "Translating this general and departmental customer engagement concept into operational components across the enterprise is transforming the definition of customer service from an isolated function into an enterprise objective delivered across all points where the customer "touches” the...

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Jan 09
Flash-based array market more than just a flash in the...

The storage industry continues to evolve and the flash-based array market – including all-flash arrays (AFAs) and hybrid flash arrays (HFAs) – is showing explosive growth. According to new research from International Data Corporation (IDC.com), the emergence of more robust offerings that can handle a wide range of increasingly complex workloads helped drive the worldwide flash-based array market to US$11.3 billion in 2014.

The impact that flash-based arrays will have on the datacenter is undeniable as more flash-based platforms are delivering enterprise-class data services, including snapshots, clones, encryption, replication, and quality of service (QoS) as well as storage efficiency features. Once dominated by storage startups looking to carve out a niche with flash-optimized solutions, the promise of flash in the datacenter is driving traditional enterprise storage vendors, such as Dell, EMC, HDS, HP, IBM, NetApp and Oracle, to all get on board and offer flash-optimized...

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Jan 08
Younger 'Smart Home' audiences reinvigorate...

Younger home and apartment dwellers are a surprising new buyer of appliance insurance because of the technology now embedded in everyday appliances. Why? Insurance today is designed for replacement, not repair.

"The Internet of Things now digitally connects people to their appliances, including their washing machine and dryer, refrigerator and other technology that controls the home experience with the tap of a phone," says David Anderson, director of Product for nationwide appliance insurance company, Protect Your Bubble. "This advanced appliance technology, coupled with the fact that we simply replace our appliances instead of repairing them, is a catalyst for why younger home dwellers are embracing what their parents once thought of as unwise – appliance insurance."

In 2015, around 38 million homes across the world are expected to have a Smart Home system. Connected home shipments are expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 67% over the next five...

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Jan 07
Cyber security attacks are top concern for companies

As data breaches, malware and cyber attacks increase, leading tech companies are racing to develop improved and secure mobile payment measures for consumer protection, according to NXT (www.nxted.com), a biometric authentication company.

Sony is reeling from the effects of its recent massive breach, in which hackers were able to penetrate the company's systems at a deep level -- and make Hollywood insiders blush by releasing troves of internal data and private emails. The scope of the breach, and the extent to which Sony was targeted, appears shocking to the public.

However, cybersecurity experts say this is happening all around you; there's a much wider world of ongoing major hacks, with government-sponsored groups or "hacktivist" collectives mounting attacks against financial institutions, private companies, infrastructure and the military.

"From a critical infrastructure and economic perspective, we'...

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Jan 05
Hybrid smart card adoption to lead to e-passport/e-...

Increase in cross-border travel has led to growth in the global e-passport and e-visa Market, which is expected to post a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of 30.17% from 2014-2019, says research firm TechNavio (www.technavio.com).

The global e-passport and e-visa market is also experiencing high adoption of hybrid smart cards. These smart cards have shared storage and processing of information, which eliminates the need for multiple cards and ensures easy handling.

"Hybrid smart cards not only secure user information, but also have the option for MIFARE functionality, which is a technology owned by NXP Semiconductors," says Faisal Ghaus, vice president of TechNavio. "MIFARE functionality increases transaction speed, has enhanced security features, is reliable, easy to use and is expected to drive the Global E-passport and E-visa Market in the coming years."

Furthermore, third generation e-...

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Jan 02
The Northern Spy: some thoughts on 2014 … and 2015

By Rick Sutcliffe

Cash away the old year passes as Cupertino has to be a happy place given the wild success of the iPhone 6. Only now are wait times reverting to normal after the most successful product launch in tech history. Apple is once again in ascendancy, Samsung and other rivals descending.

The question is, what does iTim do to keep the momentum going, or will 2015 be a relative disappointment by comparison? Try iPhone 6s and 7, refreshes of Apple TV and across the entire Mac line, plus the long awaited sales launch of the Apple Watch, the latter of which will be successful solely because of its brand cachet--another product the Spy can't see himself buying for lack of a use case. But then there's the vast reservoir of new products under development in the Cupertino labs--many of which will never see the light of rumour, much less a store shelf (a TV screen), but some of which may be either game-changing, or game-inventing....

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Dec 31
62% of US broadband households never back up their data

New data from Parks Associates (www.parksassociates.com) shows that 62% of U.S. broadband households never back up their data to an online storage service, despite options available from companies such as Carbonite, Acronis, and Backblaze.

This finding reveals a huge addressable market for cloud-based storage in 2015, as consumer consumption of digital content is on the rise. Smartphone users in U.S. broadband households spend 18 minutes on average per session when using streaming music apps, which exceeds time spent on gaming, social media, or video apps.

"As the connected consumer achieves greater mobility, device storage becomes a limiting factor for consumer content, prompting a shift to cloud-enabled storage and access," says Glenn However, research analyst, Parks Associates. "Starting at CES and throughout 2015, we will see CE makers and online technology companies leverage cloud-based...

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Dec 31
Tablets, ultrabooks become more affordable in emerging...

The average selling price (ASP) of ultrabooks and tablets declined by 7.8% in 2014, as the market matured and commoditized, allowing these devices to become more affordable in all markets.

According to market intelligence firm ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com), the average weeks of household income needed to buy a tablet or ultrabook both declined by approximately 30% year-over-yea making these devices more affordable to a wider range of consumers.

"Across 22 different countries between 2013 and 2014, there was an 8.5% decline for the ASP of tablets and 7.1% for ultrabooks," says research analyst Stephanie Van Vactor. "This decline is allowing these devices to reach a larger audience in a wider range of countries."

Although growth is slowing for both these types of devices, affordability could help prevent a drastic decline in sales. The affordability of personal technology devices is...

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Dec 30
Desktop display market shows signs of life

Global desktop monitor sell-in revenue rose 7% in the third quarter of 2014, as average selling prices (ASPs) rose just over 10%. According to a new report from DisplaySearch (www.displaysearch.com), now part of IHS, worldwide desktop PC monitor shipments declined just over 3%, to reach 34 million units.

"Sales margins for desktop displays have declined over time, and manufacturers are now trying to reverse that trend with bigger sizes and improved features, to justify higher prices," says Hidetoshi Himuro, director of PC/IT market research for DisplaySearch. "In the face of tablets and notebook computers with integrated displays, demand for desktop monitors is shifting toward higher display quality and resolution, with improved performance for professional operation and computer gaming."

In order to improve PC display penetration rates, average screen sizes have been steadily increasing. For...

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Dec 29
U.S. to drive smart/EMV payment card market

ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com) forecasts smart/EMV payment card shipment levels to exceed two billion in 2014; an increase of 24.7% when compared to 2013. Of the two billion units, just over 600 million payment cards will be delivered into the Chinese market (a combination of pure payment and social cards) and 181 million units to the United States as its banks and financial institutions begin ramping up efforts in EMV issuance migration.

What's more, contactless continues to gain market penetration, accounting for 42% of all shipments in 2014. Primarily this is driven by the Chinese market, where over 72% of all cards deployed utilize a contactless interface and countries such as Canada which has adopted a similar strategy and growth in Western Europe, says ABI Research.

The research group adds that all eyes this year and moving forward are firmly on the United States. Although it has been a...

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Dec 26
Indoor location deployments on course to hit 25,000 in...

It has been a breakthrough year for indoor location for retail, with ABI Research’s quarterly indoor location technology tracker forecasting deployments to approach 25,000 by the end of 2014, up more than 100% on 2013.

"Vertically, the bulk of deployments are in clothing, big box, grocery, and shopping malls in 2014, driven by a variety of applications such as customer analytics, offers/coupons, product search, staff management, and navigation," says ABI Research Senior Analyst Patrick Connolly. "Looking into 2015, we can expect to see the quick serve restaurant (QSR) market growing with a significant demand for queue management technologies as illustrated by companies like Starbucks and Taco Bell which launched queue-skipping smartphone applications in 2014.”

He adds that we're seeing growth across all major technologies, including BLE, Wi-Fi, and audio, with 2015 being an important year for handset-based location, sensor fusion, magnetic field, and LED. Regionally,...

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Dec 23
Mobile financial transactions valued at US$1.8 trillion

Mobile technology is transforming the global payment and banking industry, according to ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com). While recent advances in smartphone technology have accelerated the trend, mobile payments have been around for quite some time. Mobile payment applications such as mobile wallets are growing in popularity as they address changing needs of merchants and consumers.

Despite the widespread availability, current mobile payment adoption has failed to take off, says ABI Research. Security represents one of the primary points of concern with mobile payments, be it via processing services or NFC. As more consumers carry out financial activities on their smartphones and tablets, it is critical that these activities are processed in a secure environment.

ABI Research calculates the total value of transactions conducted via mobile handsets and tablets will reach US$1.8 trillion by the end...

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Dec 22
Connected cars market to reach $141 billion by 2020

According to a new report by Allied Market Research (www.alliedmarketresearch.com) the global connected cars market is forecast to reach $141 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of 32.7% during the period (2014 - 2020).

Integrated connectivity solutions segment is expected to emerge as a preferred connectivity solutions for connected cars, surpassing embedded connectivity solutions segment in 2016. North America currently garners major market share and would maintain the position throughout the forecast period.

The availability of faster communication networks, advanced connectivity solutions and a user friendly interface should drive global connected car market, says Allied Market Research. Also, an enhanced driving experience, offered by connected cars and favorable rules and regulations across numerous countries will fuel the market growth.

...

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Dec 19
U.S. most committed to cybersecurity

The final results of the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) have been officially announced at the ITU Telecom World 2014 taking place in Doha, Qatar. The GCI ranks the United States as the country with the highest national cybersecurity commitment, followed by Canada in second place.

Jointly in third position are Australia, Malaysia, and Oman. The GCI is a joint project between private sector firm ABI Research and the UN specialized agency, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The aim of the project is to drive the issue of cybersecurity to the forefront of national agendas. The GCI provides insight into the cybersecurity engagement of sovereign nation states.

Rooted in the ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA), the GCI looks at the level of commitment in five areas: legal measures, technical measures, organizational measures, capacity building, and cooperation. The result is a country-level index and global ranking of cybersecurity readiness. The...

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Dec 18
5G in 2020 will be rare

According to a new Market Data forecasts from ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com), it will take more than five years for 5G to reach 100 million subscriber mark — two years longer than 4G.

4G subscriber growth was much faster than with previous generations, fueled by the capabilities of increasingly powerful smartphones and the availability of 4G devices. 5G subscriber growth will likely be a bit more muted at first due to the increased complexity of 5G cells and networks, but will pick up in 2023.

"There are a number of commonalities between countries that are early builders of 5G networks. They have a large population, of which a large percentage is living in urban areas. They also have many companies pushing the envelope with IoT strategies. These countries will drive 5G subscriber volumes" says Research Director Philip Solis. "These are the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, and the United...

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Dec 17
Wearable devices to spur growth of healthcare LBS...

With growing adoption of location based applications, the global LBS market in the healthcare industry is expected to grow at a CAGR [compound annual return rate] of 31.23% from 2015-2019, says research firm TechNavio (www.technavio.com).

Real-time performance monitoring (RPM) has been gaining popularity in the healthcare industry, as it assists both patients and doctors, and helps increase hospital efficiency. These days, wearable devices like activity trackers, smart watches, health monitors and pedometers are being used to track the activities of doctors, staff and patients.

"In 2014, around 10 million units of wearable devices were sold worldwide and this number is expected to grow nearly tenfold in the coming years," says Faisal Ghaus, vice president of TechNavio. "The constant use of wearable devices in the healthcare industry is anticipated to reduce hospital costs by a significant amount over the...

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Dec 16
5G standardization begins as companies lay royalties...

Work on new technologies that will form the foundation of 5G standards has been occurring for the last few years; however, the formal standards process has just begun, according to ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com).

The research group says a range of major vendors are working on all aspects of 5G including; Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia Networks and device, semiconductor, and IP vendors including Intel, InterDigital, Qualcomm, Samsung, various mobile operators, academic bodies, and start-ups as well.

"These companies are all waving their 5G flags, although 5G definitions and visions remain very vague," says Research Director Philip Solis. "But this is not merely marketing. These companies are most certainly putting a stake in the ground with regards to contributions to 5G that will leverage their work, competitive strengths, and most crucially, patents. But this is not merely...

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Dec 15
Strategy Analytics: 93% are impressed with Ultra HD TVs

Consumer awareness of Ultra HD or 4K TV is growing steadily, and 93% of those who have seen the technology found it extremely or somewhat impressive. These are some of the key findings from the latest wave of Strategy Analytics’ ConsumerMetrix survey (www.strategyanalytics.com), which conducted online interviews with 2001 US participants in November 2014.

The percentage of respondents who are aware of the term "Ultra HD"rose from 39 % in January 2014 to 57% in November. Awareness of the other terms, "4K TV" and "UHD," has also risen but remains lower than "Ultra HD."
 
Twenty-three percent of respondents claim to have watched TV or video on an Ultra HD/4K TV, either in a retail store, in a home or somewhere else. Of those who have seen it, 53% rated the video quality as "extremely impressive" and 40% as "somewhat impressive."
 
"These are extremely high ratings for any...

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Dec 12
Encryption remains a necessity for major industries

The debate between individual privacy and public welfare continues to escalate in the aftermath of Apple’s release of the iPhone 6, which gained heightened attention for revealing that this latest smartphone will include automatic, end-to-end encryption.

When an iPhone owner now uses any feature of an iPhone 6 operating system, their communications will be securely encrypted—essentially unreadable to anyone who didn’t send, receive or store data on the phone. So secure is this new privacy provision, Apple itself can’t access the contents of an iPhone 6, even if access is requested by law enforcement.  Google’s recently released Android smartphone provides data encryption as well.

While enhanced commitments to privacy and security from Apple and Google have been largely met with open arms, law enforcement has strongly opposed encryption, arguing it will impede criminal investigations and threaten national security. The Ddirector of the FBI and the Attorney General...

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Dec 11
TBR expects private cloud adoption rate to hit 85% by...

Technology Business Research Inc.’s (TBR) 2H14 cloud customer research reports found end users globally are engaging cloud professional services vendors at twice the rate of private and public cloud vendors, indicating cloud professional services are typically the entry point as enterprises make the decision to migrate to cloud and consultants provide guidance and education to prospective cloud customers.

Public, private and hybrid cloud integration will follow cloud professional services growth in coming years, as adoption rates have increased. TBR expects the private cloud adoption rate to reach 85% by 2018.

TBR’s 2H14 Private Cloud Customer Research report shows a shift in the type of private clouds adopted, with a 65% to 35% split of third-party-delivered private clouds to self-built private clouds. It's a minor but telling shift from the 70% to 30% split in 2013 and 1H14 that indicates enterprises are more comfortable with and educated on cloud and are growing...

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Dec 10
Large format printer shipments on the rise

According to new data from the IDC (www.idc.com), the large format printer (LFP) market recorded year-over-year growth of 0.6% in the third quarter of 2014 (3Q14) with more than 78,000 units shipped. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter of worldwide shipment growth. Shipment value declined -4.0% year over year to nearly $782 million.

"The third quarter is often the softest quarter of the year in the global large format market," says Phuong Hang, program director, Worldwide Large Format Printer Tracker. "While global shipments are ahead of 2013, hardware revenue is essentially flat for 2014 so far, due primarily to vendor price promotions."

The top five wide format printer manufacturers make up over eighty percent of global wide format shipments, but only two-thirds of revenue. With manufacturers like HP, Canon, and Epson dominating the aqueous segment, this points to the maturity of the conventional aqueous...

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Dec 09
Live video broadcasting will be the new 'selfie...

Video and visual technologies are becoming increasingly important for interacting with customers and each other, according to Gartner, Inc. (www.gartner.com). The research group predicts that by 2017, live video broadcasting will be the new "selfie" and recommends that product managers start creating a "visual" strategy straight away to accommodate this trend.

"The next generation of consumer services and products has one main theme in common and that is video," says Brian Blau, research director at Gartner. "This means incorporating live video or other real-time technologies into products to engage users in live events and enable more personalized communications, providing better customer support, and offering best-of-breed video and TV experiences to connected homes."

Over the next four years, Gartner expects a noteworthy shift from static photos to video, with live video becoming as important a medium....

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Dec 08
Powered smart card market is rapidly expanding

The total market for powered smart cards will rapidly expand from slightly under US$300 million today to more than $1.5 billion by 2017, $4.6 billion by 2019, and more than $13 billion by 2021, according to a new report from industry analyst firm NanoMarkets (www.nanomarkets.net).

Almost exclusively powered smart cards have been targeted at one-time password (OTP) functionality to provide an extra security layer during consumer financial transactions, and that has been the envisioned golden goose for this technology. Other potential applications such as secure identification (public and private sectors) and medical information continue to tantalize, but have yet to approach anything that would present significant alternative markets.

What we're now seeing is a growing realization that while "EMV" smart-card chip/PIN standardization (named for the widely adopted Europay-MasterCard-Visa standard for...

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Dec 05
Worldwide server shipments grew 1% in the third quarter

In the third quarter of 2014, worldwide server shipments grew 1 percent year-over-year, while revenue moved upward 1.7% from the third quarter of 2013, according to Gartner (www.gartner.com).

"The third quarter of 2014 produced modest growth on a global level, highlighting positive but constrained demand," says Errol Rasit, research director at Gartner. "Only North America and Asia Pacific exhibited shipments growth, largely driven by demand from hyperscale organizations located there. These results support the continued bifurcation of enterprise and consumer services server demand."

The platform mix by region and geographic variations in economic conditions are the main reasons for these results. Asia/Pacific posted the highest shipment growth at 8.7% and 7.5% increase in revenue, while North America posted a more modest 0.7% in shipments and 2.6% increase in revenue. Western Europe saw a 2%shipments...

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Dec 04
LTE handset shipments expected to soar to nearly 680...

ABI Research (www.abirsearch.com) estimates that 676 million 4G LTE handsets will be shipped in 2015, growing 204 million units from 2014. Furthermore, ABI Research estimates that the total number of LTE connected devices shipped worldwide will exceed 1.89 billion units by end 2019, demonstrating the need for infrastructure and spectrum to support the stellar growth in the industry.

"With the proliferation of larger screen smart devices driving up the insatiable appetites for content and faster speeds, ABI Research estimates that there will be 350 commercial LTE networks forecasted by 4Q 2014," says Cheri Wong, research analyst at ABI Research.

What's more, LTE-Advanced is now commercial on 20 networks in 14 countries. To cope with the demand for higher data rates, FDD/TDD LTE carrier aggregation trials are starting to take place. For example, Ericsson, SingTel, and Qualcomm demonstrated a downlink...

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Dec 04
Broadband modem market sees another decline

Mobile broadband modems and hotspot router shipments fell 17% year-over-year in 2013 to nearly 87 million units and Strategy Analytics (www.strategyanalytics.com) expects the modem market to decline yet further by another 24% by year-end 2014, while the market’s value has halved since 2010.

The research group says number of factors are impacting market growth, such as a declining PC market, carriers bundling tablets with smartphones and offering subsidies or service extras, providing lower cost SIM-only data plans, lengthening modem lifecycles, a healthy "second hand" modem market and shared data plan tariffs across multiple devices.

"t was no surprise that USB modem sticks and embedded PC modem modules continue to lead the two year decline, while the continued growth in Wi-Fi-enabled CE devices saw mobile hotspot routers continue to be the bright point in an otherwise gloomy market,"...

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Dec 03
Cloud gaming to reach 'inflection point' in...

A large installed base of cloud gaming capable devices, big brand names entering the cloud gaming market, and improving network performance will drive cloud gaming to new heights in 2015, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics (www.strategyanalytics.com). The report notes that:

° PlayStation Now and NVIDIA Grid Game Streaming Service will reach nearly 30 million devices by year-end 2014 and will grow 500% to almost 150 million by year-end 2015.

° Game streaming is more resource intense and lag-sensitive than OTT video streaming, so cloud gaming companies must be mindful of acceptable trade-offs in quality of experience and network performance requirements in order to reach a significant portion of the market.

° Primarily to support and profit from backward compatibility, Strategy Analytics expects other major players in the gaming industry to jump into the cloud gaming...

| Read more »
Dec 02
More than 1/3 of U.S. adult smartphone users make...

Video calling is growing into a key mainstream activity on smartphones, with high adoption rates in some markets, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. (www.gartner.com). The survey, which was conducted in June 2014, surveyed more than 6,500 U.S. and German consumers about their technology usage and attitudes in order to gain a better picture of how devices are used for work and leisure. 

More than 50 million adult smartphone users in the U.S. (about 35% of the total surveyed) use their smartphones for video calling. This number is likely to exceed 60 million people when those ages 17 and younger are included. In Germany, more than eight million adult smartphone users (about 20%) use their devices for video calling, a figure more likely to exceed 10 million when those ages 17 and younger are included. Gartner defines video calling as person-to-person communication using a video application such as Apple's FaceTime...

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Dec 01
The Northern Spy: Fusion Power

With the release of OS X 10.10.1 the Spy decided to take another try with Yosemite and installed it on one machnine. Seeing none of the problems he experienced with the beta at WWDC, he eventually installed on three machines--a late 2007 MacBook Pro seventeen inch (emergency unit), a 2013 Retina MacBook (main one at work), and a Westmere tower MacPro (home).

So far all has gone well, though there has been no opportunity to test the fusion space where Mac OS X and iOS 8 meet called Handoff. However, he has had time to view the flat, nearly lifeless-looking dialogue boxes in both, and does not see them as an improvement. Bring back oh bring back my skeuomorphism to me.

And, yes, he did activate his iPhone 6 Plus on the Fido network with a cheap prepaid plan. A month in, he's used some two loonies worth of the ten he deposited. But, you ask, Fido, when it's owned by arch bad-guy Rogers? Well, it is run as a separate entity, and it is the cheapest thing going, until 7-...

| Read more »
Dec 01
ABI Research lists the 'top upcoming technology...

Technology can either be a differentiating factor that helps businesses be successful or it can be something that contributes to a company’s downfall. Technology adoption and usage can help to increase efficiency, increase stickiness, reduce wastage, improve product development, improve service, and improve time to market.

Technology is at the heart of many businesses success stories and the role of the CIO, which in the long term view is a recent development, is ever more becoming one of the key positions within a company but it also one of the most challenging.

ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com) has put together an analysis that collects input from the ABI analyst community and presents a broad perspective as to what technologies should be on any CIO’s or product manager’s radar and should be considered when looking at the future roadmap of either products or internal solutions.

The top...

| Read more »
Nov 26
PELS market sees strong shipment increase

The worldwide personal and entry-level storage (PELS) market was up by 4.8% year over year with almost 19 million units shipped in the third quarter of 2014 (3Q14), according to IDC (www.idc.com). Shipment values declined -0.3% year over year to US$1.6 billion, according to the research group.

"The personal and entry-level storage market showed strong shipment growth in the third quarter of 2014 with 18.8 million units shipped," says Jingwen Li, research analyst, Storage Systems, IDC. "Both the personal and entry-level portion of the market contributed to this growth. The personal storage segment saw good growth in the higher capacity portable devices as well as personal cloud devices."

He adds that, with the former, consumers are looking for ways to expand their storage and backup options beyond their laptops, while the latter, along with mobile devices, address the storage and file sharing needs of an entire...

| Read more »
 

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TouchArcade Game of the Week: ‘Vroomies’
So here’s a thing: Vroomies from developer Alex Taber aka Unordered Games is the Game of the Week! Except… Vroomies came out an entire month ago. It wasn’t on my radar until this week, which is why I included it in our weekly new games round-up, but... | Read more »
SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘MLB The Show 24’...
Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for March 15th, 2024. We’re closing out the week with a bunch of new games, with Sony’s baseball franchise MLB The Show up to bat yet again. There are several other interesting games to... | Read more »
Steam Deck Weekly: WWE 2K24 and Summerho...
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. The busy season has begun with games we’ve been looking forward to playing including Dragon’s Dogma 2, Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition, and also console exclusives like Rise of the... | Read more »
Steam Spring Sale 2024 – The 10 Best Ste...
The Steam Spring Sale 2024 began last night, and while it isn’t as big of a deal as say the Steam Winter Sale, you may as well take advantage of it to save money on some games you were planning to buy. I obviously recommend checking out your own... | Read more »
New ‘SaGa Emerald Beyond’ Gameplay Showc...
Last month, Square Enix posted a Let’s Play video featuring SaGa Localization Director Neil Broadley who showcased the worlds, companions, and more from the upcoming and highly-anticipated RPG SaGa Emerald Beyond. | Read more »
Choose Your Side in the Latest ‘Marvel S...
Last month, Marvel Snap (Free) held its very first “imbalance" event in honor of Valentine’s Day. For a limited time, certain well-known couples were given special boosts when conditions were right. It must have gone over well, because we’ve got a... | Read more »
Warframe welcomes the arrival of a new s...
As a Warframe player one of the best things about it launching on iOS, despite it being arguably the best way to play the game if you have a controller, is that I can now be paid to talk about it. To whit, we are gearing up to receive the first... | Read more »
Apple Arcade Weekly Round-Up: Updates an...
Following the new releases earlier in the month and April 2024’s games being revealed by Apple, this week has seen some notable game updates and events go live for Apple Arcade. What The Golf? has an April Fool’s Day celebration event going live “... | Read more »

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Apple Education is offering $100 discounts on...
If you’re a student, teacher, or staff member at any educational institution, you can use your .edu email address when ordering at Apple Education to take $100 off the price of a new M3 MacBook Air.... Read more
Apple Watch Ultra 2 with Blood Oxygen feature...
Best Buy is offering Apple Watch Ultra 2 models for $50 off MSRP on their online store this week. Sale prices available for online orders only, in-store prices may vary. Order online, and choose... Read more
New promo at Sams Club: Apple HomePods for $2...
Sams Club has Apple HomePods on sale for $259 through March 31, 2024. Their price is $40 off Apple’s MSRP, and both Space Gray and White colors are available. Sale price is for online orders only, in... Read more
Get Apple’s 2nd generation Apple Pencil for $...
Apple’s Pencil (2nd generation) works with the 12″ iPad Pro (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th generation), 11″ iPad Pro (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation), iPad Air (4th and 5th generation), and iPad mini (... Read more
10th generation Apple iPads on sale for $100...
Best Buy has Apple’s 10th-generation WiFi iPads back on sale for $100 off MSRP on their online store, starting at only $349. With the discount, Best Buy’s prices are the lowest currently available... Read more
iPad Airs on sale again starting at $449 on B...
Best Buy has 10.9″ M1 WiFi iPad Airs on record-low sale prices again for $150 off Apple’s MSRP, starting at $449. Sale prices for online orders only, in-store price may vary. Order online, and choose... Read more
Best Buy is blowing out clearance 13-inch M1...
Best Buy is blowing out clearance Apple 13″ M1 MacBook Airs this weekend for only $649.99, or $350 off Apple’s original MSRP. Sale prices for online orders only, in-store prices may vary. Order... Read more
Low price alert! You can now get a 13-inch M1...
Walmart has, for the first time, begun offering new Apple MacBooks for sale on their online store, albeit clearance previous-generation models. They now have the 13″ M1 MacBook Air (8GB RAM, 256GB... Read more
Best Apple MacBook deal this weekend: Get the...
Apple has 13″ M2 MacBook Airs available for only $849 today in their Certified Refurbished store. These are the cheapest M2-powered MacBooks for sale at Apple. Apple’s one-year warranty is included,... Read more
New 15-inch M3 MacBook Air (Midnight) on sale...
Amazon has the new 15″ M3 MacBook Air (8GB RAM/256GB SSD/Midnight) in stock and on sale today for $1249.99 including free shipping. Their price is $50 off MSRP, and it’s the lowest price currently... Read more

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