Type of Article: MacTech Blog

New findings from hi-tech analysts, Juniper Research (www.juniperrsearch.com) says that a new ultra-low cost generation of smartphones is emerging, capturing large volumes of the emerging markets.

Juniper forecasts almost 200 million in shipments by 2018, compared to nearly 10 million in 2014. On a global scale, this means that the “ultra-premium” end of the smartphone market is set to diminish proportionally by volume over time, not due to a drop in sales but a faster level of growth at other price points.

Carrier Wi-Fi started to gain momentum in 2013 driven by increasing data demands and new Wi-Fi advancements. Cable operators are enthusiastically adopting the technology as an entrance into the wireless market. ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com) forecasts Carrier Wi-Fi access point shipments in 2018 to reach 9.7 million with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for 70% of that number.

Even though 4G’s share of cellular subscriptions stood at a meager 2.9% at the end of 2Q 2013, it is expected to account for slightly more than 20% of the total data consumed on mobile networks worldwide this year. After surpassing 3G networks in 2016, 4G networks will go on to capture two-thirds of data traffic by 2018, according to market intelligence firm ABI Research (www.abirsearch.com).

The perceived level of maturity attached to organizations’ privacy activities has decreased since 2011, as many organizations deem their existing privacy activities to be inadequate, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. (www.gartner.com) The survey found that 43% of organizations have a comprehensive privacy management program in place, while 7% admitted to “doing the bare minimum” regarding privacy laws.

According to the International Data Corporation (www.id.com), worldwide thin client and terminal client device shipments totaled 1.3 million units in the second quarter of 2013 (2Q13), an increase of 7.4% from the previous quarter and 8.2% lower than IDC forecast for the quarter.