Gartner Says 821 Million Smart Devices Will Be Purchased Worldwide in 2012
Sales to Rise to 1.2 Billion in 2013; Purchases of Tablets by Businesses Will Triple by 2016
Nov 06, 2012 (Menafn - M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) --The consumerization trend has hit IT as an unstoppable force, as 821 million smart devices (smartphones and tablets) will be purchased worldwide in 2012 and pass the billion mark in 2013, according to Gartner, Inc. Smart devices will account for 70 percent of total devices sold in 2012.
"For most businesses smartphones and tablets will not entirely replace PCs, but the ubiquity of smartphones and the increasing popularity of tablets are changing the way businesses look at their device strategies and the way consumers embrace devices," said Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner.
Gartner analysts today discussed the directions in mobile device technologies and management approaches at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2012, taking place in Barcelona through November 8.
"In 2016, two-thirds of the mobile workforce will own a smartphone, and 40 percent of the workforce will be mobile," said Ms. Milanesi. Tablets will be the key accelerator to mobility. Gartner estimates that in 2012 purchases of tablets by businesses will reach 13 million units and will more than triple by 2016, to reach 53 million units.
Smartphones have become truly pervasive in every aspect of an employee's life. Gartner estimates that 56 percent of smartphones purchased by businesses in North America and Europe will be Android devices in 2016, up from 34 percent in 2012 and virtually no penetration in 2010.
"Today the wide range of brands and price points that the Android ecosystem is offering is winning over users. While Apple remains the heartbeat by which the market moves, Google has rapidly become its archrival," said Ms. Milanesi.
The increasing penetration of Android in the enterprise will continue to pose challenges for the IT department and the CIO to ensure that security and manageability remain a priority. However, Android and iOS-based devices will continue to increase their presence in the enterprise side-by-side and in most cases instead of RIM. "As businesses are looking for a multi-device strategy and a rich application portfolio it is clear that RIM has a huge challenge ahead in regaining its key presence in the enterprise," said Ms. Milanesi.
In the business market, Windows 8 will take the No. 3 position in the tablet market behind Apple and Android by 2016, with interest coming more from businesses than consumers. Tablets and convertibles will be the way into businesses for Windows 8. Gartner estimates that the share of Windows 8 tablets and ultramobiles in businesses will reach 39 percent in 2016.
Over the past year, we have seen consumer preferences shaping not only the vendors' landscape but also the way IT departments need to think about devices in the enterprise with BYOD becoming a part of the devices policy. "In just 12 months businesses have moved from resisting Apple to accepting its devices in the organization. CIOs who balance workers' passion for Apple with the needs of IT will reap surprising benefits and prepare the business for entry of other consumer-market vendor technologies, as this is just the beginning," said Ms. Milanesi.
Additional information about Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2012 in Barcelona, is available at www.gartner.com/eu/symposium . Video replays of keynotes and sessions are available on Gartner Events on Demand at www.gartnerondemand.com . Follow news, photos and video coming from Gartner Symposium/ITxpo on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GartnerSymposium , on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Gartner_inc using #GartnerSym, and on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/27772229@N07/ .
About Gartner Symposium/ITxpo
Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the world's most important gathering of CIOs and senior IT executives. This event delivers independent and objective content with the authority and weight of the world's leading IT research and advisory organization, and provides access to the latest solutions from key technology providers. Gartner's annual Symposium/ITxpo events are key components of attendees' annual planning efforts. IT executives rely on Gartner Symposium/ITxpo to gain insight into how their organizations can use IT to address business challenges and improve operational efficiency.
Contacts:
Rob van der Meulen
Gartner
44 0 1784 267892
rob.vandermeulen@gartner.com
Rob van der Meulen
Gartner
44 0 1784 267892
rob.vandermeulen@gartner.com
About Gartner:
Gartner, Inc. IT is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the valuable partner to clients in 12,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 5,000 associates, including 1,280 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, www.gartner.com .
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