Explosive Growth of Smart Connected Devices

Smart connected devices (SCD) is one of the fastest-growing segments in the IT industry today. It comprises of smartphones, tablets and other devices that connect users to the Internet. SCDs, especially tablets and smartphones, are seeing explosive growth in countries around the world because they give users the flexibility to connect from anywhere. Moreover, the staggering number of apps that enter the market everyday makes it convenient for users to perform many functions and at the same time, it helps them to stay connected with each other. Another reason for the popularity of these devices is the rapid growth of technology; as technology gets more and more sophisticated, it provides a range of options for users to live more comfortably and soon, it is likely to be an integral part of every individual's life.

Due to these reasons, the shipments of SCDs have increased greatly. According to a report released by the International Data Corporation (IDC), the number of SCD shipments worldwide crossed the one billion mark in 2012. The value of these SCDs was estimated to be a whopping $576.9 billion and these numbers are only expected to grow in the coming years.

Many companies are coming up with SCDs to cater to this growing market. The IDC report showed that in Europe, Samsung was the top company. It dominated the smartphone market and was followed by Apple while in the tablet sales, Apple had the lead followed by Samsung.

The growth of these SCDs opens up new avenues to create more machine to machine (M2M) products. Already, there are many such products available today such as the Basis Watch that monitors the body's vital numbers and the WeMo that helps users to connect any device to a Wi-Fi. At this rate of growth, it is not going to be long before the entire world is inter-connected through devices.