The latest figures from the International Data Corporation show that the total number of PCs, media tablets and smartphones shipped last year exceeded 916 million units. Total revenue from these devices was over $489 billion (£308 billion).
It now expects unit shipments for smart connected devices to pass 1.1 billion worldwide in this year and reach 1.84 billion by 2016, double the 2011 figure. It represents a compound annual growth rate of 15.4% for the five-year forecast.
Bob O’Donnell, vice president for Clients and Displays at IDC, said “Whether it’s consumers looking for a phone that can tap into several robust ‘app’ ecosystems, businesses looking at deploying tablet devices into their environments or educational institutions working to update their school’s computer labs, smart, connected, compute-capable devices are playing an increasingly important role in nearly every individual’s life.”