As we approach the end of the year, so next year’s predictions start. We’ll be offering our own mobile industry predictions in a special podcast later this month. Meanwhile, market intelligence company International Data Corporation has been looking at the growing areas of mobile computing, cloud services, social networking and data analytics - and has made its own 2012 predictions.

IDC predicts that worldwide IT spending will grow by 6.9% year-on-year to $1.8 trillion (£1.14 trillion) in 2012. Emerging markets (defined by IDC as all markets except North America, Western Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand) will drive more than half of all IT spending growth worldwide in 2012.

The company also says smartphones and media tablets will surpass PCs next year in shipments, spending and mobile apps. In addition, mobile data network spending is predicted to exceed fixed data network spending for the first time.

Elsewhere, IDC predicts a ‘feeding frenzy’ as cloud service companies seek to gain a competitive edge by acquiring rivals - and expects major IT vendors to make acquisitions in social business as well. As well as this, it notes that the amount of digital content worldwide is expected to increase by 48% from 2011, with data and analytics technologies expected to move into the mainstream.

Frank Gens, senior vice president and chief analyst at IDC, said “The industry’s shift to the 3rd Platform will accelerate in 2012, forcing the industry’s leaders to make bold investments and fateful decisions. Companies like Microsoft, HP, SAP, RIM, and others – including Apple – will face ‘crossroads moments’ in 2012. Even though the IT industry will follow along the same transformational path as it did in 2011, the events, the choices, and the stakes will be very different in 2012. The urgency to act – and to make the right decisions – will dramatically increase. By the end of 2012, we should be able to see much more clearly which players have successfully positioned themselves in the ‘lead pack’ of the marathon-like race for industry leadership in the decade ahead.”

[Full report]