IHS: Connected devices to surpass 6B this year

The global market for connected devices that allow users to access the Internet is set to surpass 6 billion units this year, as new products including mobile phones, tablets and computers enter the electronics ecosystem, according to a new report from IHS Technology. Worldwide production of connected equipment will amount to 6.18 billion units this year, up 6 per cent from 5.82 billion in 2013. This will be the largest increase for the market in four years, surpassed only by the 10 per cent hike in production during 2010, a year after the global economic recession ended, the research company said. Production growth rates will then slow in the next few years, even though total units produced will continue to rise in absolute numbers. Between 2015 and 2017, an estimated 19.42 billion new devices will flood the planet. Release