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1. Proliferation of smartphones and tablets in business
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), nearly one billion smart connected devices – PCs, media tablets, and smartphones – were shipped in 2011. That figure is predicted to top 1.1 billion in 2012, with shipments expected to double 2011’s tally and reach 1.84 billion units by 2016, as businesses of all shapes and sizes around the world show a nearly insatiable appetite for smart connected devices. Most significantly, IDC predicts that the number of mobile devices, principally smartphones in conjunction with tablets, are set to dwarf the number of PCs – outnumbering them by more than five to one.
Worldwide tablet shipments are set to jump from 16.1 million in 2010, to 147.2 million by 2015 – 45 million of which will be bought by businesses. More specifically, Apple sold over 32 million iPads last financial year (September 2010 – September 2011). Apple now has almost complete penetration across Fortune 500 organizations. Apple claims that almost all Fortune 500 will test and / or deploy iPads as part of their corporate information strategy during 2012.
Further, the IDC also estimates that the overall number of mobile devices shipped for business use will reach 165.6 million units by 2014.