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IDC: nearly 1 billion 'smart connected devices' shipped last year
Know that gadget you're currently using to read this article? It may be one of 916 million "smart connected devices" that shipped in 2011, with global revenue totaling some $489 billion last year. But the IDC expects that figure to jump to 1.1 billion for 2012, with a total of 1.84 billion new web-connected gadgets hitting the market in 2016. Those numbers include most devices that connect to the internet, such as tablets, smartphones and x86-compatible PCs -- the latter of which now represent 36.9 percent of the market, but will slip to a 25.1-percent share in 2016. Android's piece of the pie will grow from 29.4 percent to 31.1 percent by 2016, while iOS will make the jump from 14.6 to 17.3 percent in the same timeframe. IDC reps say that Asia will be partially responsible for increased smartphone sales, where mobile operators in China are subsidizing purchases to make devices more accessible to consumers. Do you plan to take possession of one of the 1.1 billion gadgets that IDC expects will ship this year? Jump past the break and let us know in the comments.
Disney aiming to establish technology standards for web-connected toys
Details are still pretty light on this one, but it looks like Disney is doing its part to add a bit of order to the wild technology frontier that is web-connected toys -- the company's consumer products division will reportedly detail a proposal to establish a set of technology standards at the Engage Conference and Expo later this month. That plan will be laid out by the head of Disney's "Toymorrow" team, Armen Mkrtchyan, who will apparently discuss what sort of standards Disney is currently looking at, and how such standards could lead to things like cost-savings and "increased playability." Unfortunately, that's about as specific as things get at the moment -- head on past the break for the complete press release.
HP CTO suggests webOS integration will run deep
It's starting to look like the question isn't what HP will be using webOS for, but what won't it be using it for? Speaking at the Techonomy conference this week, HP's Chief Technology Officer, Shane Robison, said that "what Palm gives us is a modern, Web-oriented, connected operating system," which he suggests will be central to many of the company's products. In particular, Robison said that "most" of HP's printers will soon be web-connected, and that webOS will allow it to have a consistent interface across those and other devices. He did say that webOS wouldn't be replacing Windows on netbooks, however, noting that "we're not trying to wreck the market we've already got."
