As of year-end 2015, the world contained 8.1 billion connected smartphones, tablets, personal computers, TVs, TV-attached devices and audio devices, according to IHS’ Connected Device Market Monitor report.
“The proliferation of media-enabled connected endpoints has implications for media consumption, media production, broadband infrastructure, and the business itself of network management and traffic discrimination,” said Merrick Kingston, principal analyst-connected home, at IHS Technology. “It drives media consumption, IP traffic and more.”
Some highlights:
- Smartphones outnumber tablets by five to one
- Year-on-year, smartphones contribute roughly half a billion new devices to the market; tablet and OTT set-tops are also growing quickly, but operate a full order of magnitude below the smartphone. By 2020, this ratio will only widen. Within the forecast period, the smartphone-to-tablet ratio rises to nearly 10:1.
- Chromecast out-shipped Apple TV for the first time in Q1 2016, Apple TV shipping 1.7 million units compared to Google pushing 3.2 million Chromecasts to market.
- Netflix has secured a presence across 32 percent of connected devices in the US
