Internet Connected Devices to Hit Five Billion Milestone
Sometime this month, the 5 billionth device will plug into the Internet. And in 10 years, that number will grow by more than a factor of four, according to IMS Research, which tracks the installed base of equipment that can access the Internet.
Today, there are over one billion computers that regularly connect to the Internet. That class of devices, including PCs and laptops and their associated networking gear, continues to grow. But mobile devices, such as Internet-connected smartphones, have outstripped that total and are growing at a much faster rate. Then add in tablets, eBook readers, Internet TVs, cameras, digital picture frames, and a host of other networked consumer electronics devices, and the IMS forecast of 22 billion Internet devices by 2010 doesnt seem far fetched. The research firm projects that in 10 years, there will be six billion cell phones, most of them with Internet connectivity. An estimated 2.5 billion televisions today will largely be replaced by TV sets that are Internet capable, either directly or through a set-top box. More and more of the worlds one billion automobiles will be replaced by newer models with integrated Internet access.
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