2015 Predictions That Will Transform IT & Business
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The Enterprise Welcomes the Internet of Things
A billion IoT wireless devices will be shipped. The enterprise will account for 60% of the IoT wireless device market and 90% of the services revenue. -
Drones Extend Far Beyond the Battlefield
There will be a million nonmilitary drones costing $200 or more this year. $300 to $500 can get you an entry-level version with four rotors, a range of up to 50 meters and the ability to fly for 20 minutes on an extended battery. -
"Look! Up in the Sky! It's a Nanosatellite!"
Nanosatellites are lighter, easier to build and cheaper than traditional satellites, and there will be more than 500 in orbit by the end of this year. As of late 2013, there were only 75. -
Limitations Will Impede the Growth of 3D Printing
There will be nearly 220,000 3D printers sold this year, and the enterprise will account for about 90% of them. But few of the printers can produce metallic components, which will curb growth. -
Broadband Will Get Faster
Average broadband speeds will increase 15% to 25%, thanks to developments such as fiber to the cabinet (FTTC) and fiber to the premise (FTTP), as well as cable and standard broadband. -
Smartphone Upgrades Go Sky High
For the first time, one billion smartphones will be purchased as upgrades in 2015, generating $300 billion in sales. The overall smartphone base will increase to 2.2 billion, up from 1.8 billion in 2014. -
Smartphone Batteries Will Last Longer
They'll last about 15% longer because of efficiency improvements within the components that draw power from batteries, such as processors, radio transmitters and screens. -
You Can Pay for Things Without Touching Anything
While it won't go mainstream, 5% of the more than 600 million near-field communications phones in existence will make contactless in-store payments at least once a month.
For years, we've constantly referenced the phrase "consumerization of IT." That's because—with the emergence of the cloud, mobile devices and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies—many decisions about technology purchases have shifted from the IT organization to business departments and employees. However, tech organizations will have a greater say in IT acquisitions and deployments in 2015, according to a recently released forecast from Deloitte. The 14th edition of Deloitte's "Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions" indicates that innovations related to the Internet of things (IoT), drones and 3D printing will play a lead role in the changes, as technology and business leaders will work together to determine which technologies will have the biggest business impact. "We are entering an extraordinary period where consumer technologies are finding increased adoption in the enterprise space," says Eric Openshaw, vice chairman of Deloitte LLP and the U.S. technology leader for Deloitte's technology, media and entertainment, and telecommunications industry practice in the Americas. "The amount of data we will see generated from connected devices will pave the way to measure interactions in a way not witnessed before, [and] will allow organizations to understand customer behaviors and purchase patterns in a whole new light." The following predictions are adapted from the report, including forecasts about nanosatellites and contact-free mobile payments, among other topics. Deloitte compiled its predictions based on hundreds of interviews with industry executives and commentators, as well as proprietary research programs involving tens of thousands of consumers and users worldwide.