Research shows how hyperconnected we are
Recent research from the Pew Internet &
American Life Project, which focused mainly on how technology and multitasking
affects Millennials, indicated that more people (52% of those surveyed) believe
tech-influenced changes in how we juggle personal- and work-related tasks will
produce positive outcomes. A minority (42%) anticipated negative outcomes. The
research also provided a snapshot of just how hyperconnected we are, as the
following stats indicate.
Research
shows how hyperconnected we are
Tablet display shipments skyrocket in
2012
If you're looking for a good indicator of
how strong the tablet market is right now, consider the latest figures from
research company IHS about the tablet display market. According to IHS, manufacturers
are expected to have shipped 126.6 million tablet displays in 2012 by year's
end, which marks a 56% increase over the 2011 total of 82.1 million tablet displays.
IHS says that 59% of the shipments (about 74.3 million units) are in the
9.x-inch category, which is dominated by Apple's iPad.
Security spending remains high
Enterprises don't appear to be cutting back
on security-related spending, Gartner reports, in spite of continued pressure
on IT budgets. In fact, Gartner expects that worldwide spending on security
will be up 8.4% this year, to $60 billion. By 2016, that number should reach
$86 billion. IT outsourcing (managed security services), secure Web gateway (appliance),
and SIEM (security information and event management) are the three
fastest-growing segments, according to Gartner. In the Gartner study, about 45%
of respondents expect to increase their security budget this year, 50% expect
it to stay the same, and 5% expect their budget to decrease.
Business demand to spur Ultrabook sales
In its new report, "Ultrabooks Market
To 2016," GBI Research indicates that the relatively new Ultrabook market
will experience a 69.2% CAGR from 2012 to 2016, with global sales reaching
$75.8 billion in 2016 compared to $1.3 billion in 2011. This encouraging
prediction runs counter to less enthusiastic forecasts for the Ultrabook
market, but GBI Research suggests that continued support from Intel (including
financial support) combined with increased demand among business users (those
seeking computers that combine lightweight, low-profile features with high
performance) will significantly influence sales.
Looking to improve sales? Think mobile
As recently as two years ago, it wasn't
necessarily a make or break deal if a retail entity didn't have a
well-functioning mobile version of its website. Much has changed, however, as
smartphone ownership and mobile website usage have increased dramatically.
Based on a July survey conducted by SmithGeiger and Sterling Research on behalf
of Google, the following chart shows the percentage of smartphone users who
indicated certain tasks as "most important" when using mobile sites.
Looking
to improve sales? Think mobile
Lemon launches digital wallet service
development platform
For those who are tired of stuffing credit
cards, receipts, loyalty cards, gift cards, and tickets into their wallets,
Palo Alto, Calif.,-based Lemon claims to have a solution: an app-based digital
wallet where images of cards and receipts combine with a cloud-based service to
help customers rid their wallets of so much plastic and paper. The company
recently launched the Lemon Platform for Publishers in a move designed to
inspire developers to build on Lemon's "Smarter Wallet ecosystem."
The platform is open to all developers.
Lemon
launches digital wallet service development platform
DIY media distribution service raises
$1m
Pivotshare offers a simplified mechanism
for digital media content producers to distribute and monetize their content.
Whether it be through Internet streaming, subscription models, or monetized
single-view solutions, Pivotshare helps content-makers create their own
digital media distribution channel and provides all the tools necessary to
upload content, promote content via social media integration, obtain
statistics about viewership, and draw revenue from that content, among other
services. Recently the Irvine, Calif, based Pivotshare received $1 million in
Series A financing from TownsgateMedia. The company's plans now include
tailoring services to businesses and associations.
DIY
media distribution service raises $1m
docTrackr secures $2m in seed round
Web-based file storage and sharing services
continue to become increasingly popular among consumers. Businesses are
interested, too, but most remain wary due to security concerns. These concerns
have created opportunity for the Boston-based startup docTrackr, which bills
itself primarily as a security company and provides a cloud file storage and
collaboration service designed to safeguard users' data. With docTrackr,
customers can control exactly who can access, edit, print, and share documents;
customers can even destroy documents remotely so they don't stray. The company
recently earned $2 million in a seed round led by Atlas Ventures and with
participation from Polaris Venture Partners.
Database virtualization company
ParElastic raises $1m
What is a company to do when a single
database server falls short for its employees? Waltham, Mass.,-based
ParElastic's solution is a novel one: its ParElastic Database Virtualization
Engine is designed to solve the problem "by making multiple database servers
work together as a single virtual database, and provisioning only the
resources needed to satisfy the demands of the application at any given
point." Others, including Boston-based venture capital firm CommonAngels,
see value in ParElastic's proposition and have seen fit to provide $1 million
in financing in addition to $3 million the startup previously raised.
It infrastructure startup SimpliVity
snares $25m
SimpliVity, the Westborough, Mass.,-based
startup behind the OmniCube platform and appliance, is $25 million richer
following a Series B funding round led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
SimpliVity plans to put much of this money into marketing for its OmniCube
products. "OmniCube," SimpliVity states, "encompasses all of
the requisite IT infrastructure and functionality," and thereby makes
life simpler for companies with virtual environments. Including the latest
round of funding, the company has raised $43 million so far.
Users doing more with mobile content
The latest quarterly report from comScore
about mobile subscriber market share includes statistics about how people use
their mobile phones, as well. As this chart indicates, users are doing a little
more of everything, whether their phones are smartphones or standard mobile
phones.
|
|
Quarter ending May 12,2012
|
Quarter ending Aug. 12,2012
|
|
Sent text messages to another phone
|
74.8%
|
75.6%
|
|
Used downloaded apps
|
51.1%
|
53.4%
|
|
Used browser
|
49.8%
|
52%
|
|
Accessed social networking site or
blog
|
36.7%
|
38.3%
|
|
Played games
|
33.5%
|
34%
|
|
Listened to music
|
27%
|
28.3%
|
