• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, February 13, 2014

Growing faster than ever, the market for Web-connected gadgets is set to surpass 6 billion units this year, per new estimates.

That’s 6.18 billion units, to be precise -- up 6% from the 5.82 billion gadgets that connected users to media and marketers, in 2013. If accurate, the jump will represent the market’s biggest increase in four years -- when it saw a 10% hike in production in 2010 -- according to IHS Technology.
 
“The improved growth this year of the connected devices industry marks the return of higher production as manufacturers deliver all sorts of connectivity equipment to users,” Jagdish Rebello, Ph.D. and senior director for information technology at IHS, explained in the new report.
 
“Given the voracious appetite of consumers for social media and their yen for always-on connectivity, it’s little surprise that makers will continue to turn out such devices to keep buyers engaged,” Rebello added.
 
Yet, production growth rates are expected to slow over the next few years, even though the total units produced will continue to rise in absolute numbers, according to Rebello.
 
Between 2015 and 2017, an estimated 19.42 billion new devices will enter the market, according to IHS.
 
IHS defines connected devices as equipment that allow users to interact with the Internet in some way, shape, or form. All devices must possess embedded connectivity, made possible through built-in semiconductors.
 
Among connected devices, those expected to experience higher production numbers, this year, include video game consoles, media tablets, mobile handsets, LCD TVs, set-top boxes, and mobile PCs.
 
Equipment markets expected to suffer reduced production this year are digital still cameras, camcorders, desktop PCs, DVD players/records and portable media players.

"Mobile Devices" photo from Shutterstock.

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