IDC has released its annual predictions for the Canadian information and communication technology market for 2015. IDC bases its predictions on its own market research and insights as well as current developments it believes will help shape the market in the coming year. For mobile, IDC Canada sees huge growth for wearables and IoT.
With the launch of the Apple Watch set for early 2015, IDC believes Canadian interest in wearable devices will rise, leading to a 70% year-over-year increase in consumer category shipments or about 1.2 million units for the year. A recent Nielsen study showed that 3% of Canadians already own a smartwatch, and nearly half of the people in that category plan to buy a second one next year.
One of the hottest areas for growth will be Internet of Things, where IDC sees spending closing in on $25 billion across all industries by 2018; Vancouver, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal and Toronto are all expected to leverage IoT as part of what IDC calls their respective “SmartCity investments.”
Other points of interest in IDC’s 2015 predictions include a forecast for double digit growth in Chinese mobile phone shipments (building on a 50% increase in 2014) and for mobile banking to become the dominant digital channel for bank clients. Mobile innovation will apparently be the top priority for digital banking in 2015.
[source]IDC[/source]
