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Smart Cities Will Have Smarter Consumers, Report Reveals

Even as mature markets across South East Asia adopt technologies to become smart cities, the denizens of these cities can be seen as one of the driving forces. According to a Gartner study by 2018 you can expect to see consumers in mature markets owning three to four devices to manage their day-to-day life. They will expect seamless transition from one device to the other and will want services that allow them to do so.

Gartner estimates that in 2016, the installed base of devices will total 7.8 billion units (including wearables, phones, tablets and PCs) and is on pace to reach 8.3 billion units in 2018. “The combination of the high level of adoption of technology, the availability of faster networks, and decision-making becoming increasingly dependent on real-time information, will undoubtedly lead to more devices per user,” said Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner.

The research shows that in the next five years, consumers will continue to buy more devices that connect to each other instead of consolidating the devices they own. , According to Gartner by 2018, a consumer in a mature market will use and own more than three personal devices. In fact the consumers are expected to use three to four personal devices from a mix of “main” and “niche” devices. “Main devices will include smartphones, tablets, convertibles (two-in-one devices) and notebooks, and will contribute to more than two devices per person at any time. Niche devices will include a growing range of wearables such as smart watches, health bands, smart glasses and new types of connected devices such as smart cards, e-readers and portable cameras,” explained Gupta.

Moreover, in the region Chinese consumers will be fastest adopters of this trend. Talking about this CK Lu, principal research analyst at Gartner said,”Chinese Internet companies are investing aggressively in mobile device hardware development, platforms and distribution to secure a prominent position in the smartphone market.” As a result, the smartphone segment is becoming increasingly competitive and complex, and the way in which value is derived from it is also changing. Gartner predicts that by 2018, at least one non-traditional phone maker will be among the top five smartphone brands in China.

“The smartphone market will become more fluid and will allow new players to enter it . The entrance of Chinese Internet companies will put further pressure on traditional smartphone vendors, who will be forced to innovate beyond hardware in order to stay in the game. They are not only keen to increase user loyalty and engagement through partnerships and investments, but also willing to sacrifice today’s hardware revenue in order to secure higher net worth and a more profitable revenue stream in the future,” added Lu.

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