STAMFORD, CT – The need for computing hardware will not cease, but the shift of ownership will affect every aspect of the IT hardware industry, says a top research firm.
Gartner makes that case as part of its top end-user predictions for 2010, stating by 2012, 20% of businesses will not own IT assets.
In the same year, India-centric IT service firms will represent 20% of the leading cloud aggregators in the market, and 60% of a new PC’s total life greenhouse gas emissions will have occurred before the user first turns on the machine, says the firm. Eighty percent of total PC energy consumption happens during production and transport.
Organizations will want to assess cloud computing potential for their organizations, Gartner says.
Also, Facebook will become the hub for social networks integration and Web socialization, the firm adds. The active number of Facebook users is expected to exceed one billion by the end of this year.
By 2013, cellphones will overtake PCs as the most common Web access device globally, despite the number of PCs in use reaching 1.62 billion units in 2012.
The combined installed base of smartphones and browser-equipped enhanced phones will exceed 1.69 billion units. From 2012 on, this combined installed base will be greater than the installed base for PCs.
As smartphones spread, they will overtake the PC as the most common primary device for Web access during 2015.
By 2014, most IT business cases will include carbon remediation costs, and more than three billion of the world’s adult population will be able to transact electronically via mobile and Internet. Internet marketing will be regulated by 2015, controlling more than $250 billion in spending worldwide, the research firm states.
By 2015, context will be as influential to mobile consumer services and relationships as search engines are to the Web. Context-aware computing will have a disruptive effect on business, particularly for retailers, financial services, media, healthcare, and telecom firms, according to Gartner.
Gartner expects the usual suspects -- Google, Nokia, Apple, Microsoft, and communication service providers -- to lead the creation of these services, platforms and business ecosystems.
TAIPEI – Last week’s earthquake in Chile, the largest producer of copper, could push electronics component prices higher as a result of a sustained surge in metal prices.
Transport and electricity to the copper mines in Chile were halted after the 8.8 earthquake hit Saturday.
Copper futures rose up to 6.2% on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the most in nearly a year. Whether prices stay higher will depend on the state of the mines, infrastructure and transportation, analysts say.
Operating profit for PCBs could drop up to 14% if copper prices were to increase 10%, says Yuanta Financial Holdings, and connector profits could drop as much as 30%.
TEMPE, AZ – Manufacturing continued to grow in February, but the rate of growth decelerated, as the PMI registered 56.5%, a decrease of 1.9 percentage points sequentially, says the Institute for Supply Management.
A reading above 50% indicates the manufacturing economy is generally expanding.
New Orders registered 59.5%, down 6.4 percentage points. Production was 58.4%, down 7.8 points. Inventories contracted at a slower rate in February, as the index registered 47.3%, up 0.8 points. Customer Inventories grew 5 points to 37%, and Backlogs hit 61%, also up 5 points.
“The manufacturing sector grew for the seventh consecutive month during February. While New Orders and Production were not as strong as in January, they still show significant month-over-month growth,” said ISM spokesperson Norbert J. Ore in a press release.
The Employment Index was up 2.8 percentage points for the month to 56.1%, the third consecutive month of growth.
The overall economy grew for the 10th consecutive month, says ISM.
BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PWB shipments in January fell 2.1% year-over-year, while orders increased 22.2% compared to the same period last year.
