The Week In Review: IoT

Market Research
There will be 8.4 billion connected things in use this year, a 31% gain from 2016, and leading up to 20.4 billion connected devices in 2020, according to Gartner. The market research firm estimates worldwide spending on endpoints and services will hit nearly $2 trillion in 2017. Greater China, North America, and Western Europe account for two-thirds of the IoT installed base this year. Consumer IoT represents 63% of all applications, Gartner said, with smart televisions and digital set-top boxes leading the consumer side, while smart electric meters and commercial security cameras are topping business IoT applications.

The Internet of Things in Healthcare Market report anticipates spending of $136.8 billion in 2021, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 12.5%. The report identifies Apple, Cisco Systems, GE Healthcare, Google, IBM, Medtronic, Microsoft, and Qualcomm as key players in the health-care IoT market.

Grand View Research forecasts the retail IoT market will be worth $94.44 billion by 2025, up from $13.51 billion in 2015. The market research firm has a report on this segment.

Security
The IoT Cybersecurity Alliance has been established by AT&T, IBM, Nokia, Palo Alto Networks, Symantec, and Trustonic. AT&T reports there has been a 3,198% increase in attackers looking for IoT device vulnerabilities in the last three years. In a 2016 survey of business leaders, 58% of respondents said they weren’t confident in the security of their IoT devices, AT&T adds.

Products
Google on Wednesday introduced Android Wear 2.0 and debuted five developer previews for the operating system. It teamed up with LG Electronics to unveil the LG Watch Style smartwatch ($249) and the LG Watch Sport ($349), both of which will be available starting today.

STMicroelectronics has scheduled a webinar on its Bluetooth-based SensorTile multiple-sensor module for 12 noon CST on Wednesday, February 22. Details are available here.

Conferences
It’s not too early to be thinking about Internet of Things World, which returns to the Santa Clara Convention Center in Silicon Valley on May 16-18, 2017. Watch a video here on “How Does IoT Impact Your Business?”

WhiteHat Security will be exhibiting at the RSA Conference 2017, February 13-17 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. CEO Craig Hinkley and other WhiteHat executives will be speaking at RSA and related events next week.

Finance
Shares of Qualcomm common stock are down almost 20% since the first of the year on negative news emanating from Apple and the Federal Trade Commission. Leo Sun of The Motley Fool speculates on whether these developments could sink the company’s proposed $47 billion acquisition of NXP Semiconductors. Meanwhile, Michael Walkley of Canaccord Genuity wrote in a note to investors, “We maintain our belief Qualcomm’s current share price is pricing in near-worst-case-scenario outcomes from its ongoing licensing dispute and legal battles with Apple. With Maureen Ohlhausen designated acting chairman of the FTC on January 25, 2017, combined with her initial dissent to the FTC complaint against Qualcomm, we believe the FTC may not proceed with the complaint.”

R/GA Ventures selected 10 companies to participate in its R/GA IoT Venture Studio UK program.

Services
DigiCert has introduced DigiCert Auto-Provisioning, which enables manufacturers and users of connected devices to provision digital certificates at scale. The service is powered by Device Authority.

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