All predictions are for 2013 to be a remarkable year for the sale of smart devices. According to mobile industry specialist Tomi Ahonen, there will be 1.2 billion active smartphones by the end of 2012. That's amazing when it's considered that the smartphone came to the market about five years ago with the launch of Apple's first iPhone. IDC's analysts are predicting 800 million smartphones will be shipped in 2013. The IDC analysts also believe that by 2013, the connected device market, meaning smartphones, tablets, and PCs combined will grow to 1.4 billion, a 19.2 percent year-over-year increase. By 2016, there will be two billion connected devices, with 530 million of those devices in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region - less than the Americas or Asia/Pacific.
