Consumers Will Use Three or Four Devices by 2018

By 2018, a consumer in a mature market will use and own more than three personal devices, according to Gartner. The firm 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. Gartner expects users to use a mix of two ‘main’ devices, such as smartphones, tablets, convertibles and notebooks, and ‘niche’ devices will such as smart watches, health bands, smart glasses and new types of connected devices such as smart cards, e-readers and portable cameras.