Athletic organizations across the world have begun to view IoT devices and the data they can glean from them as an important factor in optimizing player performance, mitigating injuries, and increasing fan engagement. Learn more

With the growing ease of online ordering, try-at-home models, and lenient refund policies, the modern consumer is no stranger to product returns. The National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates that over 16% of online and in-store purchases were returned in 2022, down from 20% in 2021. Returns are a major drain on retail and ecommerce profits, and the reverse logistics of returns can be messy. Learn more

The recent emergence of ChatGPT, an AI-based language model, has caused a stir in both the consumer and enterprise world with the chatbot’s ability to provide detailed and articulate responses across a variety of knowledge topics. Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT was released in late 2022 and can not only mimic human conversations, but write and debug computer code, compose stories, and answer test questions at a level above average human test-takers. Learn more

VDC’s IoT staff was back in Barcelona for MWC for the first time since 2019. This year’s attendance continued to rebound from the COVID pandemic, and was 88,500 participants, compared to 61,000 in 2022, after the 2019 peak of nearly 109,500. Learn more

CPUs made with Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) architecture are inherently mobile-friendly. A benefit of ARM devices includes low-energy consumption, extending battery life. Low heat production makes noisy fans obsolete. Compact, simple circuits and slim designs translate to portability. ARM chips also win in terms of affordability. Learn more

The automotive manufacturing industry is rapidly evolving. Over the past several years vehicle manufacturers have been affected by a variety of challenges including supply-chain disruptions, rising employee turnover (and the need to adapt to remote/social distanced work models), and shifts in consumer demands. Combined, these challenges are putting increasing pressure on traditional automotive manufacturing business models, which are proving more costly than ever. Learn more

Global logistics have had a tumultuous three years, facing threats of disease and supply chain slowdown on a worldwide scale. As travel restrictions and inventory backups attenuate, cybersecurity threats will persist for ports and infrastructure into 2023. Cyberattacks are already occurring: a cyberattack on the port of Lisbon on Christmas day 2022 threatened the release of confidential information if a ransom of $1.5 million was not paid by January 18. While operations were able to continue, the port’s website was down into the new year, and financial and operational resources have been diverted to address the issue. Learn more

In 2021 there were over 8 billion mobile device subscriptions worldwide, which is more than the total number of people in the world. These subscriptions are identified by Subscriber Identity Modules, or SIM cards. SIM cards are smart modules that are integrated into mobile devices and authenticate them to operate on a cellular network. Learn more

Automotive cybersecurity is set to become a key feature in software-defined vehicles, with a variety of standards emerging to ensure the safety and security of connected vehicles. Functional safety standards, such as ISO 26262, have been implemented across the automotive industry, but cybersecurity has only recently been addressed. Both safety and security play an important role in securing various imbedded systems, and satisfying different functional safety standards increasingly requires proportional investments in security. Learn more

Zebra Technologies has announced the launch of its TC15 into the African market, offering a new rugged device for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the manufacturing, transportation, field services, retail, and hospitality verticals. Coupling premium features of the Zebra brand with a competitive price, the TC15 promises to shake up a market typically dominated by low-cost regional manufacturers and consumer-grade devices. Learn more

Software development will be a key battleground for the automotive industry in order to support the push towards autonomous vehicles (AV). A focus on automation, connectivity, electrification and sharing will drive automotive trends forward and significantly influence software development. A standard software architecture is necessary for mitigating the largest obstacle to the development and growth of the connected vehicle industry, which is the complexity of automotive systems. Learn more

Amid extreme weather and record port congestion, smooth supply chains have come to feel like a distant memory. The need to navigate new challenges is more urgent than ever, and shippers are pushing much of their urgency onto logistics providers: the truck drivers, maritime crews, and aviators operating in ever-shorter timeframes. Learn more

With MilDef’s recent acquisition of Handheld Group, changes are in store for both companies as they work together to expand their market presence. VDC Research Analyst Rowan Litter spoke with Handheld Group CEO Thomas Löfblad to discuss the transition. Learn more

Mobile analytics are quickly becoming an essential part of everyday life in the modern world. With businesses and people looking to become the most efficient versions of themselves, the ability to analyze strengths and weaknesses is vastly important. Whether its businesses looking to shave off minutes of downtime to ensure maximum productivity or social media analyzing user data to produce an individualized platform, analytics have a strong hold on how we experience our everyday lives. With the current transition into smart solutions, data on how to best run these new technologies will be critical moving forward. Learn more

Semtech has been a US-based supplier of semiconductors and related technology since Dwight Eisenhower was the President (1960). But it wasn’t until 2012 that the company acquired a small French firm called Cycleo for the price of $5M, in what we at VDC said “might be viewed years from now as one of the greatest bargains ever for a tech acquisition." Cycleo had developed the intellectual property for a new long-range wireless network technology which Semtech dubbed LoRa, and began to supply LoRa chipsets and license the IP to other chipmakers. (The company does not build or operate LoRa networks.) Learn more

Mobile analytics are quickly becoming an essential part of everyday life in the modern world. With businesses and people looking to become the most efficient versions of themselves, the ability to analyze strengths and weaknesses is vastly important. Whether its businesses looking to shave off minutes of downtime to ensure maximum productivity or social media analyzing user data to produce an individualized platform, analytics have a strong hold on how we experience our everyday lives. With the current transition into smart solutions, data on how to best run these new technologies will be critical moving forward. Learn more

Amidst major events of the last three years, risk assessments have become a critical part of leadership discussions. Hybrid and remote work, long dismissed as a threat to office “culture” and productivity, are expected job components for new employees; however, amid a multi-year pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and ongoing waves of the “great resignation,” cybersecurity has fallen low on executives’ priority lists, putting them at a growing risk of cyberattacks through their hybrid workforces. At the dawn of the pandemic, a VDC end-user survey showed that over 40% of leadership in sectors ranging from public safety to healthcare to transportation viewed strong IT infrastructure as the most important contributor to pandemic adaptability. Strong infrastructure has become increasingly harder to maintain: there are now a range of cybersecurity risks faced by companies around hardware, software, and connectivity, with the added human risks deriving from both employees and their employers. Learn more

Automation is critical today for enhancing manufacturing productivity and in meeting customer expectations for product quality and traceability. Manufacturers are leveraging a variety of solutions as need for accurate on-package information grows, accelerated by requirements around coordination, synchronization, and consistency in data access/use across globally distributed locations. VDC’s recently concluded primary research on coding and marking solutions – which are used at every level of packaging to print batch numbers, lot numbers, logos, MRP, expiry date, barcodes, etc. – highlights several interesting insights on this highly fragmented marketplace. Learn more

The global raw materials and chip shortage continues with us in Q2 2022, exacerbated by a variety of cross-industry issues, geo-political forces, and the economic consequences of a stubborn pandemic. An extreme shortage of semiconductors occurred as a result of spikes in demand for consumer electronics, electric vehicles, sensors, and connected devices in general. Skyrocketing raw materials prices and natural disasters have worsened the situation, forcing embedded processor suppliers to consider tradeoffs involving pricing strategies and severe capacity constraints. As a result, most of the executives of leading embedded processor market players forecast similar semiconductor supply-demand deficits to persist beyond 2022. As the supply chain crisis grows more complicated, so too do its implied solutions, and VDC Research subsequently sees the interrelated chip shortage continuing into 2023. Learn more