" In the next three years, the dominant consumer social networks will see the limits of their growth. However, social computing will become even more important. Companies are establishing social media as a discipline. Gartner predicts that in three years, 10 organizations will each spend more than $1 billion on social media.
"Social computing is moving from being just on the outside of the organization to being at the core of business operations," said Peter Sondergaard, senior vice president at Gartner and global head of research. "It is changing the fundamentals of management: how you establish a sense of purpose and motivate people to act. Social computing will move organizations from hierarchical structures and defined teams to communities that can cross any organizational boundary."
Mobile
" In 2016, more than 1.6 billion smart mobile devices will be purchased globally. Two-thirds of the mobile workforce will own a smartphone, and 40% of the workforce will be mobile. The challenge for IT leaders is determining what to do with this new channel to their customers and employees.
" Gartner forecasts that in 2016, half of all non-PC devices will be purchased by employees. By the end of the decade, half of all devices in business will be purchased by employees.
" The emergence of Apple iPads, which for most users are difficult to justify as an essential computing tool, has made BYOD a near-term priority. IT organizations want end users, in most cases, to use the tools that help them perform their jobs better or to help retain valued employees, but they do not want to increase the cost per user for computing resources.
" Shipments of Android tablets will exceed shipments of iOS tablets by year end 2014. Android and iOS will continue to dominate smartphones in the short term with Windows phone growing substantially. In the tablet space Apple's dominance will be attacked by Android as lower cost devices emerge in 2013. We expect Windows 8 will remain relatively niche and more attractive to organizations then individual consumers.
