IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Connected Devices 2025 Predictions

IDC FutureScape Figure

• Figure: IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Connected Devices 2025 Top 10 Predictions

Executive Summary

IDC FutureScape Predictions

• Summary of External Drivers

• Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers

• Prediction 1: Nearly 90% of New Commercially Deployed Smartphones in 2026 Will Use On-Device AI Security Features to Analyze Telemetry Data in Real Time to Verify User Identity Proactively and Continuously

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 2: As More Industry Verticals Digitize Existing Frontline Paper-Based Processes, One in Three Organizations Will Deploy More Rugged Devices, Accelerating Shipment Volumes in 2026

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 3: In 2027, One in 10 Commercial Notebook Shipments Will Use ARM-Based Chips as Companies Look to Offer Employees Systems with Multiday Battery Life While Achieving Corporate ESG Goals

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 4: By 2027, Two-Thirds of the Top 100 Enterprise Apps Running on PCs Will Have Generative AI Features That Leverage the CPU, GPU, or NPU to Run Workloads Locally Instead of in the Cloud

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 5: By 2027, 80% of Companies Using Stress-Monitoring Wearables Will See a 25% Reduction in Absenteeism and a Measurable Increase in Employee Job Satisfaction

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 6: Seeking Greater Flexibility and Affordability, 30% of Fortune 2000 Companies Will Pilot or Deploy Mobile Device–as-a-Service Offerings Focused on Corporate-Liable Smartphones by 2028

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 7: By 2029, Most Knowledge Workers at Large Enterprises Will Leverage VDI-Based Apps to Complete Some of Their Day-to-Day Work

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 8: By 2028, 50% of Global 500 Companies That Deploy Extended Reality Technology Solutions Strategically Will See a Greater than 100% ROI in Terms of Time Saved, Efficiencies Gained, and Employee Satisfaction

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 9: By 2029, an On-Device AI Agent Will Initiate About 10% of Workloads on Smartphones, Tablets, and PCs as Operating Systems Anticipate Employees' Needs, Increasing Productivity and User Satisfaction

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 10: One in 10 Commercial PCs Shipped into the Enterprise by 2030 Will Be a Workstation as More Organizations Recognize Their Value for Mission-Critical Workloads

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

Advice for Technology Buyers

External Drivers: Detail

• AI-Driven Business Models — Moving from AI Experimentation to Monetization

• The Drive to Automate — Toward a Data-Driven Future

• Future Proofing Against Environmental Risks — ESG Operationalization and Risk Management

• AI-Driven Workplace Transformation — Building Tomorrow's Workforce Today

• Responsible and Human-Centric Technology — Ethics in the Enterprise

• Battling Against Technical Debt — Overcoming Hurdles to IT Modernization

• Customer Experience Squared — Consumer and Citizen Expectations for Digital Services

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• Related Research