Worldwide enterprise software revenue is forecast to total $222.6 bln in 2009, reflecting a flat 0.3% growth rate from 2008 revenue of $221.9 bln, according to Gartner.
49 mln desktops to virtually hosted by 2013
The worldwide hosted virtual desktop (HVD) market will accelerate through 2013 to reach 49 mln units, up from more than 500,000 units in 2009, according to Gartner. Worldwide HVD revenue will grow from about $1.3 bln to $1.5 bln in 2009, which is less than 1% of the worldwide professional PC market, to $65.7 bln in 2013, which will be equal to more than 40% of the worldwide professional PC market. Gartner estimates that approximately 15% of current worldwide traditional professional desktop PCs will migrate to HVDs by 2014, equal to about 66 mln connected devices. US will reach double that of the worldwide average with over 18 mln connected devices. After an initial slow start, the HVD market will rally in 2010 and 2011.
Managed services for mobile networks generated $19 bln in 2008
Managed services for mobile networks returned about $19 bln revenue in 2008, ($5.8 bln for network services and $13.4 bln for IT-related services.) Europe led managed services adoption: Tier One operators there face stiff competition, so they have turned to managed services to improve their margins. According to a new study from ABI Research, that $19 bln figure represents only a small part of the potential addressable market.
16.5% of mobile users spent over $100 in app stores
An ABI Research survey of US smartphone users who installed applications on their devices in 2008, conducted in November 2008, reveals that a surprising 16.5% spent between $100 and $499. That level of spending is especially significant given the low cost of most mobile applications, ranging from as little as a dollar or two at Apple’s iPhone App Store, to at most about $25.
Virtualisation revenues to reach $2.7 bln in 2009
Worldwide virtualisation software revenue will increase 43% from $1.9 bln in 2008 to $2.7 bln in 2009, according to Gartner. Global virtualisation penetration is on pace to reach 20% in 2009 from 12% in 2008. Gartner estimates that revenue from hosted virtual desktops will more than triple from $74.1 mln to $298.6 mln in 2009 while revenue from server virtualisation management software will increase 42% from $913.9 mln in 2008 to $1.3 bln in 2009. Revenue from server virtualisation infrastructure will grow 22.5% from $917 mln in 2008 to $1.1 bln in 2009.
Airlines to lose $3.5 bln due to high-def conferenceware
Gartner predicts that high-definition based video meeting solutions will replace 2.1 mln airline seats annually, costing the travel and hospitality industry $3.5 bln per year. From 2009 to 2013 the server virtualisation software market will grow with a CAGR of 28%, rising from $1.8 bln to $6.2 bln.
Game hardware and software generated $22 bln in 2008
Computer and video game industry hardware, software and peripheral sales climbed to $22 bln in 2008, with entertainment software sales comprising $11.7 bln of that total figure, a 22.9% jump over 2007, Entertainment Software Association announced. The industry set the new record, calculated by market-research firm NPD Group, on the strength of December 2008 sales, when industry revenue ($5.3 bln) topped $5 bln for the first time in any single month. By comparison, as recently as 1997, the industry generated $5.1 bln over the entire year. In 2008, total US video game console software sales reached $8.9 bln (189.0 mln units), PC game sales hit $701.4 mln (29.1 mln units), and portable software topped 2007’s record sales with $2.1 bln (79.5 mln units) in revenue. Overall, retailers sold approximately 297.6 mln computer and video games 2007.
Top PC game titles in the US in 2008
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | AU% | Avg Minutes Played Per Week |
| 1 | World of Warcraft | Blizzard Entertainment | 0.723 | 671 |
| 2 | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Activision | 0.163 | 403 |
| 3 | Halo: Combat Evolved | Microsoft Game Studios | 0.092 | 295 |
| 4 | Sims, The | Electronic Arts Inc. | 0.09 | 213 |
| 5 | Sims 2, The | Electronic Arts Inc. | 0.086 | 291 |
| 6 | RuneScape | Jagex Ltd. | 0.084 | 451 |
| 7 | Diablo II | Blizzard Entertainment | 0.065 | 313 |
| 8 | Team Fortress 2 | Valve | 0.063 | 371 |
| 9 | Counter-Strike | Sierra Studios | 0.062 | 282 |
| 10 | Counter-Strike: Source | Valve | 0.061 | 426 |
| Source: Nielsen | ||||
90% of organizations to keep or grow their usage of software as a service
90% of organizations surveyed expect to maintain or grow their usage of software as a service (SaaS), citing cost-effectiveness and ease/speed of deployment as primary reasons for adoption, according to Gartner. 62% of North American respondents said that they expected new investments to increase slightly and 15% said that they expected new investments to increase significantly compared with 49% and 15%, respectively, in Europe and 55% and 5%, respectively, in Asia/Pacific. North America was an early adopter of solutions delivered through the SaaS model, with more than 20% of respondents indicating use for five years or longer and 60% having adopted it in the last three years.
Worldwide storage software revenue in Q2 2008
| Vendor | Q2 2008 Revenue | Q2 2008 Market Share | Q2 2007 Revenue | Q2 2007 Market Share | Growth, YTY |
| 1. EMC | $745 | 24.2% | $685 | 25.4% | 8.7% |
| 2. Symantec | $588 | 19.1% | $464 | 17.2% | 26.9% |
| 3. IBM | $409 | 13.3% | $364 | 13.5% | 12.3% |
| 4. NetApp | $239 | 7.8% | $215 | 8.0% | 11.3% |
| 5. Hewlett-Packard | $147 | 4.8% | $131 | 4.9% | 12.5% |
| 5. CA | $136 | 4.4% | $129 | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Others | $812 | 26.4% | $706 | 26.2% | 14.9% |
| All Vendors | $3,076 | 100.0% | $2,694 | 100.0% | 14.2% |
| Source: IDC | |||||