How Many Things In The Internet of Things? 8.4 Billion, One Estimate Says

The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to gather steam. Research firm Gartner Inc. is forecasting that 8.4 billion connected things will be in use worldwide this year, up 31% from 2016, and will reach 20.4 billion by 2020. Total spending on endpoints and services will reach almost $2 trillion in 2017, the firm said. Regionally, Greater China, North America and Western Europe are driving the use of connected things and these regions together will account for about two thirds of the overall IoT installed base in 2017. While the consumer segment is the largest user of connected things, businesses are on pact to employ 3.1 billion connected things in 2017.