The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most talked about trends in tech and promises to connect a wide range of previously disparate devices in a revolutionary shift that will create massive opportunities for businesses and the public sector. IDC estimates that global IoT spending will reach $1.7 trillion in 2020, and a proliferation of wearable and smart technologies looks to spur a rapid increase in the amount of inter-device communication that will play a big role in the growth of Big Data. However, creating new sensors and machine to machine (M2M) communication is only part of the story.
Click through the slideshow below for a breakdown of the significance and trajectory of the IoT data boom, and how Verizon (VZ 0.90%), AT&T (T 1.10%), Microsoft (MSFT -1.27%), Amazon (AMZN -2.56%), and Cisco (CSCO 0.44%) are shaping what could be the next big thing in tech.
There's something big happening this Friday
I don't know about you, but I always pay attention when one of the best growth investors in the world gives me a stock tip. Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner (whose growth-stock newsletter was the best performing in the U.S. as reported by The Wall Street Journal)* and his brother, Motley Fool CEO Tom Gardner, are going to reveal their next stock recommendations this Friday. Together, they've tripled the stock market's return over the last 13 years. And while timing isn't everything, the history of Tom and David's stock picks shows that it pays to get in early on their ideas.
Click here to be among the first people to hear about David and Tom's newest stock recommendations.
*"Look Who's on Top Now" appeared in The Wall Street Journal in Aug. 2013, which references Hulbert's rankings of the best performing stock picking newsletters over a 5-year period from 2008-2013.
