Intel, IBM, Cisco, GE and AT&T get together to form the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), an effort to create engineering standards connecting industrial assets such as objects, sensors and large computing systems.

According to the announcements, the not-for-profit group "[is] focused on breaking down the barriers of technology silos to support better access to big data with improved integration of the physical and digital worlds." In other words, it aims to create standards for the so-called Internet of Things (IoT).

“We are at the precipice of a major technological shift at the intersection of the cyber and physical worlds, one with broad implications that will lead to substantial benefits, not just for any one organization, but for humanity,” Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS) director Janos Sztipanovits says. “Academia and industry understand the need to identify and establish new foundations, common frameworks and standards for the Industrial Internet, and are looking to the IIC to ensure that these efforts come together into a cohesive whole.”

Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona is the defining event for mobile video. For this year’s event, Fira de Barcelona deployed, in its Gran Via venue (an exhibition floor space of over 240,000 m2 gross), 1200 wi-fi access points, making one of the world's most powerful networks ever installed in an exhibition centre. This covered more than 85,000 delegates at the event.

In MWC mobile phones and high technology are the main attraction so wif-fi cover and internet connection are fundamental. To enable the connection and communication of thousands of mobiles, tablets, computers and gadgets active simultaneously during MWC, they required 1200 access points with 14 kilometres of fibre optics and 52 kilometres of internet cable. This massive cable and wi-fi network had a capacity of 10,000 Mbps (5000 upload and 5000 download). Read more...

Systemax Q4 2013 sales fall by -6.5% Y-o-Y to $874.5 million as "outstanding" Industrial Products group performance fails to offset consumer and overall technology business declines.

"Our Technology Products business had a mixed performance, with our B2B operations in both Europe and N. America showing improved revenue trends on a sequential quarter basis, while our consumer business delivered disappointing results as it continues to face a very competitive environment," CEO Richard Leeds says.

The distributor describes Q4 2013 Technology increase in Europe as "modest," but fails to give actual numbers. In N. America the company shuttered a number of "under-performing" brick-and-mortar retail outlets, but does not give an exact amount.

PC shipments see the steepest fall yet during 2013 according to IDC-- shipments are down by -9.8%, slightly better than projections of -10.1% but still suffering from competition from other devices and economic pressures.

One can see slight improvements in Q4 2013 shipments, but only due to short-term factors such XP replacements.

As a result IDC lowers 2014 growth projections by just over 2% to declines of -6%, and adjusts projections for the 2013-2018 period by 1%-- meaning long-term growth should remain below zero, with shipments below 300 million during the forecast period.

Depressing shipments further in a "dismal" 2013 are emerging markets (2013 volume down by -11.3%) due to slower economic growth, the culmination of some large projects, tablet/smartphone pressure and conservative expectations for factors such as touch and Windows XP migration.