China’s tech star is rising rapidly. Global companies — and their savvy IT leaders — would do well to keep a close eye on the country’s technological transformation.
By Bill Marcus Computerworld|Jan 5, 2015 3:30 AM PT
China is on a technological roll these days — one that American companies ignore at their own peril. Contrary to outdated Western perceptions, 680 million Chinese have access to either a laptop or a mobile phone, and some 95% of homes in every city in China are now wired for the Internet, according to figures from the Chinese government.
In comparison, in 2013, 74.4% of all households in the U.S. reported having Internet access, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau (though that figure includes urban, suburban and rural households combined).
According to IDC’s predictions for 2015, China’s information and communication technology spending next year is projected to top $465 billion — double that of Japan, and more than half of what’s spent by American companies.