Europe is likely to see a surge in the use of companion devices in the next three years, with the total number of smartphones and tablets approaching one billion.
Data published by Idate in DigiWorld Yearbook 2013 shows that the total number of smartphones in Europe is set to increase from 421 million this year to 737 million in 2016.
At the same time, the number of tablets in use will more than double from 71 million to 185 million.
Worldwide, there will be 3.298 billion smartphones and 648 million tablets in use by 2016.
Idate points out that there are limitations to multiscreen, including territorial restrictions, number of devices (paid content usually limited to a certain number) and difficulty in having a seamless experience.
It also identifies the main obstacle facing multiscreen as not so much technical as related to the evolution of an entire business sector to an intangible economy.
