“Although the specific predictions and the numbers differ, what is remarkable is that the numbers predicted for 2020 have been consistently extremely large over the years. The IoT market is experiencing explosive growth around the world and the numbers are still performing at what Gartner calls the “peak of inflated expectations” in its well-known “hype cycle” diagrams.

But how realistic are these massive numbers? Even the most conservative prediction – Gartner’s 20.8 billion connected things by 2020 – is predicated on a steady 30% annual growth. Cisco’s oft-reported 50 billion connected things is dependent on linking up “tires, roads, cars, supermarket shelves, and yes, even cattle” by 2020, according to the company’s blog. No one can know if either of these things will happen.”

Source: 50B IoT devices connected by 2020 – beyond the hype and into reality