Quantum computing, programming languages, Chromebook woes, and digital transformation: Tech research roundup

Let's start with our special feature on quantum computing, which is an area of emerging technology that's receiving a lot of attention. ZDNet Status Report suggests that being involved in the quantum computing industry right now doesn't necessarily make any organisation more competitive.

SEE: Status Report: Is quantum computing worth the leaps of faith?

IBM, meanwhile, announced a new 127-qubit processor called Eagle and previewed designs for IBM Quantum System Two, Big Blue's next-generation quantum system. By 2025, IBM is projecting that there will be frictionless quantum computing to enable a broad array of applications that will surpass classical computing.

SEE: IBM launches 127-qubit Eagle quantum processor, previews IBM Quantum System Two

JavaScript is now used by more than 16.4 million developers globally, says a survey of more than 19,000 coders - making it the world's most popular programming language "by a wide margin". SlashData's 21st State of the Developer Nation Report examined global software developer trends across 160 countries.

SEE: Top programming languages: Most popular and fastest growing choices for developers

Rust is another programming language that has been making waves. The open-source programming language is mostly used in embedded software and 'bare metal' development. Rust grew faster than any other language in the past 24 months, nearly tripling in size from just 0.4 million developers in Q3 2019 to 1.1 million in Q3 2021.

SEE: Top programming languages: Most popular and fastest growing choices for developers

PHP was once one of the most popular languages, but Tiobe's November 2021 list of the most popular languages puts PHP in 10th position. The language has fallen two places since last November. Today, it's overshadowed by Python, C, Visual Basic, and JavaScript. 

SEE: Programming languages: Why this former favourite is sliding down the rankings

According to Strategy Analytics, businesses in Q3 2021 spurred sales of premium PCs, while consumers were drawn to discounts on MacBook Air and gaming notebooks. Despite Chromebook growth stalling, the overall PC market grew a significant 8% year on year, while Dell stood out with a 50% year-on-year rise in sales. 

SEE: Chromebook sales weaken but MacBook sales hit new record

Tech analyst IDC also produced figures that suggest the Chromebook sales boom is over. IDC data shows that Chromebook shipments fell 29.8% in the third quarter compared to a year ago. In addition, tablet shipments fell 9.4%.

SEE: Chromebook shipments fall in Q3 as education market becomes saturated

Samsung's switch to Google's Wear OS instead of Tizen this year appears to have been a winning move, with Wear OS's marketshare skyrocketing in the past two quarters from just 4% in Q2 2021 to 17% in Q3 2021, according to new data from Counterpoint Research.

SEE: Samsung just narrowed the smartwatch gap on Apple Watch

According to Gartner, on average, 41% of employees outside of IT - or business technologists - customise or build data and technology solutions. Gartner predicts that half of all new low-code clients will come from business buyers that are outside of IT organisations by the end of 2025. 

SEE: Top 7 trends shaping digital transformation in 2022

Finally, 76% of nonprofits said they need to develop a data strategy for their organisation and those with a high digital maturity are 1.4x more likely to acknowledge this compared to those with low digital maturity.

SEE: A digital-first shift is changing how nonprofits operate