Ericsson has rather dramatically slashed its forecast for the number of connected devices which will be in play in 2020, from its famous 50bn – one of the most quoted figures in the history of wireless – to 26bn. The reduction may reflect more sober assumptions as the internet of things (IoT) starts to evolve for real, or the almost inevitable fact that it will not explode as quickly as many forecasters have hoped – partly, according to one IBM executive, because there is no convincing IoT business model yet. Ericsson’s latest Mobility Report represents the first time the Swedish vendor has wavered from its 50bn prediction since it first made it in 2009, but it now claims that was…