Solar Industry Update: New Projects In Arizona And Increased Activity In India

Analysts project solar photo voltaic market demand to grow at 33% per year from 2009–2012 to reach 17.2 gigawatts. During the current year, market demand is expected to grow to 13.5 GW in 2010 from 7.2 GW a year ago. Despite feed-in tariff cuts, growth in 2010 was fuelled by German demand. Germany saw PV market demand grow from nearly 4 GW to 7.2 GW. However, in the coming years, the market is expected to diversify globally as the German market declines. In 2011, the German market is expected to fall to 5.9 GW, expediting the need for solar players to expand globally. >>>

Online Travel Update

According to comScore, online spending on travel in the U.S. grew 9% in July, compared with 8% growth in June and 7% growth in May. Air travel spending in July grew 12% over the year, while hotel spending rose 5%. Air travel spending has grown due to an increase in airfares and reduction in capacity. Bureau of Transportation Statistics reveal that average domestic airfares rose 4.7% over the year in the first quarter of 2010 from a year earlier.

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Samsung And Motorola Help Android Beat iOS

According to research firm IDC, Android has leapt to the number three position in the operating system (OS) market with 16.3%, overtaking iOS with 14.7%. A number of smartphone vendors including HTC, Samsung and Motorola (NYSE:MOT) have launched many successful devices based on the Android OS and helped it to gain market share. Let’s take a closer look. >>>

Tablet Sales Could Double; ARM Needs To Watch Intel

ARM Holdings (NASDAQ:ARMH) recently reported strong third quarter results driven by demand for its processor-based chips. ARM licenses its processors for most smartphones and tablets, including the iPhone and iPad, as well as for televisions and electrical gadgets. It shipped about 1.5 billion chips, with 900 million for smartphones and tablets. Intel, the world’s largest chipmaker, which has been slow to enter the ARM-dominated smartphone and tablet market, is expected to release a chip aimed at tablets in early 2011. Let’s take a closer look.
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Interactive Media And Digital Content Sources Of Strength For Time Warner And Disney

A report by the Convergence Consulting Group found that in the past two years, over 800,000 U.S. households dropped their cable subscriptions, or as is known, “cut the cord.” Of these, a whopping 600,000 cords were cut last year. The report estimates that in the recent quarter more than 500,000 cable subscribers cut their connections. The competition for the cable TV companies continues to get stronger with the growing catalogue of online streaming players like Netflix and Hulu and new entrants like Google TV and Apple TV, now known as iIV, making it easier for users to view online content on their television sets.

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Despite Weak Outlook, Cisco Will Continue Hiring And Acquiring

Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) this week reported first quarter results that beat estimates, but its outlook missed estimates. Though it has been the norm for Cisco to provide a conservative outlook, this quarter the outlook is much grimmer and far short of analyst estimates. Despite the poor outlook, the company still expects to add jobs. Let’s take a closer look. >>>

Acquisitions And A Site Revamp As Holiday Season Approaches For Amazon, eBay

According to analysts, online sales in the U.S. for November and December will increase 16% over the year to $52 billion. In the same period, the National Retail Federation puts overall retail sales growth at a mere 2.3% to $447.1 billion, an indicator that e-commerce continues to steal brick-and-mortar store sale shares. This is obviously good news for e-tailers Amazon and eBay. >>>

Cognizant And Genpact Deliver As Outsourcing Again Takes Center Stage

It’s been a high-profile week for outsourcing: President Obama was in India to discuss, among other issues, bilateral trade, and his trip included a meeting with the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh. During the trip, Obama seemed to soften his stance on outsourcing, saying “Trade between our countries is not just a one-way street of American jobs and companies moving to India. It is a dynamic two-way relationship that is creating jobs, growth and higher standards in both our countries.” At the same time, many Indian industry leaders are upset that the United States is taking protectionist measures, such as raising visa fees. In the face of almost 10% unemployment in the United States, a negative perception of the outsourcing industry persists. But Indian outsourcing players are reporting strong results, and the trend is continuing with U.S.-based players as well. Obama should offer incentives for Indian outsourcers to expand their operations in America to help lower unemployment levels and leverage the pool of highly skilled engineers and other workers, because (and others have made the same point) Obama is right; outsourcing does benefit both countries.
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