Thursday, 29 May 2014

Sit back and relax

Google has been building self-driving cars for years, but what we've seen so far has always been retrofits of existing cars — until now. The search giant unveiled on Tuesday a fully autonomous self-driving car, built from the ground up by Google and its partners.

Google unveiled this self-driving car prototype Tuesday in California. The car doesn't have a steering wheel or pedals because, Google says, "it doesn't need them."

Company co-founder Sergey Brin revealed his plans at Recode's Code Conference in southern California. He told the media that there's a safety benefit in a custom-built self-driving car. Because the car doesn't have a steering wheel, accelerator or brakes, it has more sensors in strategic spots than is possible in a regular vehicle. It is also equipped with a big "stop" button. In addition, Google's autonomous car even includes internal power steering and power brakes.

As for when the cars (which are significantly smaller than traditional cars and include couch-like seating)—might actually make it to real highways, Google will soon test them with drivers and hope to see them on the roads "Within a couple of years.”

What do you think of Google’s latest creation? Could you trust a driverless car on the road? Would this ever realistically make it to market or is it another publicity stunt?

To stay up to date on the latest developments in the technology industry, The Industry Report Store has a fantastic range of market intelligence to provide your business with the tools to succeed. To browse our technology reports, click here.

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Friday, 2 May 2014

Why Is Cuba's Tourism Opening Up?

The historic handshake between Cuban leader Raul Castro and his US counter-part Barack Obama at Mandela’s funeral represented a shifting trend of openness between the two former foes. Within the past year Cuba’s travel & tourism attractiveness has drastically been enhanced by such events and is turning into a fashionable destination.

The budding US market

Timetric calculates that Cuba recorded a 33% increase in arrivals from the US in 2012. This is largely due to restrictions being lifted and great PR in the form of the hip-hop king and queen, Jay-Z and Beyonce, venturing to

Cuba

’s stunning shores for their wedding anniversary.

Built for the tourist trade

Even people who live in paradise have to work, and in Cuba they work in tourism. According to the latest figures, 10% of Cuba’s workforce is employed in its vital tourism industry.

Demonstrates why tourists are
flocking to Cuban shores

Such reliance has stimulated the government to open up and encourage capital investment across the sectors. One such example is the creation of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) around the port of Mariel. This will entice foreign business as it will allow companies to transfer their profits without paying taxes.

Airlines flying high

Cuba

’s infrastructure is developing with demand. In order to deal with the larger influx of tourists, Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Brazil in 2012 to develop and modernize airport infrastructure. This deal is great news for airlines and reflects a growing bond between the two nations.

Making more room at the inn

Foreign investment is fuelling ambitious resorts plans. Cuba and China are collaborating to build The Luxe Havana Hotel Complex Development project by 2016. It will cost US$117 million, of which 51% is funded by Chinese capital and 49% by Cuban.

With rewards of high employment rates and injections of foreign capital, Cuba is clearly opening up its borders to both tourists and international business. To make the most of the theses opportunities, Industry Report Store has provided you with the latest data and analysis for all of Cuba’s industries and tourists requirements, ranging from the airlines they use, to the cars they rent, to the hotels they stay in.

The reports go into granular detail to give you the ability to fully comprehend whether Cuba is the right direction for your business.

If you wish to know more about these reports, please click on the appropriate links below.

Travel Intermediaries

Hotels

Airlines

Car Rental

Timetric in association with Industry Report Store:

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Thursday, 24 April 2014

The Future Is in the Cloud

Competition is a wonderful thing. And the increased competition in cloud services – especially the intense battle among Amazon, Google, and Microsoft – is resulting in services and pricing that would have been hard to imagine just a few years ago.

The personal cloud business includes virtual storage services and data sharing. In the past couple of years, adoption has ballooned: the global number of personal storage accounts reached almost 1.25 billion at the end of 2013, racking up 60% annual growth since 2011.

For the past several years, it's become common to consider cloud services as an alternative to on-premises applications and internal data centers. But with the new levels of pricing, controls, and options, it's now getting to the point where most organizations can assume cloud first, and only use internal applications and datacenters when they have a compelling reason to do so, at least for new applications. We're moving from a world where cloud services are no longer just an option, but are instead becoming the default.

The Industry Report Store has a brand new report which examines the consumer cloud market from the telecom operator perspective, with an in-depth analysis of the personal cloud storage opportunity. The Personal Cloud: A Strategic Imperative for Operators presents an overview of the role of operators with a look at Orange's cloud services as well as the Personal cloud market trends, players, opportunities and positioning strategies for network operators.Contact us if you would like sample pages or if you want to enquire about any other reports in our library.

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Thursday, 10 April 2014

Mobile Operators Go after the Connected Car Opportunity

It was only last month that Apple announced it was launching its in-car, iPhone user interface – CarPlay, but it seems the competition is about to heat up with Microsoft’s unveiling of Windows in the car.

The software giant revealed its new platform for automotive last week at the annual Build conference in San Francisco.

Microsoft has been powering a variety of car entertainment systems over the years. The likes of Ford, BMW and Fiat have each made use of specialised versions of Windows to create their own interfaces and systems, but with Ford calling off its car connectivity relationship with Microsoft earlier this year; it appears the company’s focus has shifted toward a user interface of its own.

The platform, which in its current incarnation requires a windows phone device, seemingly bares much resemblance to that of Apple’s. As with CarPlay, the concept is to mirror what’s shown on your devices screen into a touch- and car-friendly interface.

Microsoft’s Windows in the car is still in its’ early days, with no firm release date being mentioned yet. Apple’s CarPlay on the other hand, is alleged to be rolled out into 215,000 cars this year!

CarPlay, which can only be used with the iPhone 5 and iPhone models thereafter, allows a Siri-voice activated interface to telephone contacts, make or return missed phone calls, play voicemails and text messages and, deliver text responses. “Apple Maps” will also be available within CarPlay’s interface, providing drivers with voice activiated navigation.

The first set of cars to boast Apple’s new interface are Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, who will be followed by Honda, Hyundai and Jaguar later this year.

More than 50% of North Americans purchasing automobiles in the next 12 months say that onboard technology options will play an important role in their buying decision. It’s no surprise then that Telematics is one of the fastest growing segments of the cellular machine-to-machine market, which itself will take a growing portion of all cellular subscriptions, increasing from 2.3% in 2012 to 6.8% in 2018.

The Industry Report Store has a brand new report which comprehensively covers this growing market, providing your business with all the tools necessary to thrive within it. Mobile Operators Go after the Connected Car Opportunity examines the cellular telematics value chain, analyzes the different business models and provides market forecast for the telematics industry globally. The report looks at the various market drivers and how they differ between regions and especially between emerging and developed markets; it also examines the main types of telematics applications, such as navigation, emergency services, diagnostics PAYD and PHY insurance, and stolen vehicle recovery.

Contact us if you would like any sample pages or if you want to enquire about any reports that we might have.

Sources: computerworld, theverge

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Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Popular Power Nuclear Alternative Energy Reports

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WindTurbine Rotor Blades– Global Market Size, Average Price, Competitive Landscape and Key CountryAnalysis to 2020

WindOperations & Maintenance Market, 2013 Update - Global Market Size, Share byComponent, Competitive Landscape and Key Country Analysis to 2020

CellulosicEthanol - GlobalProduction, Major Trends, Regulations, and Key Country Analysis to 2020

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Aldi ‘Swap & Save’ advert banned after Asda complaint

Aldi’s ‘Swap & Save’ campaign indicates that families can make significant cuts to the cost of their weekly shopping by moving away from costly brands and supermarkets. Unfortunately for Aldi, the campaign seems to have backfired. A complaint from Asda was upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The campaign claimed people could save £45 a week by shopping at Aldi instead of their regular supermarket.

Asda claim that the family in the advert did not buy the same items when shopping at the two different supermarkets. This meant the comparisons made in the advert are not accurate, while figures behind the claim of saving £45 are also debatable.

Aldi are disappointed by the ASA’s decision, stating the ‘Swap & Save’ adverts are based on the actual savings of shoppers and the overall advertising message remains true.

Aldi’s campaign may be banned but the supermarket giant remains committed to the ‘Swap & Save’ scheme. ‘We are confident that Aldi offers some of the best value and lowest prices in the UK, and that we do this every day as opposed to during promotional periods that you may find in other supermarkets.’

The Industry Report Store has a variety of reports about the retail industry, providing valuable analysis of current market situation and the potential opportunities available in the market. See below for some of our retail reports:

Global Hypermarkets, Supermarkets and Hard-Discounters Market Size and Forecast to 2017

The Future of Global Retailing to 2017

Global Cash and Carries and Warehouse clubs Market Size and Forecast to 2017

Global Convenience Stores (including Independents) and Gas Stations Market Size and Forecast to 2017

Global Duty Free Retailers Market Size and Forecast to 2017

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Thursday, 3 April 2014

More money than letters: The modern postal service

You could be forgiven for thinking that the fates of the global postal services were intertwined with that of the letter. But despite the apparent death of the ancient art of letter writing, postal operators are still very much alive; in fact they are flourishing.

Using some of the insight from Timetric’s latest report, I will be examining why postal services have been able to successfully venture into the realm of finance.

Touching the untouchables

Remote locations has been a strong
asset for opening up the market

The established networks of the postal services have acted as an efficient platform to provide financial services to isolated members of the public. Touchpoints in some of the most remote parts of their counties have meant that postal services have had unique opportunities to open up the market to previously unbanked rural populations.

Everybody wins

They have not just touched the geographically isolated, but also the socially vulnerable. Governments are supporting and pressing their postal operator to offer basic financial services to isolated social groups to combat poverty and inequality. By providing savings accounts, insurance, pension payment services, remittances services and loans products the postal services supply vital support. Their admirable business plan is both commercially and socially rewarding.

The perfect financial partnership

The glory of this unique achievement must, however, be shared with the postal operator’s important partnership with banks. These alliances have produced major reward for all parties involved due to their combined skills and assets. For example, the UK Post Office’s decision to team up with the likes of Barclays and Halifax has delivered impressive results.

A trusted brand

Their long tradition of providing reliable and cost effective services has meant that postal services have had high levels of consumer confidence. The instantly recognisable quality brand has ensured that postal operators carry the invaluable asset of consumer trust in an industry currently very short of it.

Communication’s ever increasing reliance on the internet has unquestionably diminished the post’s traditional revenue streams. Yet the postal services are reporting healthy profits, largely thanks to their financial enterprises.

Globally, in 2011, financial services accounted for 11.7% of postal operators’ total income. Timetric’s in-depth analysis forecasts this percentage to further increase significantly. The established networks, trust and banking partnerships have made the postal services across the world important organisations for both the financial industry and society as a whole.

If you want Timetric’s market leading insight and data about the financial services of post offices around the globe, then please click here.

Sources: