It’s been a tumultuous week for cleantech, kicking off with Tesla’s Model S sedan being declared Motor Trend’s Car of the Year, and wrapping up with our own Katie Fehrenbacher on stage at the VERGE Conference, debating whether clean tech (at least, as we know it) is actually dead. Meanwhile, over on GigaOM Pro, our expert analysts have been looking at the bigger picture: this week on GigaOM Pro, our analysts look at the implications of Obama’s re-election on the renewable energy market, the future of QR codes in the retail sector, and more.
Note: GigaOM Pro is a subscription-based research service offering in-depth, timely analysis of developing trends and technologies. Visit pro.gigaom.com to learn more about it.
Cleantech: The government’s impact on the renewable-energy industry, post-2012 election
Martin Piszczalski
Now that election day fervor has died down, it’s time to take a hard look at what Obama’s second term means for the cleantech industry. Pro analyst Martin Piszczalski focuses specifically on the renewable energy sector, which has benefitted from a series of tax credits and other federally-backed stimulus programs – and, as a consequence, will be heavily impacted by any changes or cuts to these programs. A number of these incentives and tax laws are set to expire over the next year – Piszczalski considers several scenarios for the wind, solar, geothermal, and other renewable energy industries.
Cloud: How the cloud is transforming India’s IT services
Laura Stuart
India has already established itself as a major outsourcing center, often drawing criticism for draining jobs from the US and Western European as call centers and other customer-facing tasks shifted to the subcontinent. Now, facing rising competition from the Philippines, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, India’s major IT firms are looking for a new edge, and are turning their attention to cloud services. Pro analyst Laura Stuart takes a look at India’s leading tech firms and their current cloud-based offerings for the enterprise market – and what these firms are doing to further advance their commitment to the cloud.
Connected Consumer: Are iPhone users getting the 5-year itch?
Mike Wolf
Pro analyst Mike Wolf takes a look at a recent consumer study about declining iPhone loyalties and reads between the lines: the smartphone market may be evolving away from an iOS-dominated world. Is Apple’s iconic mobile device finally getting boring?
Mobile: Why this holiday season is crucial for QR Codes
Colin Gibbs
According to Pro analyst Colin Gibbs, this holiday season is make or break time for QR codes. With ComScore data showing that an abysmally small fraction (less than 10%) of US consumers have scanned a QR code in a retail environment, this year may be the last opportunity for retailers and marketers to gain any traction around splashy QR-code based campaigns. With growing competition from other mobile marketing tools, such as NFC and augmented reality, can 2012 be the year that the QR code stole Christmas?
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