Type of Article: MacTech Blog

While it may be an election year often signaling uncertainty when it comes to shopping and spending, a new survey conducted by Kelton Global on behalf of savings destination RetailMeNot (www.retailmenot.com) reports that 61% of shoppers plan to spend more this holiday season than last. In fact, nearly one in three shoppers plan to spend at least $200 more.

LTE smartphones led to a bump in sales of RF power amplifiers in 2015 and the first half of 2016, according to Strategy Analytics (www.strategyanalytics.com) Over the next five years, highly integrated multiband PA modules that include switch and filter content similar to the PAs used today in the flagship Apple iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 will ship in increasing numbers into lower-tier smartphones.

The number of developers involved with development of mobile apps reached 12 million in 2016, according to Evans Data Corp’s (www.evansdata.com) “Global Development Population and Demographics Study.”

Worldwide shipments of 3D printers will reach 455,772 units in 2016, more than doubling the 219,168 units shipped in 2015, according to Gartner, Inc.’s latest forecast. Despite slowing growth rates after the market’s initial growth spurt, the increase in 3D printer shipments over the next four years will see the number of units shipped in 2020 total more than 6.7 million.

As technology improves and as prices fall, professional service robots are increasingly doing jobs formerly handled by human workers. Revenue from professional service robots reached $2.6 billion, with around 20,000 units shipped in 2015, according to a new report from IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com),which specializes in critical information, analytics and solutions.