Type of Article: MacTech Blog

New data from Parks Associates (www.parksassociates.com) shows only 19% of consumers are very familiar with programs that offer tax rebates or other incentives in return for energy-efficiency initiatives such as home remodeling or home energy management.

The research also shows only 15% of U.S. broadband households are very familiar with time-of-use (TOU) programs, but 36% of U.S. broadband households would participate in a program where they receive a payment for not using energy during a specific time of the day.

Forty-two percent of organizations expect to increase spending on mobile app development by an average of 31% in 2016, according to a recent survey by Gartner, Inc. (www.gartner.com). Despite this, the average proportion of the overall application development budget allocated to mobile is only 10%, a 2% decrease from 2015, notes the research group.

A new study from Juniper Research (www.juniperresearch.com) has found that global digital advertising spend across mobile, wearable and online devices will exceed $285 billion by 2020, up from an estimated $160 billion in 2016. This will be driven by an average annual growth of 22% in mobile and wearable advertising spend, as brands and retailers continue to invest in mobile consumer engagement.

New research from Parks Associates (www.parksassociates.com) shows that consumers are steadily increasing their gaming activities on streaming media players, which includes form factors such as streaming sticks and boxes.

The research firm reveals that among U.S. broadband households with at least one Internet-connected device, 26% use their streaming media player as their primary device to access online video content. These households spend an average of 1.3 hours per week gaming on their streaming media players.

New data from IDC (www.idc.com) says that 3D printer shipments in the United States grew by almost 20% in 2015 compared to 2014. What’s more, total 3D printer shipments in the U.S. are expected to experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 16% through 2020.