Dear Vibazoners,

November saw the end to the months of debate, discussion and excitement for the 2012 U.S. Presidential elections. The Democratic nominee, President Barack Obama, and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden were elected to a second term. The short term effect of this on the economy will be seen in the next few years.

On the Consumer Electronics front one interesting domain to look at is 3D printing - initially looked upon as a luxury or art project it is slowly becoming a necessity in sectors like industrial design and medical modeling. With advances in technology the 3D printing process and equipment have become more precise and cost-effective and at the same time the users are driving the growth in this sector by demanding innovative solutions to their problems. The Japanese electronics giants are still trying to catch up with Apple and Samsung in the smartphones segment - companies like Sharp going through a major restructuring process and companies like Sony are trying to enter the value chain from different angles - for ex. Supplying cameras to Apple iPhones.

U.S. came out on top for the eighth straight quarter when investors were asked which markets will offer the best opportunities over the next year. On the other side China is continuing to maintain and strengthen its dominance in the manufacturing sector - especially in consumer electronics. It is projected that by the end of 2012, a fifth of all computers in the world will be manufactured in Chengdu, the ancient Sichuan capital of western China. China too ushered in a new set of leaders this month and continuing its trend since 2 decades - China is boosting military spending by 11.2 percent this year, bringing official outlays on the People's Liberation Army to 670.3 billion Yuan ($100 billion) for 2012.

In Europe the debt crisis continues, with Eurozone finance ministers agreeing to release a long-delayed €34.4 billon aid payment to Athens. The global economic environment and the additional challenges faced by the Euro zone are effecting even economically strong nations like Germany - German unemployment climbed for an eighth straight month in November.

We wish all our readers Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and great holiday from the VibaZone team and we look forward your continued support.

Enjoy,
The Vibazone Team.

P.S. Thank you for signing up for VibaZone Newsletter! We are pleased to announce that we have given a facelift to our website VibaZone.com. We would like to invite you to sign up for a free 12 month trial for the VibaZone Platform using coupon code NSGENUNI2000.

December 2012

What's New for 2013 and Beyond

by Richard Chia

In preparation for this article, I briefly reviewed the opinions of others in terms of their outlook for new inventions, innovations and technology. Here are my humble opinion of what's hot and what's not.
Continue reading

Economic and Innovation World Review Report - November to December 2012

by Darmindra Kumar

It was thought that 3D printing would be just a passing fad where the novelty of being able to design a product and have it printed immediately would diminish after a while but advancement in 3D machining today definitely proves otherwise.
Continue reading

When to use what marketing research tools (Part 2 of 2)

by Richard Chia

In last month's issue, we created a fictitious product - a car that can fly, where you, as the management team or the entrepreneur, is tasked to advertise, promote and market this car globally.
Continue reading