Commentary: PV demand picking up, but Europe firms still struggling

Feb 10, 11:18

The solar market rebounded slightly before the Lunar New Year holidays. Many firms in the Greater China region experienced increasing capacity utilization rates due to urgent orders...

Commentary: Strong smartphone competition a blessing in disguise for feature phones

Feb 4, 10:45

The global market for feature phones has continued to dwindle recently, since most branded handset vendors have shifted their focuses to the development of smartphones on the back...

Commentary: Large-size TVs, big opportunities

Jan 19, 16:41

The LCD TV market went through severe price competition in 2011 with products such as 42-inch CCFL-backlit TVs costing only US$199/unit. Industry sources believe this price is close...

Commentary: A dance of numbers and policies for the solar market in 2012

Jan 12, 14:45

Germany surprised everyone with December solar installations reaching 3GW. This means the 2011 total installations in Germany market hit 7.5GW, surpassing 7.4GW in 2010 and becoming...

Commentary: Could automation solve labor issues for Foxconn?

Jan 10, 14:52

China has always given the impression of having a large and cheap labor force. But as the country's population structure and social values are starting to change, Foxconn Electronics...

Commentary: Antitrust lawsuits dragging AUO to a watershed

Dec 9, 15:05

AU Optronics (AUO) has been taking a stand unlike other Taiwan-based rivals toward antitrust lawsuits lodged by related concerns including the US Department of Justice, the EU Commission...

Commentary: HTC faced with more pressure on product competition than patent litigation

Nov 29, 17:08

While HTC has been facing a double whammy in patent infringement lawsuits and a dwindling of its product competitiveness, sources in the handset industry believe that the pressure...

Commentary: Taiwan solar industry needs government support

Oct 24, 15:56

After a wave of bankruptcies declared by US-based solar firms in third-quarter 2011, some Europe-based solar firms have also been reportedly facing difficulties obtaining funding...

Commentary: LED lighting moving towards patent-dominated market

Oct 24, 12:05

The big LED lighting pie has been attracting many firms to enter the market, heating up competition between traditional and new firms. Fierce competition can lead to patent wars as...

Commentary: Apple being dragged into US-China trade war

Oct 21, 15:03

Since January 2011, three events have occurred in China which have led some upstream component suppliers to believe there is a conspiracy by the China government to try to suppress...

Commentary: CIGS firms face tough competition

Aug 2, 15:48

Price competition among polysilicon solar cells have been causing the price for copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells to decrease as well. As governments in...

Commentary: Panel market in China likely to face oversupply concerns in 2013

Jul 15, 15:24

Rumors in China indicate LG Display will begin construction of a panel plant in Guangzhou, China, with mass production likely to begin in 2013.

Commentary: HTC acquisition of graphics and 3D patents has limited effect to counter Apple patent lawsuits

Jul 7, 17:04

HTC has stated that its decision to acquire S3 Graphics from its associate company VIA Technologies is aimed at strengthening its patent profiles related to graphics and 3D technology,...

Commentary: Tablet PCs at a crossroads

Jun 3, 16:07

While tablet PC is not a new product, it has begun to change the global view toward the computer industry. It is a device combining wireless communications, software and hardware...

Commentary: HDD market consolidates as players keep their eyes on the cloud

Jun 3, 15:51

The year 2011 has been a volatile one for the hard drive disk (HDD) industry. With Western Digital having bought Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) for US$4.3 billion and...

Commentary: Slow is better than fast for the TV industry

Jun 1, 16:52

The price for TV panels has been increasing recently and hopefully it will enhance the performance of large-size panel makers. The downward trend of the price for panels has been...

Commentary: Taiwan's economic growth and structural unemployment

May 30, 10:41

The Institute of Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland recently published the World Competitiveness Yearbook ranking Taiwan's competitiveness at 6th place, improving two spots...

Commentary: Taiwan solar firms should use advanced technology to face aggressive capacity expansion by China competitors

May 26, 12:06

Despite the downturn of the solar market, China-based solar firms have been continuing expanding capacity with the help of local governments and state-owned enterprises. The total...

Commentary: 2011 is the year of fierce competition for LED firms as gross margins contract

May 2, 11:41

The inception of LED into various TV models took the market for a rollercoaster ride in 2010. On one hand, the market grew by leaps and bounds bringing outstanding profits for LED...

Commentary: Energy policies face showdown between ideals and reality

Apr 27, 16:33

The energy policies proposed by Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in Taiwan aim to provide stable energy while encouraging multiple energy sources. Future energy policies should...

Commentary: Governments should face up to high pollution of poly-Si production

Apr 14, 15:19

In 2008 the Washington Post ran a report about serious pollution caused by silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) discharged from a polysilicon (poly-Si) plant in Henan Province,...

Commentary: Cloud-computing platform for innovative corporate services

Apr 12, 11:04

Cloud computing has attracted great attention from the government and the private sector. With Taiwan being a critical hardware production base in the global cloud computing industry,...

Commentary: TI triggers new competition in analog IC market

Apr 7, 11:00

After dedicating its own 12-inch wafer fab to the production of analog ICs, TI has taken over National Semiconductor (NS), with the aim of boosting its share in the global market...

Commentary: MediaTek takes up Ralink to strengthen Wi-Fi solution capability

Mar 17, 14:13

It had been widely known that Ralink Technology was thinking to sell off its company before March 17's announcement of a MediaTek-Ralink merger. But it still comes as a surprise to...

Commentary: iPad 2 launch could mean less business for Taiwan-based IC design houses

Mar 4, 16:36

The launch of the highly expected iPad 2 indeed serves as a major boost to the share prices of Apple-concept issues but certainly not for those outside the Apple camp, especially...

Commentary: Broadcom-Ralink merger rumors reflect history of relentless consolidation of Taiwan wireless industry

Jan 14, 16:12

News of Ralink being targeted for acquisition has never stopped ever since the company's preparation to go public to its being actually listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE)....

Commentary: Consumers prefer high-end smartphones, vendors slow efforts in entry-level segment

Jan 12, 15:19

Despite international smartphone vendors actively developing the entry-level segment, judging by current market conditions, consumers continue to be more receptive to functionally...