Ruggedized PC vendors eyeing 7- to 8-inch tablet market

May 17, 16:09

As 7- to 8-inch displays are expected to become a new specification for ruggedized tablets in 2014, vendors, such as Taiwan-based Getac Technology and Japan-based Panasonic, are eyeing the market for such devices.

Synnex Technology reports profits for 1Q13

Stockwatch - May 17, 14:55

IT and consumer electronics products Synnex Technology International has reported consolidated revenues of NT$73.637 billion (US$2.47 billion), gross margin of 3.23%, net operating profit of NT$577 million, net profit of NT$1.043 billion and net EPS of NT$0.63 for first-quarter 2013.

Touch screen notebook shipments reach 4.57 million units in 1Q13, says Displaybank

May 17, 11:18

Total shipments of notebooks with touch screens were 4.57 million units in the first quarter of 2013, up 51.8% from a quarter earlier, according to Displaybank. The notebooks made up almost 10% of the overall notebook market, whose shipments posted 46 million units. Considering that the market is at...

PC shipments in Western Europe decline 20.5% in 1Q13, says Gartner

May 16, 14:08

PC shipments in Western Europe totaled 12.3 million units in the first quarter of 2013, a decline of 20.5% from the corresponding period of 2012, according to Gartner.

Samsung reportedly to supply panels for Microsoft 7.9-inch tablet

May 15, 22:18

Microsoft will reportedly release a 7.9-inch Surface tablet at the end of June featuring displays from Samsung Display, but LG Display (LGD) and Taiwan-based firms have yet to be included in the panel supplier list for the new device, according to industry sources.

BlackBerry to offer BBM on Android and iOS platforms

May 15, 22:16

BlackBerry plans to offer its messenger app, BBM, to competing platforms such as Google's Android and Apple's iOS.

Microsoft 2nd-generation Surface RT estimated price between US$249-299

May 15, 21:53

Microsoft is ready to announce its second-generation Surface RT tablet with an 8-inch display in June with an estimated price between US$249-299, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

New generation iPhone may adopt sapphire crystal glass for home button

May 15, 21:46

Market rumors that the new generation of Apple's iPhone may adopt sapphire crystal glass for the home button have been circulating and Taiwan-based sapphire substrate maker Tera Xtal has reportedly sent samples to Apple for verification. However, the firm refused to comment on the rumors.

Microsoft to launch 8-inch Surface in June, say Taiwan makers

May 15, 20:05

Microsoft will launch an 8-inch Surface tablet in June and a 10.x-inch model as early as the third quarter of 2013, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.

Notebook vendors pessimistic about 3Q13 outlook, say Taiwan makers

May 15, 16:05

Notebook vendors originally thought that Microsoft would launch Windows Blue in September 2013 and the new operating system could pair with Intel's Haswell platform, to be unveiled in early June, to boost global demand in the third quarter. But because Microsoft will launch Windows Blue in late 2013,...

Quanta Computer expects 2H13 notebook shipments to rise 50% from 1H13

May 14, 21:49

Quanta Computer expects its notebook shipments in the second half of 2013 to increase by 50% from the first half, company vice chairman CC Leung said at an investors conference on May 14.

Taiwan market: Home appliance makers expect decreased performances in 2013

May 14, 15:36

Home appliance makers in Taiwan expect their performances to improve on quarter in the second quarter of 2013 but decrease on year, according to market observers.

Taiwan market: Taiwan Mobile to launch own-brand tablet

May 14, 11:34

Taiwan Mobile (TWM) will launch myPad P4 Lite, an own-brand 7-inch tablet, for contract-bundled sale on May 15.

Computex 2013 expected to create US$25 billion in business opportunities

May 13, 16:27

Computex Taipei 2013, which will run from June 4-8, is expected to attract 40,000 international buyers and create business opportunities worth US$25 billion. The show will have about 1,700 exhibitors occupying 5,000 booths. Firms such as Intel, Microsoft, Acer, Asustek computer, Corning, Nvidia, Marvell,...

Wistron posts 1Q13 net EPS of NT$0.74

Stockwatch - May 13, 16:24

Wistron recorded net EPS of NT$0.74 for first-quarter 2013, according to the company. The Chinese-language newspaper Economic Daily News (EDN) reported that Sharp is negotiating sale of its LCD TV assembly factory in Malaysia with Wistron. In response, Wistron on May 13 clarified...

Haswell-based notebooks to arrive in channels at the end of May

May 13, 15:23

Notebook brand vendors' new Haswell-based products have mostly been shipped and are estimated to arrive in retail channels worldwide at the end of May; however, since the new models will have a higher price level than the existing ones, most brand vendors are still taking a cautious attitude about...

Acer, Asustek see large sequential decreases in April revenues

Stockwatch - May 13, 10:57

Acer has reported April consolidated revenues of NT$25.772 billion (US$868 million) down on month by 31.02%, while Asustek Computer saw revenues of NT$32.594 billion, down 22.11%, according to the companies.

Ability Enterprise expects sequential growth in 2Q13 ASP, gross margin

May 13, 10:46

Taiwan-based digital camera ODM Ability Enterprise expects shipments in the second quarter of 2013 to be flat from the preceding quarter but ASP and gross margin to increase significantly, according to the company.

Foxconn, Pegatron April revenues up sequentially

May 13, 10:43

Taiwan-based EMS provider Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) saw April consolidated revenues of NT$291.759 billion (US$9.82 billion) increasing on month by 12.05%, while Pegatron Technology reported revenues of NT$65.404 billion up 1.27%, according to the companies.

Quanta Computer sees significant decrease in April notebook shipments

May 13, 10:39

Taiwan-based ODM Quanta Computer shipped 2.9 million notebooks in April, slipping 17.1% on month, according to the company.

Taiwan market: Mitac launches motorcycle on-board camcorder Mio MiVue M300

May 10, 16:09

Mitac International has launched Mio MiVue M300, an own-brand on-board motorcycle camcorder capable of recording at 1080p, 120-degree wide angle and 5-megapixel for the Taiwan market at a recommended retail price of NT$7,990 (US$270).

Nokia introduces Asha 501

May 10, 15:59

Nokia has unveiled the first of a new Asha family of smartphones, the Asha 501, targeting the sub-US$100 budget smartphone segment in emerging markets, including India, Latin America and Africa.

Tsann Kuen, E-Life Mall April revenues up on month

May 10, 15:43

Tsann Kuen and E-Life Mall, two IT, communication device and consumer electronics retail chains in Taiwan, had April consolidated revenues of NT$2.171 billion (US$73.1 million) and NT$1.151 billion increasing on month by 29.84% and 20.64% respectively, according to the companies.

Pegatron to expand workforce by 40% in 2H12

May 10, 12:19

Pegatron Technology CEO Jason Cheng, at the company's recent investors meeting, said that the company will start expanding its production workforce in mid-June with the worker number to grow from 100,000 currently to 130,000-140,000, a growth of 40%.

Total projector volume reaches 1.95 million units in 1Q13, says PMA Research

May 10, 11:44

Total projector volume in the worldwide projector market reached 1.95 million units in the first quarter of 2013, down slightly from 2.07 million units in the same quarter of 2012. The figures exclude projector modules embedded in host devices such as handsets, camcorders, and heads-up displays, according...

Smart mobile device shipments exceed 300 million in 1Q13, says Canalys

May 10, 10:51

Total smart mobile device (notebook, tablet and smartphone) shipments for first-quarter 2013 hit 308.7 million units, according to Canalys' latest worldwide estimates. This represents on-year growth of 37.4%. In terms of OS vendors, the Open Handset Alliance continued to dominate, with Android the...

Global notebook shipments to increase significantly in 2H13, says Compal chairman

May 9, 20:12

While global notebook sales have so far been stagnant, shipments in the second half of 2013 are expected to see large growth from the first half mainly due to the launch of new models and promotions by Intel and Microsoft, chairman Ray Chen for Compal Electronics said at a May 9 investors conference...

Smartphone brands to introduce new flagship products in 3Q13

May 9, 15:20

Smartphone brands such as HTC, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics all plan to introduce new flagship models in the third quarter of 2013 in order to take on the forthcoming new iPhone scheduled to be released in the second half of the year, according to industry sources.

Pegatron sees profit growth in 1Q13

May 9, 14:07

Pegatron Technology has announced its first-quarter 2013 results with consolidated revenues reaching NT$217.6 billion (US$7.39 billion), consolidated net profits NT$3.45 billion and EPS NT$1.01, up significantly from the NT$0.57 of a year ago.

Digitimes Research: Global tablet shipments in 1Q13 down sequentially, up on year

May 9, 11:44

There were 31.93 million tablets shipped globally during the first quarter of 2013, decreasing on quarter by 26.1% but increasing on year by 66.1%, according to figures collected by Digitimes Research.

China market: Rising popularity of tablets with 3G functionality to benefit MediaTek, Qualcomm

May 9, 10:46

Demand for 7-8-inch white-box tablets with built-in 3G functionality in China has been increasing, a trend which is likely to benefit MediaTek and Qualcomm, according to industry sources.

PC industry expected to return to a 4:6 shipment ratio for 1H13 and 2H13

May 8, 21:43

The PC industry is expected to return to a shipment ratio of 4:6 for the first and second halves of 2013, Acer president Jim Wong said at the company's investor conference on May 8.

DRAM shortages to impact PC players in 2Q13

May 8, 21:10

DRAM shortages, which started in early 2013, have become worse recently and may impact PC brand vendors' performances in the second quarter, according to sources from PC players.

Demand for SSDs in PCs to boom through 2017, says IHS

May 8, 16:01

Global shipments of solid state drives (SSD) in PCs are set to rise by a factor of seven by 2017, allowing them to claim more than one-third of the market for PC storage solutions by that time, IHS iSuppli said in its new report.

Taiwan market: Channels begin to clear old models before launch of Haswell

May 8, 14:58

As Intel will unveil Haswell in early June, retail channels in the Taiwan market have begun to clear notebooks and desktops by lowering prices by 10% on average, while some models enjoying discounts of 20-30%, according to sources from channel retailers.

Taiwan market: HP sets up classroom of the future

May 8, 12:35

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has cooperated with Lih Jen International Private Elementary and Middle School in Taipei to establish a classroom of the future at the school.

Synnex Technology April revenues down on month, up on year

May 8, 11:05

IT and consumer electronics channel distributor Synnex Technology International has reported consolidated revenues of NT$26.49 billion (US$892 million) for April, decreasing 2.7% sequentially but increasing 10.8% on year.

Price gap between touch and non-touch notebooks may drop below US$50 in 3Q13

May 7, 11:59

As Acer and Asustek Computer are both aggressively promoting touchscreen notebooks, sources from channel retailers expect the price gap between touchscreen and non-touchscreen notebooks to have a chance to drop below US$50 in the third quarter, down from US$50-100 currently.

Touchscreen models to account for 50% of Acer notebook shipments in 2014

May 6, 22:38

Acer is set to raise the shipment proportion of its touchscreen notebooks from 12% of the total volume in the first quarter to 50% by 2014 and 70% by 2015, according to Acer vice president Scott Lin.

Acer unveils new ultrabooks, notebooks and tablet

May 6, 14:49

At a press event held in New York, Acer has unveiled its latest mobile products including the Aspire R7, a 15.6-inch notebook; Aspire P3 ultrabook; Iconia A1 7.9-inch tablet; and updated Aspire V5 series notebooks and new Aspire V7 ultrabooks.

Sony PS4 may not achieve expected shipments in 2013

May 6, 14:18

Sony's PlayStation (PS) 4 may have trouble achieving shipments of 12-16 million units in 2013 as expected, as the related upstream supply chain has not yet received any shipment instructions from the Japan-based vendor, implying a possible delay in the game console's mass shipment schedule, according...

Acer chairman expects 5% on-year growth in 2Q13 notebook shipments

May 6, 14:01

During a recent product launch event in New York, Acer chairman JT Wang said the company has a good chance of seeing a 5% on-year revenue growth in the second quarter.

Digitimes Research: Global top-5 notebook brands see over 20% shipment drop in April

May 6, 11:38

Global top-5 notebook brands together suffered a more than 20% on-month shipment drop in April, while top-3 ODMs together had a drop of 14% due to most brand vendors having started to prepare for their next-generation models and some had excess inventory from March, according to Digitimes Research's...

Taiwan April CPI goes up, says DGBAS

May 6, 11:10

Taiwan's April 2013 consumer price index (CPI) of 102.04 (2011 as base year) increased by 0.6% on month and by 1.04% on year, while the corresponding wholesale price index (WPI) of 96.76% slipped by 0.66% on month and by 3.69% on year, according to the Directorate-General Budget, Accounting and Statistics...

Altek expects 30% sequential growth in 2Q13 revenues

May 6, 10:48

Taiwan-based digital camera ODM Altek, having seen first-quarter 2013 consolidated revenues drop 18.83% sequentially to NT$4.014 billion (US$134 million), expects consolidated revenues for the second quarter to increase 30% mainly because of shipments of new models to Nikon, Fujifilm and Pentax, according...

Taiwan market: Projector shipments down in 1Q13, says IDC

May 3, 16:04

There were 19,452 projectors shipped in the Taiwan market during the first quarter of 2013, decreasing 20.9% on quarter and 24.4% on year, according to IDC Taiwan.

Taiwan market: Sony to launch 3 Cyber-shot digital cameras

May 3, 16:00

Sony Taiwan on May 2 unveiled three Cyber-shot series digital camera models, the HX50V for launch in the Taiwan market in mid-June, and the WX300 and TX30 launching in mid-May.

Micron intros new PCIe SSD for data centers

May 3, 11:22

Micron Technology has announced a new PCIe enterprise solid state drive (SSD) which it claims will improve overall performance in enterprise servers, appliances and storage platforms.