Shipments of large-size LCD panels (9-inch and above sizes) by Taiwan-based panel makers (excluding Foxconn's affiliate Sharp) are expected to slip 1.4% sequentially in the second quarter of 2018 after falling 4.3% in the first, according to Digitimes Research
Smartphone shipments in China fell 34% sequentially and 13.4% on year to below 90 million units in the first quarter of 2018, affected by reduced production during the Lunar New Year holidays, inventory clear-up at channels as well as slower sales of new iPhone devices, according to Digitimes Research
Taiwan's shipments of small- to medium-size LCD panels are expected to grow 8.6% sequentially in the second quarter of 2018, driven by increased panel demand from China-based smartphone vendors for production of entry-level and mid-tier smartphones, as well as orders from India for high-end feature phones, according to Digitimes Research
In the 5G era, choosing the communication standards is not a core issue, but players need to decide which application market segments should be given priority. None of the 5G technology deployments will come cheap, and competition in commercial 5G operations will be capital-intensive under the "X as a Service" business model
Shipments of LCD TVs by Taiwan's makers are expected to expand 5.15% on quarter to 6.94 million units in the second quarter of 2018 after they suffered the largest-ever sequential decline to 6.6 million units in the previous quarter, according to Digitimes Research. The sequential drop in the first quarter was due mainly to off-peak seasonal effects and high inventory levels at clients
Including exports, shipments of smartphones by China-based vendors totaled 141.1 million units in the first quarter of 2018, decreasing 1.2% from a year earlier, Digitimes Research estimates
The competition among wireless charging standards did not come to an end when Apple decided to choose Qi of the WPC (Wireless Power Consortium) for iPhone X and iPhone 8 devices in 2017. Instead, the move has pushed the member companies in the AFA (AirFuel Alliance) to exert efforts to develop magnetic resonance (MR) and other RF wireless charging solutions in order to win a new round of battle in the mid- and long-distance wireless charging segment, according to Digitimes Research
BEVs (battery electric vehicles) and PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) show significant performances in MPG (miles per gallon of gasoline) equivalent and energy savings
Apple plans to launch a new 5.85-inch OLED iPhone this year as an upgrade to the existing iPhone X, but the vendor has managed to reduce the new device's initial manufacturing bill of materials (MBOM) to a level much lower than that of its present flagship model, according Digitimes Research senior analyst Luke Lin
Worldwide top-5 notebook brands saw their combined shipments increase slightly from a month ago in February, led mainly by US-based vendors. As for the first two months of 2018 combined, the shipments were flat from the same period a year ago
With the notebook market entering the traditional slow season, the worldwide top-5 notebook brands saw their combined shipments drop for the second consecutive month in January 2018. However, compared to the same month a year ago, the shipments still grew 10.7%
