Apple Pay and Android Pay - launched in Japan market in October and December 2016 respectively - are expected to hike consumers' willingness to use mobile e-payment services, as the iPhone has a high share of the smartphone market, and for the latter, HCE (host card emulation)-F software architecture has been adopted for Android devices

There is gradual awareness in the market that augmented reality (AR) glasses do have the potential to replace smartphones, as Microsoft's HoloLens AR glasses inventor Alex Kipman has claimed the smartphone is already dead, and Oculus chief scientist Michael Abrash has forecast AR glasses will replace smartphones within the next five years

Global demand for large-size public display and digital signage products is set to grow steadily in years to come, fueled by the rise of new human-machine interaction and retail models, as well as by the push to establish smart cities by various governments, according to Digitimes Research

For the four types of high-speed fixed-line services - FTTH, FTTB+LAN, HFC (hybrid fiber coaxial) and xDSL - currently available in Korea, the number of FTTH service subscribers increased by 46.1% during the period from January 2013 to June 2017. In comparison, those for FTTB+LAN service rose 19.6%, while the subscribers to HFC and xDSL services both actually went down during the same period. Since the FTTH service has been enjoying a higher growth rate, the technology is likely to become mainstream fixed-line broadband service in Korea by 2020, according to Digitimes Research

Combined revenues of Taiwan's top-3 foundries - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), United Microelectronics (UMC) and Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) - are estimated at US$9.61 billion in the third quarter of 2017, up 13.3% sequentially but down 0.1% on year, according to Digitimes Research

LiDAR sensors, whose use had been previously limited to surveillance in tunnels and at factories due to prohibitive pricing, will see growing adoption for self-driving, drone and home-use robotic applications, as vendors have been developing solid-state LiDAR sensors of smaller sizes at lower production cost

Major players in the augmented reality (AR) industry have slowed down the development of consumer-end products, and instead have shifted their strategies to focus on developing AR platform products, according to Digitimes Research

Smartphone shipments in the China market stayed flat on quarter but fell 11.8% on year to 94.1 million units in the second quarter of 2017, accounting for 28.9% of total global smartphone shipments, according to Digitimes Research

With inventory preparation for back-to-school demand reaching an end in June, first-tier notebook vendors' shipments slowed down in July with the top-5 brands' combined shipments dropping 31% on month and top-3 ODMs' combined volumes down 22%

With inventory preparation for back-to-school demand reaching an end in June, first-tier notebook vendors' shipments slowed down in July with the top-5 brands' combined shipments dropping 31% on month and top-3 ODMs' combined volumes down 22%

As automakers generally expect LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensor prices to be below US$1,000, suppliers tend to reduce the number of laser beams and mechanical components in their LiDAR sensors to lower production cost, and consequently, 16-line (16 laser beams) and below sensor models will see intense competition for adoption by automakers, according to Digitimes Research

The decision by Foxconn Electronics to invest US$10 billion in the US, which will include the establishment of a 10.5G TFT-LCD panel plant in Wisconsin in the initial stage, will help the company move closer to its clients and accelerate its corporate transformation, according to Digitimes Research