Taiwan notebook ODMs see low order visibility for the first half of 2019, as the market is expected to continue to suffer from Intel's CPU shortages and uncertainties from the US-China trade war, according to industry sources.

Government-run Hsinchu Science Park (HSP), Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) and Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) generated revenues totaling NT$2,109.441 billion (US$68.43 billion) in January-October 2018, growing 5.57% on year, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

New-generation man-machine interaction in the post-smartphone era will be dominated by mobile + voice, with voice-control mobile devices to enjoy huge sales opportunities, according to Li Zhifei, founder and CEO of China AI startup Mobvoi.

The combined augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) headset market grew 9.4% on year in the third quarter of 2018, according to IDC. The VR headset market returned to growth in the third quarter of 2018 after four consecutive quarters of decline and now makes up 97% of the combined market.

China-based AI start-up Mobvoi has unveiled two smartwatches, TicWatch Pro and TicWatch C2, for sale in Taiwan at recommended retail prices of NT$7,790 (US$253) and NT$6,290 respectively.

Notebook makers are expected to raise the adoption of soft-package li-polymer battery modules to 80% of all their machines in 2019 from over 50% in 2018, in line with rising demand for thinner and lighter form factors, according to industry sources.

Global shipments of wearable devices reached 32 million units in the third quarter of 2018, up 21.7% from the previous year, according to IDC.

Asustek Computer has been appraised as the most valuable Taiwan-based global brand in 2018 for the sixth consecutive year, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

It is unrealistic to think that Southeast Asia can completely replace China as the world's manufacturing hub, but an ecosystem of manufacturers spread across different countries will be a more likely scenario in the future, according to Pegatron chairman TH Tung.

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) will set up its second factory site in Southeast Asia with volume production expected to begin in March or April 2019, according to company general manager Yang Lung Kuang.

Taiwan-based IC design houses expect to see a new wave of orders from downstream PC and notebook clients before the Lunar New Year holidays in early February at the earliest, as the tight supply of Intel's processors is expected to ease in the first quarter of 2019, according to industry sources.

Acer's virtual reality (VR) HMD subsidiary StarVR, following its recent delisting from Taiwan's emerging stock market, reportedly may disband or be sold.

Digital camera maker Ability Enterprise has announced investment of NT$140 million (US$4.5 million) to acquire a 100% stake in AndroVideo, an AI (artificial intelligence) camera developer.

The Asia Pacific PC market faces uncertainties in 2019 as Intel's CPU shortages and the US-China trade tensions will continue to affect demand, according to president of Acer Pan Asia Andrew Hou.

Metal chassis maker Waffer Technology has been building additional capacity for the production of automotive light metal components. In addition to its plants in Maanshan, China, which already began production in October, the company also expanded production at its plants in Kunshan, China, which have...

Gigabyte Technology may swing to net loss in the fourth quarter of 2018 as the company as a result of massive inventory losses, according to some market watchers.

Import tariffs introduced by the United States and China in September will see Chinese exporters bear approximately 75% of the costs, with the US extracting a net welfare gain of US$18.4 billion, according to new research from EconPol Europe.

With Apple and non-Apple notebook vendors keen to launch slim models, magnesium-lithium alloy is expected to become an increasingly popular material for notebook casings, according to Jonathan C Lin, chief operating officer at Amli Materials Technology, a Taiwan-based supplier of light metals.

Aided by the growing portion of gaming notebooks and new models in its product portfolios, Clevo saw its ASP (average selling price) for the third quarter of 2018 surge by 6% from a year earlier, and its operating profit rate for the quarter hit a six-quarter high of 3.7%, according to YL Chien, the...

After teaming up to set up an AI development platform in April 2018, Quanta Computer, Asustek Computer and Taiwan Mobile have joined forces with state-owned National Center for High-performance Computer (NCHPC) under the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs) to develop Taiwan's first indigenous...

PC vendor Clevo has announced it will retire 10 million shares of treasury stock to effectively downsize its paid-in capital by 1.47% to NT$6.698 billion (US$217 million) in February 2019 and buy back 10 million of its outstanding shares as teasury stock at a price interval of NT$20-38 per unit during...

Razer is bringing its second gaming smartphone, the Razer Phone 2, into Taiwan, its first market in Asia, with the availability to begin on November 17 at NT$25,990 (US$842).

Intel will scale down its processor shipments to the PC DIY distributor market by as many as two million units in the fourth quarter of 2018, which may lead to a 10-20% decline in the quarter's motherboard shipments by Taiwan makers, according to industry sources.

Asustek Computer has seen its shipments to the DIY sector and related motherboards affected by Intel's supply strategy for CPUs, with the prospects that the CPU shortages, particularly those for desktop PCs, will continue into the second quarter of 2019, according to company CEO Jerry Shen.

Taiwan ODM Quanta Computer has decided to relocate production of high-end products to Taiwan from China as part of its efforts to cushion possible impact from the US-China trade war, while also planning to set up an AI lab in its home country to develop related technologies and applications, according...