8-26: 1H16 China top 20 smartphone vendors sales; Global tablet shipments will bounce back 16.3% sequentially to reach nearly 47 million units in 3Q16; etc.
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Chipset |
| The production value of PCB products rolled out by Taiwan-based makers in China and Taiwan is expected to grow 8.8% sequentially to NTD144.2 billion (USD4.54 billion) in 3Q16, according to the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) of Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). (Digitimes, press, China Times) |
| UMC Japan chairman indicates that semiconductor industry in Japan has reached bottom, and chances of improving are emerging. He expects in 5 years Japan semiconductor industry would see some improvement. He believes that Japan’s industrial and automotive semiconductor are strong, in particular automotive’s would see 5%~10% growth. (TechNews, China Times, CEB2B) |
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Touch Display |
| Innolux chairman Wang Jyh-chau and AU Optronics (AUO) chairman Paul Peng have called for government help for local LCD panel makers to raise funds needed to maintain international competitiveness. (Digitimes, press, Asia Nikkei, Toutiao)
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| AUO demonstrates 3.8” AMOLED display with high pixel density of 423 PPI. A set of two displays are designed together to offer a high 2K resolution (2160×1200) for both eyes. (OLED-Info, Meko, Sohu)
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Memory |
| A successor to the GDDR5 memory used in most GPUs—called GDDR6—will be on its way by 2018, according to a presentation by Samsung executive Jin Kim. GDDR6 will provide throughput of around 14Gbps. (CN Beta, PC World, Digital Arts Online, eTekNix)
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| As mobile DRAM is in tight supply, Apple has already started pulling in from and increasingLPDDR4 orders to Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron and other suppliers few months ago. However, as SK Hynix 21nm has yet to passed Apple’s validation after few samples trials, Apple might shift orders to the other 2 suppliers, with Micron beneficial the most. (TechNews, FM5) |
| Intel is announcing a variety of new SSDs with their 3D NAND flash memory. The new models use a mix of 3D MLC and 3D TLC, some SATA and some PCIe, and variously target the consumer, business, embedded and data center markets. (Digital Trends, AnandTech, article, Dostor)
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Biometrics |
| Apple’s new patent application covering “Biometric capture for unauthorized user identification” details the simple idea of using an iPhone or iPad’s Touch ID module, camera and other sensors to capture and store information about a potential thief. (Apple Insider, USPTO, Tencent, 163)
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Battery |
| Carnegie Mellon University are actively developing a biodegradable battery that could be ingested and used to power controlled-release medicine dispensers or monitoring devices with “previously impossible” precision and safety. (CN Beta, TechSpot, Bloomberg, Mass Device)
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| Dyson intends to spend USD1.4 billion in R&D and in building a battery factory over the next 5 years. 2015 Dyson bought Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Sakti3, which focuses on creating advanced solid-state batteries, for USD90 million. The global lithium-ion battery market accounts for USD40 billion in annual sale. (Digital Trends, Forbes, Engadget[cn], MediaCH, iFeng) |
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Connectivity |
| Google Fiber started back in 2012 with an ambition to have 5 million subscribers by the time it was 5 years old. However, by the end of 2014, the number of subscribers was as low 200,000. Alphabet CEO Larry Page has reportedly contacted Fiber head Craig Barratt to advise that Barratt would have to free up half of his staff for other projects. (Android Headlines, Engadget, The Information, Recode) |
| The telecoms equipment manufacturer Bulat, founded by the shareholders of Rostec and Rostelecom, is reportedly in negotiations with Huawei and Lenovo to begin manufacturing the technology necessary to implement Russia’s new anti-terrorist legislation. (CN Beta, The Moscow Times, EDESKNews, 4-Traders) |
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Smartphones |
| According to Sino, smartphone sale in China has reached 250 million units in 1H16. Huawei leads the market with 43,779,772 smartphones sold in China in 1H16. It is followed by OPPO (29,024,172), Apple (27,661,172), vivo (25,551,791) and Xiaomi. (Android Headlines, TechWeb, Qianzhan, Anzhuo)
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| ZTE reported for 1H16 an overall operating revenue increase of 4.05% up to CNY47.76 billion. Out of that CNY27.8 billion, or about 58% is domestic revenue and CNY19.95 billion comes from international business. The profits has risen 9.3% to CNY1.8 billion. The company reported a massive investment of 15% of its total revenue in R&D. (GSM Arena, Android Headlines, Sina) |
| Apple is reportedly developing a new video-editing and sharing application. (Engadget, Bloomberg, Phone Arena, The Verge, K618, Sina) |
| Uber has lost USD1.27 billion in 1H16, mainly stem from the massive amounts of subsidies the company gives to its drivers. (The Verge, Bloomberg, CN Beta) |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is announced – 5.5” FHD IPS LCD display, MediaTek Helio X20 MT6797 processor, 13MP PDAF + 5MP cameras, 2GB RAM + 16GB storage / 3GB RAM + 64GB storage, Android 6.0 ( MIUI 8.0), LTE, dual-SIM, fingerprint sensor, 4100mAh battery, from CNY899. (CN Beta, GSM Arena, Xiaomi)
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| Sharp Z2 is launched in Taiwan – 5.5” FHD LTPS display, MediaTek Helio X20 MT6797 processor, 16MP PDAF + 8MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, Android 6.0, LTE, fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C, 3000mAh battery, NTD8990. (CN Beta, GSM Dome, The Gadgets Freak, Phone Radar)
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Tablets |
| Global tablet shipments will bounce back 16.3% sequentially to reach nearly 47 million units in 3Q16, but the volume will still be down over 10% compared to 3Q15, showing the market is still in no condition of recovering, according to Digitimes Research. (Digitimes, press, Apple Insider, CN Beta)
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Wearables |
| According to UBM Game Network, 49% of developers are working on software for the HTC Vive, while only 43% were working on the Oculus Rift and 34% on the Samsung Gear VR. (TechNews, Oigel, HardOCP, TechTimes, Gamasutra, report)
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| Garmin Fenix Chronos smartwatch is unveiled – 1.2” Chroma display, 3-axis compass, altimeter and barometer, GPS / GLONASS, waterproof up to 100m, HR sensor, battery life extends to 25 hours, up to about USD900. (GSM Arena, Android Authority, CN Beta, Garmin)
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Internet of Things |
| Singapore has become the first country in the world with a fully autonomous ride-sharing service offered to the public with nuTonomy, formed spun-out from MIT. (CN Beta, Motor Authority, Autoblog)
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| Octobot from Harvard is the first that not only contains no hard parts but is also entirely autonomous. The robot is mostly 3D printed, and afterwards its body is inlaid with channels that both power and govern its movement. That movement is pneumatic, powered by gas derived from hydrogen peroxide, the robot’s fuel. (CN Beta, TechCrunch, Nature, Harvard)
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