10-22: China’s most successful manufacturers have shifted away from cheap me-too models; Microsoft reportedly discontinues Band products; etc.
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Chipset |
| Synopsys announced the successful tape-out of multiple customer test chips with DesignWare Logic Libraries and Embedded Memories for TSMC’s 7nm FinFET process. (TMCNet, Yahoo, iTer News, TechNews, China Times, Sohu) |
| TSMC has reported a new company high in net profit for 3Q16, on the back of solid demand for communication, computer and consume r/industrial electronic devices. In 3Q16, TSMC recorded NTD96.76B (USD3.05B) in net profit (approximately NTD1B a day), up 33.4% on quarter and also up 28.4% on year. (Toutiao, Sohu, Business Insider, Focus Taiwan, OfWeek)
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| TSMC Chairman Morris Chang indicates that Intel is not originally a professional wafer manufacturer, and thus entering wafer market for Intel is just a trial, and they would find it challenging. (Apple Daily, TechNews)
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| C-Sky, ZXIC and Alibaba’s YunOS announced collaboration to develop an NB-IoT chipset solution based on CK-802 MCU processor, as well as pushing the development of YunOS ecosystem. (EE Trend, Laoyaoba)
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Touch Display |
| Flat-panel display (FPD) equipment spending will rise 89%, hitting USD12.9B in 2016, according to IHS Markit. Increased spending levels will continue, reaching USD13B in 2017, then declining slightly to USD11.8B in 2018. China will surpass long-dominant South Korea in capacity share by 2Q17, according to Charles Annis, senior director at IHS Markit. (IHS Markit, press, Digitimes, ZOL)
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Sensory |
| Knowles, Goertek and AAC ranked as the top 3 global suppliers of packaged MEMS microphones for 2015, according to IHS Markit. Goertek MEMS microphone units grew by an impressive 104% CAGR between 2011 and 2015, thanks in large part to its design wins in Apple. (IHS Markit, press, Digitimes, ASMAG)
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| University of California, San Diego has created a smart wearable temporary tattoo, capable of sending information to smartphone about wearer’s possible level of inebriation. The wearable sensor uses a technique called iontophoresis to induce perspiration on the skin underneath the patch. (Digital Trends, ACS, Sohu, iFeng)
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Connectivity |
| AT&T has reportedly agreed to spend USD85B to buy Time Warner. If the deal is made and closes, AT&T gets control of the iconic Warner Brothers movie studio and cable networks CNN and HBO. (Android Headlines, Phone Arena, Reuters, Tencent, 163) |
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Smartphones |
| Apple iPhone 7 was only available for the final 2 weeks of 3Q16, but it accounted for 43% of Apple’s U.S. iPhone sales in 3Q16—iPhone 7 at 31% and iPhone 7 Plus at 12%, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners reported. (CIRP press, Investors, Fortune, Apple Insider, TechWeb, Sina)
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| Over the past couple of years, China’s top smartphone makers have become 7 of the biggest 10, and that is not just a function of Chinese consumers’ loyalty to local brands. The country’s most successful manufacturers have shifted away from cheap me-too models to compete more seriously for the high end of the market. Huawei, OPPO, and vivo all make phones that stack up well against most iPhones and Galaxies, and together they ship 40% of the world’s phones in the ≥USD500 category that Apple and Samsung dominate. (CN Beta, Bloomberg, article)
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| According to investment firm Cowen and Company, Apple’s average phone selling price (ASP) for its fiscal 4Q16 will climb to USD606 solely based on the strength of less than 3 weeks of iPhone 7 family sales. Analyst Timothy Arcuri believes that revenue will hit USD47.8B. (Phone Arena, Apple Insider, China Mac)
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| LG reportedly will not offer modular accessories for the upcoming G6 smartphone as it did with G5 in 2016. (CN Beta, Android Authority, ET News) |
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Wearables |
| Given the global e-commerce and m-commerce market is currently around USD1T, and is expected to rise to USD4T by 2030, even if VR/AR only gets a small percentage of the market, it would be a significant driver to the growth of the VR/AR market overall, explained Citi Bank’s GPS division managing director Kathleen Boyle. She believes by 2035, AR could grab about 25% of the m-commerce market, which would equate to almost USD1.3T. (199IT, CNBC,163, Haptic, Citi Bank, report)
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| China-based e-commerce giant Alibaba is developing a system designed to let shoppers in VR malls pay by simply nodding. VR Pay, the new payment system, is part of Alibaba’s efforts to capitalize on the latest technology in online shopping. (Brand Channel, CNET, Reuters, TechNews, Sina)
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| Microsoft is reportedly planning to shelve its Band range of wearables. The Band 2 is no longer available to buy online from the firm’s store, and its SDK has been removed. (CN Beta, HNGN, Wired) |
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Internet of Things |
| Revenue from professional service robots reached USD2.6B, with around 20,000 units shipped in 2015, according to a new report from IHS Markit. The emerging market for professional service robots is forecast to increase very quickly, with a unit-shipment compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46%, from 2015 to 2020. (IHS Markit, press)
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| UAE-based company DigiRobotics unveiled the country’s first 3D printed autonomous vehicle, WiGo. Designed with eco-friendliness in mind, WiGo combines a sensor system and an advanced GPS tracking system, which allow it to recognize obstacles in its path, and subsequently stop or take another route. (CN Beta, 3Ders, Gulf News)
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| Tesla CEO Elon Musk hopes to deliver a coast-to-coast road trip test ride of fully autonomous Tesla vehicle driving by late 2017. (TechCrunch, NY Times, FT China)
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| Tesla’s new Autopilot will run in ‘shadow mode’ to prove that it’s safer than human driving. (The Verge, 36Kr, China News, Epoch Times) |
| According to White House, although the United States was an early leader on deep-learning research, China has effectively eclipsed it in terms of the number of papers published annually on the subject. The rate of increase is remarkably steep, reflecting how quickly China’s research priorities have shifted. (Washington Post, article, 199IT, Futurism, White House)
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Others |
| Suning.com, a subsidiary of China-based retail giant Suning Commerce Group, will form a CNY1B (USD148.41M) e-commerce joint venture with the Alibaba Group in Chongqing. (Digitimes, Huaxia, 163)
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