11-5: Samsung claims 85% of Note 7 has been recalled in U.S.; 70% of revenues of MediaTek-invested Goodix is still from fingerprint chipset products; etc.
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Chipset |
| Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) expects to post revenues of between NTD6.35B~6.65B in 4Q16. Gross margin and operating margin for the quarter will be 32.5-34.5% and 21-23%, respectively, compared with 34.4% and 23.4% in the prior quarter. VIS is optimistic with the growth of fingerprint sensor, car-use mixed-signal chips and PMICs, the 8” foundry orders would be beneficial in 2017. (Digitimes, press, TechNews) |
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Memory |
| G.SKILL unveils Trident Z family is a 4-module 64GB DDR4 kit. It can run at an 3600MH CL17-19-19-39 1.35V. Featuring high performance Samsung 8Gb ICs, this new memory kit is the fastest DDR4 64GB (4x16GB) kit. (CN Beta, Beta News, Guru 3D)
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Battery |
| According to Samsung, nearly 85% of all recalled Galaxy Note 7 devices have been replaced, with the majority opting to receive another Samsung smartphone. Samsung will also be releasing a software that will limit the phone’s ability to charge beyond 60%. (Android Central, Reuters) |
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Biometrics |
| 70% of revenues of MediaTek-invested Goodix is still from fingerprint chipset products. In 2016, Goodix fingerprint recognition solution shipment is estimated to exceed 60M units, and its sales revenue could be increased to 23.3% of the company’s overall sales revenue. (TechNews, Sohu, ET Today) |
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Smartphones |
| The crisis may have a restricted impact as it has only affected some Samsung customers, a new survey by ReportLinker shows. Even if the majority of Samsung customers (80%) are still confident, some of them are more likely to be less reassured (19% disagree) than other phone owners. (Android Headlines, WCCF Tech, Tech Republic, ReportLinker, press)
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| KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will prolong iPhone SE’s lifecycle beyond the usual 1 year rotation in a bid to boost gross margins and minimize cannibalization of high-end flagships like the iPhone 7. (Apple Insider, CN Beta) |
| Apple released a Move to iOS application for Android that could seamlessly move some data from an Android device running Android 4.0 or later to an iPhone in 2015. After a year, the app was installed anywhere between 10~50M times, indicating at least 10M users have switched from Android device to iOS device. (BGR, Phone Arena, Unwire, Digi)
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| Microsoft is allegedly working on a new handset that would be powered by a laptop-class Intel processor. The phone would be running on Windows 10 Mobile. (Phone Arena, MS Poweruser, CN Beta, My Drivers)
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| Xiaomi Redmi 4 / Prime and 4A is announced with 13MP + 5MP cameras, Android 6.0 (MIUI 8.0), LTE, dual-SIM: Redmi 4 – 5” HD 2.5D curved display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, fingerprint sensor, 4100mAh battery, CNY699. Redmi 4 Prime – 5” FHD 2.5D curved display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor,3GB RAM, 32GB storage, fingerprint sensor, 4100mAh battery, CNY899. Redmi 4A – 5” HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, 3120mAh battery, CNY499. (Gizmo China, CN Beta, CN Beta, iFeng, Engadget, GSM Arena)
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| ZTE Voyage 4s is launched in China – 5” HD 2.5D curved display, MediaTek MT6735P processor, 8MP + 5MP cameras, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, Android 5.1, LTE, dual-SIM, 4000mAh battery. (CN Beta, TechWeb, Sina)
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| Windows 10 phone Softbank 503L by Lenovo is launched in Japan – 5” HD TFT-LCD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, 8MP + 5MP cameras, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, 2250mAh battery. (CN Beta, Neowin, MS Poweruser, Softbank)
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Tablets and PC |
| Gianfranco Lanci, president and COO of Lenovo recently came to Taiwan to ask PC component makers, especially high-cost ones such as display panels and memory products, to lower prices. However, Taiwan-based makers are mostly reluctant to reduce quotes mainly because prices have dropped to low levels and many components are in tight supply, according to Digitimes. (Digitimes, press, UDN) |
| Commenting on Acer’s Build Your Own Cloud (BYOC) business, the business’s general manager Maverick Shih pointed out that its CloudProfessor will be expanded to education units in Shanghai, Wuhan and Beijing, China via its subsidiary in Chongqing, China, while its GrandPad tablet device, which is designed specifically for seniors, will also be promoted in markets such as Taiwan, China and Europe. (Digitimes, China Times)
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| Cube WP10 is announced – 6.98” HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 MSM8909 processor, 5MP + 2MP cameras, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, Windows 10 Mobile, LTE, 2850mAh battery, USD138. (Liliputing, Gear Best)
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Internet of Things |
| Philips and Xiaomi have announced the signing of a joint-venture agreement that will help them “design and develop connected LED luminaires and lamps for Xiaomi’s wireless smart home platform”. (Android Headlines, CNET, TechPP, TechWeb, 10JQKA, 163)
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| Adobe Sensei was introduced as a framework and set of services that tap into Adobe’s machine learning and AI technologies to automate certain tasks throughout the Adobe Cloud Platform. (TechNews, eWeek, Tech and Flash, ZDNet, Apple Insider)
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| Online vehicle purchasing firm, SellCar.co.uk, found vehicles are 55% dirtier than computer keyboards in our offices and at home. It also found our cars are 2,144% filthier than our smartphones. (CN Beta, Daily Mail) |
| Cisco is working closely with state governments and its partners to digitally transform 14 cities and plans to connect 100 cities as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India initiative, its CEO, Chuck Robbins, has emphasised. (Read Write, Economic Times)
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| Together with the CPSC, Samsung has officially recalled 2.8M units of its top-loading washing machines in the U.S., which CSPS claimed can unexpectedly detach from the washing machine chassis during use, posing a risk of injury from impact. (Ubergizmo, Gizmodo, CNBC, CN Beta)
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| The electric car venture backed by Tencent Holdings, the subsidiary of Harmony Futeng, will invest CNY13.3B to build a production plant in southeastern China’s Jiangxi province. Foxconn however is reportedly not going to invest in any car-related projects, which include Future Mobility, I car, etc. (Sohu, Yidianzixun, Sina, SCMP)
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| Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 45% share of the worldwide public market for Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) in 3Q16— greater than Microsoft, Google and IBM’s shares combined, according to Synergy Research Group. Alphabet, Google’s parent, is now intent on narrowing the gap with Amazon.com and Microsoft, in large part because it needs to build a reliable revenue stream that does not come from ads. (Beta News, Geek Wire, Synergy Research Group, press, Business Insider, iFeng, Bloomberg, CN Beta)
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