6-13: TSMC 7nm has signed more than 20 contracts; Motorola says Moto X is still alive; Few China vendors would launch dual-PD single camera phone in 2H16; etc.
TSMC 7nm has signed more than 20 contracts; Motorola says Moto X is still alive; Few China vendors would launch dual-PD single camera phone in 2H16; Micron said the acquisition of Inotera, which is initially expected to close in mid-July 2016 is not possible; 1Q16 tablet ASP is about USD241, shipment drops 10%; etc.
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Chipset |
| TSMC indicates that for 7nm process the company has already signed more than 20 contracts, and already there are customers start designing, and will trial production in 2H17, expect mass production in 2018. (52RD, ETime) |
| According to Isaiah Research, UMC 28nm process is indicated to be under higher utilization rate at approximately 80~85% in 2Q16. UMC may keep high utilization rate at ~70% till 3Q16 timeframe. (Isaiah Research report)
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| Semiconductor Equipment and materials International (SEMI) has announced that 19 new fabs and lines are forecasted to begin construction in 2016 and 2017, 10 of which is built in China, and 2 of which are for memory, and 4 are for foundry. (TechNews, SEMI, Electroiq)
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Touch Display |
| Isaiah Research anticipates that FocalTech’s Oxide FHD Touch with Display Driver Integration (TDDI) single chip solution– FT8707 for Sharp is projected to have first IC sample wafer-out in Aug~Sept’16, which is approximately half a year behind FT8716. (Isaiah Research report)
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| Glass particles in liquid could lead to hologram displays. MIT and Harvard researchers have discovered that a blend of solids and liquids in the same suspension could steer light in different directions at the same time. (Engadget, MIT News, Tencent)
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Camera |
| Infineon REAL3 image sensor chip was used in Lenovo PHAB2 Pro smartphone, the first product to be equipped with Google Tango technology. Infineon’s chip has enabled the creation of the smallest 3D camera, bringing Augmented Reality to a smartphone. (EE Trend, Yahoo, Electronics Weekly)
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| Dual photodiode (PD) technology applied on single camera is likely to hold significant cost advantage compared to dual camera module. According to Isaiah Research, besides new Samsung Galaxy Note upcoming in 3Q16, Chinese brands including OPPO, vivo, LeEco, Meizu are also planning to adopt dual PD camera in 2H16. (Isaiah Research report)
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| According to Yole Development, the CMOS image sensor industry is set for another boom over the next five years, with the market expected to be worth some USD18.8 billion by 2021, following a CAGR of 10.4% from 2015 to 2021. Sony is the largest player in the industry to have benefited from this renewed demand. (Android Authority, Digital Trends, Image Sensor Trends, 163)
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Memory |
| On 8 June, Micron said while the acquisition of Inotera was initially expected to close in mid-July 2016, the parties have concluded that closing the transaction on this timeframe is not possible. Micron did not provide a reason for why the closing was delayed. (Seeking Alpha, Market Watch, Bidnessetc, Barron’s, blog) |
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Sensors |
| Students from Tomsk Polytechnic University develop a hexapod robot that can identify objects around it and adjust its walk under surface irregularities. This robot can be used in rescue missions, it can penetrate under the rubbles, in the mines and even bring the affected medicines and other essentials. (CN Beta, TPU)
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| Google wants to apply its machine learning technology DeepMind to NHS patient data within the next 5 years. (CN Beta, Business Insider, TechCrunch, New Scientist)
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Smartphones |
| Motorola officially says that the Moto X is “alive and well”. (The Verge, Droid-Life, Android Police, 163, Sina) |
| LeEco has hired Joshua McGuire, who was Google lead legal counsel for mobile and Android patent strategy, as its vice president and general counsel to oversee all of its U.S. legal affairs and intellectual property protection. (CN Beta, CNBC, Yahoo)
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| Huawei head of Honor business Zhao Ming says that the company’s main target competitors are not OPPO and vivo, but actually worldwide top 1 and top 2, Apple and Samsung. (Sohu, EEPW) |
| Huawei Honor 5A and 5C are officially launched: Honor 5A – 5.5” HD IPS LCD display, HiSilicon Kirin 620 processor, 13MP + 8MP cameras, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, Android 6.0 (EMUI 4.1), LTE (VoLTE), dual-SIM, fingerprint sensor, 3100mAh battery, from CNY699. Honor 5C – 5.5” HD IPS LCD display, HiSilicon Kirin 617 processor, 13MP + 8MP cameras, 2/3GB RAM, 16/32GB ROM, Android 6.0 (EMUI 4.1), LTE (VoLTE), dual-SIM, fingerprint sensor, 3100mAh battery, from CNY999. (CN Beta, CN Beta, 163, ZOL)
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Tablets |
| According to Strategy Analytics, 1Q16 tablet ASP is about USD241. Microsoft and Apple combined to sell over 1 million of their Pro Slates in 1Q16. Apple alone took 39% of tablet revenues in 1Q16. (EE Trend, Strategy Analytics, press, 199IT)
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Wearables |
| Adoption of wearables in U.S. classrooms will supposedly grow at 46% annually till 2020, as more schools start to test VR and AR, fitness and location trackers. Research firm Technavio says that like iPads, wearables will become commonplace in the classroom, providing students with ways to enhance their learning and have a more enriching experience. (ReadWrite, Technavio) |
| According to Isaiah Research, new generation of Apple Watch (dubbed 1S) to enter mass production in Aug. 2016. (Isaiah Research report)
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| Reveal, which is a fitness tracker developed by Awake Labs for helping kids on the autism spectrum, essentially measures the wearer’s body’s response to anxiety, helping understand the behavior patterns that take place before a “behavior meltdown”. The band includes a heart rate sensor, a skin conductivity sensor (which measures sweat), and a temperature sensor. (Digital Trends, Indiegogo, CN Beta)
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| FitSleep is an intelligent sleep companion that claims to result in “superior nights of sleep”. It promises to keep tabs on sleeping patterns “by logging heart rate, respiratory rate, and other vital signs, and then using the data to help ensure better nights of sleep”. (Digital Trends, Indiegogo, ZOL)
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| The US National Security Agency (NSA) is interested in collecting information from pacemakers and other biomedical devices, even IoT devices, for national security purposes, according to Richard Ledgett, who is the agency’s deputy director. (The Intercept, Digital Trends, The Verge, The Hacker News, 163, PC Online) |
