6-14: Apple WWDC 2016 — iOS 10, macOS, watchOS 3, tvOS; Samsung is rumored considering to use Tizen for all its products; etc.
Apple WWDC 2016 — iOS 10, macOS, watchOS 3, tvOS; Samsung is rumored considering to use Tizen for all its products; Microsoft to acquire Linkedin; Huawei unveils that it has shipped more than 80 million Kirin chipsets; Samsung 1Q16 OLED panel shipment reached 86.7 million; etc.
|
Chipset |
| Samsung Electronics will be TSMC major competitor in the 7nm process segment. Intel could be another TSMC’s competitor in the 7nm field, but the relationship between Intel and TSMC is complementary rather than competing. TSMC co-CEO Mark Liu has reported that it has reached a 30%-40% yield on 7nm 128MB SRAM chips. (Digitimes, press, Phone Arena, 52RD) |
| Huawei unveils that it has shipped more than 80 million Kirin chipsets. (Android Headlines, Gizmo China, YeSky)
|
|
Touch Display |
| According UBI Research, Samsung Display shipments accounted for 95% of all total OLED panel shipments in 1Q16 at around 91.3 million units. Samsung Display OLED shipments were at 86.7 million in 1Q16. (Korea Herald, Sam Mobile, TechNews)
|
| Sony has unveiled a large tiled outdoor 9.75m×2.74m 8K×2K display based on Crystal LED technology (Sony calls this display Canvas Display, or CLEDIS). Crystal-LED uses ultra-fine RGB LEDs to create a self-emitting display. (OLED-Info, Display Daily, CSIA, Sanwenba)
|
|
Battery |
| Apple has quietly created an energy subsidiary, Apple Energy LLC, registered in Delaware but run from its Cupertino headquarters. The company was seemingly formed to allow it to sell excess electricity generated by its solar farms in Cupertino and Nevada, with plans to sell electricity across the whole of the US. (TechNews, 9to5Mac, Filings)
|
|
Sensory |
| Alexa, the cloud-based voice service that powers Amazon Echo speaker and other devices, may soon “include better language skills and perhaps the ability to recognize the emotional tenor of your voice”. (MIT, Fortune, PC Mag, Digital Trends, CN Beta)
|
|
Smartphones |
| Apple announces iOS 10, macOS (new name for OS X), watchOS 3, and tvOS:
• iOS 10 – 10 major features and redesigns, 3 open development platforms. • macOS – added Siri and Apple Pay functionality. • watchOS 3 – easier to respond to text messages directly, a series of new customizable watch faces, activity sharing, deep breathing and medication app called “Breathe”, a new feature called SOS, etc. • tvOS – added more channels and a remote app with better usage experience. (91CN, CN Beta, CN Beta, Apple Insider, Apple Insider, Digital Trends, The Verge, The Verge, The Verge)
|
| Apple has announced that Siri, Maps and iMessage will be open to software developers. (CN Beta, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Channel Newsasia, eWeek) |
| Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that there are now 13 million registered Apple developers around the world, more than 2 million apps in circulation with more than 130 billion downloads, which have generated nearly USD50 billion for developers. (CN Beta, iMore, Apple Insider) |
| Hon Hai Precision Industry Chairman Terry Gou has reportedly told his staff that the demand for Apple iPhone will remain feeble until at least early 2017. Overall iPhone shipments will reportedly total 210-220 million in 2016, falling as much as 8.6% from 2015. (Apple Insider, Nikkei, CN Beta) |
| The Indian government is aiming to get a firm commitment from Apple on local manufacturing before authorizing the launch of any Apple Stores in the country. (Apple Insider, Bloomberg, ZOL) |
| Samsung is considering expanding the use of its Tizen in all company devices to cut its heavy reliance on the Google Android platform, a senior Samsung Electronics executive indicated. (Android Headlines, Softpedia, Korea Times, Tencent, iFeng) |
| After not being able to establish itself in China, where Alibaba controls a significant portion of the e-commerce market, Amazon is ensuring that it does not let go of the India opportunity. (CN Beta, India Times, Forbes) |
| Microsoft will acquire LinkedIn in an all-cash transaction worth USD26.2 billion, bringing more than 433 million members of the social networking site under Microsoft’s banner. (CN Beta, CN Beta, Digital Trends, Apple Insider, Microsoft)
|
| Lenovo Vibe K5 is launched in India – 5” HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 processor, 13MP + 5MP cameras, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, Android 5.1.1, LTE, 2750mAh battery, INR6999. (Android Authority, Android Central)
|
| Meizu m3s announced in China – 5” HD 2.5D glass display, MediaTek MT6750 processor, 13MP + 5MP cameras, 2/3GB RAM, 16/32GB storage, Android 5.1, LTE, 3020mAh battery, from CNY699. (GSM Arena, Meizu, CN Beta)
|
| Gionee S6 Pro is official – 5.5” FHD IPS LCD 2.5D glass display, MediaTek Helio P10 MT6755M processor, 13MP PDAF + 8MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, LTE (VoLTE), dual-SIM, USB Type-C, 3130mAh battery, CNY1999. (Gizmo China, iFeng)
|
|
Wearables |
| Verizon Ventures’ Paul Heitlinger has given his insights about VR market, and his suggestion for companies is to focus on their strengths: Content – This is a craft that can be learned. Cameras – The market is currently small, but growing. Platforms – This is an area where companies can innovate technologically by adding new features and functionality. Headsets – The next round of VR headsets is likely to include higher resolutions, better head tracking, and better interaction between physical and virtual environments. (Venture Beat, article, CN Beta)
|
| PC gaming peripheral maker Razer is announcing OSVR, which has a pair of 2,160×1,200-pixel resolution OLED displays that refresh at 90Hz.It also has an improved IR tracking system that uses a series of infrared LEDs mounted inside the headset. It is priced at USD399 (development kit). (CN Beta, Tech Report, VR World, CNET)
|
| Sony has announced 13 Oct. to be the release date for Playstation VR, priced at USD399. (CN Beta, Digital Trends)
|
|
Internet of Things |
| Apple has announced a new app called Home, the way to control HomeKit. Home will be included with iOS 10 this fall, and the Apple Watch. (Digital Trends, The Verge, Tencent)
|
