http://www.digitimes.com DIGITIMES English version providing daily news about Asia's IT industry en-us Copyright 2012 DIGITIMES Inc. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:36:59 GMT 240 131 62 http://www.digitimes.com/ http://www.digitimes.com/images/NewWLogo.gif Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:26:42 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PB204.html Touch panel makers Young Fast Optoelectronics and J Touch both have posted declined sales in January due to seasonal factors, according to the companies. Displays Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:22:16 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD209.html The growth of global LCD TV shipments is expected to fall from 12% recorded in 2011 to 7% in 2012, totaling 225 million units, market research firm GfK has estimated.
]]> Displays Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:18:10 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD201.html Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) has filed an application with the National Communications Commission (NCC) for approval for operating mobile satellite-based communication service in the Taiwan market through cooperation with Dubai-based Thuraya Telecommunications, according to CHT. Telecom Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:14:49 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD208.html Shipments of new products, including 65-inch panels, one glass solution (OGS) touch panels, and other panels for in-car devices and tablet PC applications, will account for 60% of total shipments by AU Optronics (AUO) in 2012, according to the company. Displays Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:14:06 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PB203.html Amtran Technology has reported consolidated revenues of NT$4.02 billion (US$136.3 million) for January, down 37.6% sequentially and 10.6% on year. Displays Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:09:03 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PM200.html Optical disc drive (ODD) maker Lite-On IT has reported January consolidated revenues of NT$3.77 billion (US$127 million), dropping 7.1% on month and 24.7% on year. Fellow maker Quanta Storage posted January consolidated revenues of NT$778 million, falling 2.2% on month and 10.4% on year. Systems Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:44:28 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD212.html Intel and Nvidia, which have crossed from the PC industry to challenge smartphone CPU giant Qualcomm, are expected to become spotlights at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012, which will be hosted on February 27 in Barcelona, Spain, according to sources from the upstream supply chain. Mobos Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:15:17 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PR202.html Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments decreased about 3% in 2011 compared to 2010 area shipments, according to SEMI. However, revenues grew 2% on year, said SEMI. Bits + chips Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:12:00 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210VL203.html The prices of solar wafers and cells have been increasing. However, polysilicon spot price remains flat at US$29.50/kg while the price of solar modules has dropped by EUR0.01/watt.
]]> Bits + chips Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:57:37 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD204.html In the US, every state has its own solar PV incentive program. The ranking of the top-10 states that have the highest installations is expected to go through major reshuffles in 2011 and 2012. Bits + chips Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:21:06 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PB202.html LCD driver IC packaging and testing specialist Chipbond Technology is expected to see its consolidated revenues increase as much as 5% sequentially in the first quarter of 2012, beating the company's guidance of flat growth, the Chinese-language Commercial Times cited market watchers as saying in a recent report. Bits + chips Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:18:42 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210VL202.html Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) registered a 10.6% sequential increase in consolidated revenues in January 2012. Fellow company United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), however, reported a 0.7% decrease in January revenues from the previous month.
]]> Bits + chips Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:13:38 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD207.html Coretronic expects to ship more projectors in February to boost its revenues after the company saw its consolidated revenues decrease 6% on month and 3% on year to NT$5.53 billion (US$187.5 million) in January. Displays Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:10:43 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD214.html HannStar Display has reported consolidated revenues of NT$2.74 billion (US$92.9 million) for January, up 8.9% on month but down 28.8% on year. Displays Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:34:00 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD210.html Hewlett-Packard (HP) on February 9 unveiled two ultrabooks, Envy 14 Spectre and Envy 15 Spectre, for launch in the Taiwan market at retail prices of NT$49,900 (US$1,683) and NT$64,900. Systems Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:22:10 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210VL201.html Lenovo generated consolidated revenues of US$8.4 billion for the third quarter of its fiscal year 2011 (the fourth quarter of 2011), hitting a quarterly record, according to the company. Systems Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:16:33 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PB201.html ODM handset maker Compal Communications has posted strong revenue gains in January thanks to orders from Nokia, while fellow company Arima Communications saw its revenues decline in the month due to a lack of new products from clients, according to industry sources. Telecom Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:16:27 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD211.html Hewlett-Packard (HP) on February 9 opened an all-service center in downtown Taipei, with operations focusing on exhibiting business-use and high-end consumer PCs, and providing maintenance services, according to HP Taiwan. This is the first such center in Taiwan and the eighth in the Asia Pacific region. Systems Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:56:34 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD213.html Protective component maker Thinking Electronic Industrial expects orders coming from the ultrabook sector to become strong later in 2012, which will drive company revenues.
]]> Bits + chips Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:41:20 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PR201.html Eastman Kodak, which filed for bankruptcy in January 2012, has announced plans to phase out its dedicated capture devices business, which includes digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames, in the first half of 2012. Systems Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:35:42 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD202.html The China government reportedly will issue 4G licenses earlier than originally expected in December 2012 and China Mobile may be the first to obtain a license and adopt TD-LTE (Time Division-Long Term Evolution) as a 4G standard with commercial operation to begin in 2014, according to China-based media. Telecom Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:30:43 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD205.html Taiwan-based solar cell maker Motech Industries had consolidated revenues of NT$999 million (US$33.8 million) for January increasing 7.27% on month but decreasing 67.78% on year, according to the company. Bits + chips Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:18:18 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120208PD210.html The solar market rebounded slightly before the Lunar New Year holidays. Many firms in the Greater China region experienced increasing capacity utilization rates due to urgent orders. China media mentioned that there have been many solar firms that hope to resume production. However, Europe-based solar firms have not been benefitting as much from the return of demand due to weaker cost-competitiveness. Bits + chips Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:01:52 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PD206.html Taiwan-based LED firm Lextar Electronics has reported net losses of NT$138 million (US$4.67 million) or NT$0.34 per share for 2011. It also reported consolidated revenues of NT$650 million for January 2012, down 8.3% sequentially but up 35.5% on year.
]]> Displays Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:45:02 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PR200.html Taiwan-based power supply firm Delta Electronics reported January revenues of NT$12.061 billion (US$407 million), down 10% on month and 13% on year. Displays Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:31:31 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120210PB200.html Lite-On IT is expected to ship 1.5-2.0 million SSDs in 2012, five times the volume in 2011, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report. Systems Thu, 9 Feb 2012 17:35:00 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120209PD215.html Nokia, Motorola Mobility and Sony Mobile Communications are expected to increase their outsourcing of handsets to Taiwan-based ODMs in 2012 in an effort to regain their global market share lost to Apple and Samsung Electronics, according to industry sources. Telecom Thu, 9 Feb 2012 17:30:00 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120209PD213.html Memory packaging and testing specialist Powertech Technology (PTI) now expects its sales to decrease up to 10% sequentially in the first quarter of 2012, company chairman DK Tsai said during a February 9 investors conference. Tsai previously estimated a larger 10-15% decline. Bits + chips Thu, 9 Feb 2012 17:25:00 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120209PD214.html Gross margins for the production of TVs by Taiwan-based ODMs are expected to remain low in 2012 as branded TV vendors will continue to press down ODM production costs due to increasing market competition although they may increase their order volumes, according to industry sources.
]]> Displays Thu, 9 Feb 2012 17:20:00 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120209PD212.html LCD-related driver and controller IC design house Novatek Microelectronics expects sales to register sequential growth starting the second quarter after hitting bottom in the first. Bits + chips Thu, 9 Feb 2012 17:15:00 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120209PD209.html MStar Semiconductor expects its consolidated revenues to decrease 8-13% sequentially in the first quarter of 2012, citing low seasonal demand. But sales for all of the year should see another positive growth driven by brisk shipments to the TV and wireless sectors, according to company chairman Wayne Liang. Bits + chips Thu, 9 Feb 2012 17:10:00 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120209PD211.html Asustek Computer had revenues of NT$21.819 billion (US$738 million) for January slipping 11.1% on month, while Pegatron Technology saw its January consolidated revenues rise 14.5% to NT$46.802 billion, according to the companies. Systems Thu, 9 Feb 2012 17:05:00 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120209PD210.html Largan Precision expects its shipments of lens modules for phone cameras to increase beginning the second quarter of 2012 due to clients developing new handset models, according to company CEO Lin En-ping at an investors conference on February 9.
]]> Systems Thu, 9 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120209PR203.html Macronix International has announced its first single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory. Dubbed MX30LF, the new SLC NAND family is designed for code and data storage in a wide range of embedded applications including set-top boxes (STB), TVs, digital cameras, CPE and high-end networking devices, industrial PCs and automotive. Bits + chips Thu, 9 Feb 2012 08:48:14 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120209PD204.html Digitimes Research predicts the growth of high-brightness LEDs in 2012 to reach 13.4% with an output value of US$10.1 billion. However, MOCVD demand will shrink to 200 units in 2012. Displays