LED firms are generally optimistic about mini LEDs, expanding wafer, chip and packaging capacity for the segment. Apple reportedly prefers mini LED to OLED for its medium-size devices and will launch an iPad Pro with mini LED backlighting in the fourth quarter of 2020. For Apple's freshly launched iPad Pro, its suppliers are ramping up shipments for the new tablets, with their volumes to the vendor expected to rise 40% sequentially in the second quarter. With the needs for working and learning from home rising amid the coronavirus pandemic, IT devices, such as tablets, are expected to see demand pick up. And EIH is expanding production capacity for color e-paper solutions for e-book readers.Mini LED expected to get significant boost from Apple adoption: Mini LED is expected to get a significant boost in applications as Apple is proceeding with R&D of devices adopting mini LED backlighting, and may commercialize more such devices in the next five years, according to industry sources.Supply chain ramping up shipments for iPad Pro: Makers in the supply chain for Apple's just-unveiled iPad Pro are ramping up their shipments, and the volume for the new tablet series from the suppliers will climb about 40% sequentially in the second quarter, according to industry sources.EIH expanding colored e-paper solution capacity for e-book readers: E Ink holdings (EIH) is expanding its production capacity for colored e-paper solutions dedicated to e-book reader and other new applications, according to company sources.

Belgium-based developer of 3D printing technology Materialise has designed a 3D printed door opener that allows people to use their arms to open and shut doors without touching the doorknobs, according to Taiwan's Photonics Industry & Technology Development Association (PIDA).This can avoid coming into contact with the coronavirus that is believed to be able to stay on the surface of doorknobs for a long time, PIDA said.Materialise has called for 3D printing service providers around the world to use its design to print the opener, PIDA said.Isinnova, an Italy-based startup, has designed a 3D printed respirator valves and reportedly has printed 100 units for a hospital in Brescia, northern Italy. The hospital, which has a large number of coronavirus patients, needs many respirator valves, each of which can be used for up to eight hours only. The cost for a 3D printed valve reportedly is less than EUR1 (US$1.13).

AR glasses have a significant role to play in cushioning impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on manufacturing operations, as they can be used for remote collaboration between equipment engineers and users to quickly address mechanical failures, according to Tom Liang, chairman of Taiwan-based AR smart glasses maker Jorjin Technologies.Liang said manufacturers usually have to wait for engineers from equipment suppliers to come in person to fix mechanical failures as users can hardly determine the causes of the failures.But through AR smart glasses, engineers can remotely inspect the situations and instruct users on how to locate and fix problems or even replace components, not only saving high errand expenses by engineers but also sharply reducing equipment downtime, according to Liang.The remote collaboration function of AR smart glasses allows engineers of equipment suppliers to help global clients with maintenance of old machinery systems or installation of new ones without going out, Liang said, stressing this can prevent the risk of exposure to the coronavirus.Liang also disclosed that during the extended Lunar New Year holiday in Februay, Jorjin's Chinese subsidiary Top Smart Technology and its partner Kedu Healthcare Tech in Shanghai successfully addressed failures of two computerized tomographic scanners for a hospital there within 20 hours through the assistance of smart AR glasses, compared to 2-3 days usually needed for engineers to fix in person.

Within the semiconductor ecosystem, TSMC is a barometer occupying a pivotal place giving it a comprehensive picture of the direction and outlook of the chip maket, and expectations of its clients - including powerhouses Apple, Nvidia, ADM, Qualcomm and Huawei. The foundry house has not yet revised its first-quarter 2020 guidance, but it remains to be seen whether TSMC will turn pessimistic in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. For PC vendors, the first half of 2020 will probably be a disappointing period with shipments set to nosedive. Worse could be lying ahead for the PC market if the pandemic cannot be contained soon. And Asustek estimates its first-quarter revenues will drop 30% on year with PC shipments to fall 40% sequentially.TSMC outlook seen as indicator for 2H20 market conditions: Whether TSMC will turn pessimistic about its outlook this year will be an indicator suggesting how the coronavirus spread is impacting the pure-play foundry's target markets, according to industry observers.Global PC sales to plunge 30% in 1H20: Global PC sales are set to fall over 30% on year in the first half of 2020, due to poor sales in China, Europe and the US in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, according to industry sources.Asustek expects 30% revenue decline in 1Q20: Asustek Computer expects to post a revenue decline of about 30% on year in the first quarter of 2020, with shipments of its PCs to see a 40% decrease sequentially.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in 2018 began promoting installation of smart machine boxes (SMBs) on machines as the first step to boosting development of smart machinery in Taiwan, and beginning 2020 the SMBs will get upgraded functions and standardized format interfaces, according to government-sponsored Smart Machinery Promotion Office (SMPO).Initial SMBs focus on production management, with primary functions being visualization of machines' operating conditions and utilization, output statistics and automatic notification of machines' operational failure, SMPO said. Along with accumulation of operating data, the role of SMBs will be extended from production management to optimization of production and manufacturing equipment, with advanced functions such as quality monitoring, diagnosis and prediction of operating conditions for equipment, optimal scheduling for production to be added, SMPO noted.As specific functions on demand vary from industry to industry, modules of industry-specific functions will be overlaid on those of common functions for SMBs, SMPO indicated.Initial development of SMBs involved 32 companies, research organizations and universities, and respective SMB software solutions are independent of one another and lack mutual compatibility, according to Intelligent Machinery Technology Center (IMTC) under government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).IMTC said SMB users are prone to relying too much on scenarios set by individual developers, and it will work to standardize format interfaces to enable different developers' SMB software solutions to smoothly operate in common environments.Based on the standardization, a smart machinery cloud computing platform was unveiled in 2019 to facilitate development of cloud-based SMB software solutions and allow users of standardized SMBs to download chosen solutions on subscription or rental basis, SMPO said. Developers of machines can pre-install such solutions on their products and system integration service providers can adopt such solutions to enhance total solutions.The platform will be tested for reliability and information security in first-half 2020 and come into trial operation in the second half, with commercial operation expected to begin in 2021.So far, over 150 manufacturers have installed SMBs on 3,285 machines, SMPO indicated, adding that the target number of SMB-equipped machines for 2022 is 9,000.A smart machine boxPhoto: ITRI

The coronavirus epidemic has just started to show signs of easing in China, but the Chinese government can hardly wait to reboot its semiconductor industry. Its National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, aka Big Fund - set up to raise China's chip self-sufficiency - is kicking off its second-phase program at the end of March. The memory sector was still quite optimistic about demand this year when the outbreak was mostly confined to China and other parts of Asia earlier this year. But as it has developed into a pandemic, memory distributors are bracing for a disappointing second half of 2020. The pandemic's impacts are widespreading, casting a shadow even over the anticipated launch of Apple's 5G iPhones later this year. But that has not prevented the supply chain from vying for orders from Apple.China Big Fund in 2nd phase to fuel chip industry: China's National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund (Big Fund) is about to kick off its second-phase capital support for the local chip industry, according to industry sources.Memory distributors uncertain about demand: Memory distributors have become more uncertain about demand due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic, and may adjust downward their quotes if demand turns out to be disappointing in the second half of 2020, according to industry sources.BOE, GIS reportedly jointly developing touch modules for iPhone: BOE Technology reportedly has teamed up with touch panel maker General Interface Solution (GIS) to develop an out-cell touch module looking to grab orders from Apple for one of its 5G iPhone devices slated for launch in the second half of 2020, according to sources from the supply chain makers.

DDTMAP Technology, a Taiwan-based developer of applications of AR, VR and human-machine interaction technologies, will launch WebAR web-based AR platform for simulating spatial placements of furniture to help consumers choose items that can match their home decor, according to company founder and CEO Chen Si-chia.WebAR, set to be launched April 1, features integration of furniture catalogs, reality fitting of chosen items, and online ordering and payments, Chen said.The platform saves users from the hassles of having to visit physical furniture stores and measure dimensions of desired furniture pieces, and the items purchased from physical stores may turn out to be wrong choice after they are delivered, Chen indicated, adding that WebAR is developed to solve such problems.AR-enabled apps have been developed by others, such as IKEA, to serve similar purposes, but the downloading of large volumes of furniture catalogs every time an app opens is usually a long wait for users, Chen said, adding that is why DDTMAP has developed a web-based platform.WebAR can also help interior decoration designers quickly change furniture pieces, saving at least 80% of time usually spent on communication with clients, Chen indicated. WebAR can also help furniture vendors manage and analyze business operations, and help furniture stores reduce costs by minimizing exhibition space and inventory, Chen noted.Specifically for WebAR, DDTMAP has talked with target partners including furniture stores, interior decoration designers and project undertakers, real estate developers, with many of them willing for cooperation, Chen said.Viewing that painting and artwork are important elements of interior decoration, DDTMAP plans to incorporate items of painting and artwork into WebAR, Chen said. DDTMAP has cooperated with National Taiwan University of Arts to provide a platform for the university's teachers and students to sell self-made work at self-set prices, Chen noted. DDTMAP will tap the markets in Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, Chen noted, adding WebAR is equipped with a function of translating basic information of the vendors' furniture pieces into English, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Filipino, Chen indicated.DDTMAP Technology founder and CEO Chen Si-chiaPhoto: Vincent Mao, Digitimes, March 2020

A research team in Taiwan has disclosed it has developed flexible (bendable) chargeable batteries based on magnesium fabric.The team leader, Hung Fei-yi, a professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), said the batteries use magnesium alloy/ceramic powder and nonwoven fabric produced by KNH Enterprise.A small patch (1.5cm in diameter) of such a fully-charged battery can support over 36-hour continued lighting by an LED light bulb, Hung said.Some types of chargeable batteries run the risk of explosion when batteries are ovcercharged, but magnesium fabric-based ones featuring no electrolytic solutions are safe and environmentally friendly, Hung noted.The flexible chargeable batteries can be stacked to increase power storage capacity and multi-layer packaged into battery packs for electric vehicles (EV), Hung indicated.Based on global literature concerned, all of available solid-state chargeable batteries are inflexible, therefore magnesium fabric-based chargeable batteries are the world's first flexible solid-state model, Hung indicated.Magnesium fabric-based flexible chargeable batteriesPhoto: NCKU

Global top-5 notebook brands saw their combined shipments nosedive nearly 40% on month and 38% on year in February as the notebook supply chain, which has over 90% of poduction capacity in China, was seriously disrupted in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, according to Digitimes Research.Among the global top-5 brands, only Dell and Lenovo shipped over one million notebooks in February. Dell, which had its ODM partners keep some workers at plants to work during the Lunar New Year holidays, had an on-month shipment decline only larger than those of Lenovo and Asustek, and was the largest brand worldwide for the second consecutive month in February, Digitimes Research's numbers show.Lenovo's in-house production lines in Hefei achieved a production resumption rate of nearly 60% in February, allowing its shipment to be above par.Hewlett-Packard (HP), without arranging production during the Lunar New Year break and having most of its production lines in China's Chongqing, where rules for production resumption are stricter than other places, experienced an over 50% on-month decline in February shipments.The top-3 ODMs suffered an on-month decline of 42% in their combined shipments in February. Quanta had a larger on-month drop than the other two as its production resumption was much slower than its fellow makers.Although ODMs' capacity is likely to be restored fast in March, tight supply of components resulting from labor shortages at related makers are expected to become an issue for notebook makers.

The coronavirus pandemic is sweeping across the US and Europe, casting a shadow over the consumer electronics market. Now the semiconductor supply chain fears that the end-market demand may not pick up until 2021. In China, where the epidemic seems to be easing, supply chains reportedly are quickly returning normal operations. But makers are still worried that the impacts of the virus in other parts of the world may chill demand. For motherboard and graphics cards makers, shipments in first-half 2020 are expected to drop to record-low levels.Chipmakers turn pessimistic about end-market demand in 2020: Some chipmakers, as well as others engaged in the semiconductor industry, have turned pessimistic about end-market demand this year, judging from a more severe than expected impact from the quickly spreading coronavirus.Supply chains fast returning to normal in China: Electronics supply chain makers with operations in China are accelerating production resumption as the coronavirus epidemic there eases, and upstream components suppliers are fulfilling shipments as fast as possible to avoid any undesirable changes to their orders in hands, according to industry sources.Mobo and graphics card shipments set to hit record low: Global motherboard and graphics card shipments are set to drop to record-low levels in the first half of 2020, thanks to the quickly spreading coronavirus pandemic sweeping over 130 countries, according to sources from motherboard companies.