The top-three high speed fixed network communications firms in South Korea have adopted different marketing strategies to attract customer patronages, with the leading player Korea Telecom (KT) offering better broadband connection quality and a more complete array of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) channels, according to Digitimes Research.

There is large potential demand for OTA (over the air) upgrading of firmware/software for in-car electronic devices because car owners need not drive to maintenance shops merely for such upgrading, according to Digitimes Research.

Smartphone shipments in the China market reached 112.8 million units in the third quarter of 2017, increasing 18.6% sequentially but decreasing 1.9% on year. China shipments accounted for 31.3% of the global smartphone shipments in the quarter, according to Digitimes Research.

Since SONY introduced the 18650 cylindrical lithium-ion battery in 1992, kick-starting the commercialization of lithium-ion batteries, the technology has been advancing with applications becoming more and more widespread, ranging from consumer electronics to electric cars and solar panels. Among these, electric cars are considered a high growth market for lithium-ion batteries.

Four out of the top-5 notebook brands experienced on-year shipment declines in October mainly because of weak demand from the consumer sector. The vendors' refocusing their strategies onto boosting profitability from expanding shipment volumes also impacted negatively their shipment performances.

October 2017 average retail price for 7W LED light bulbs (40W incandescent equivalents) in China decreased 3.2% from August 2017 to reach CNY24.3 (US$3.8), while 9W models (60W incandescent equivalents) also saw pricing drop 27.2% to CNY23.5, according to Digitimes Research.

With to a lack of growth momentum in the traditional mainstream TV and monitor markets, most flat panel makers have paid more attention on the development niche applications for large-sized panels such as public information displays (PIDs), automotive display boards and gaming devices, according to Digitimes Research.

Global MEMS microphone shipments will increase to 4.8 billion units in 2017 from 4.4 billion units in 2016, and the volume will reach over 5.0 billion units in 2018, according to Digitimes Research.

Competition in China's smart speaker market is heating up: Alibaba is pushing sales of its Tmall Genie to the business sector; JD.com is promoting its next-generation smart speaker, the DingDong 2; and Xiaomi Technology has forayed into the entry-level segment with its Mi AI speaker, according to Digitimes Research.

Global shipments of tablets are estimated to grow 7.8% sequentially to 45.58 million units in the fourth quarter of 2017 due mainly to brisk market demand for entry-level branded tablets, according to Digitimes Research.