Networking chipset vendors, including Qualcomm Atheros, Broadcom, Marvell Technology and MediaTek have launched new Wi-Fi chips or chipset platforms supporting MU-MIMO (multi-user multi-input multi-output) technology, making MU-MIMO a standard for Wi-Fi chips, according to Digitimes Research.With the exception of Quantenna and Qualcomm Atheros, most chipset suppliers failed to roll out MU-MIMO Wi-Fi chips in 2014 as they were either producing IC parts for wearable devices or IoT applications, Digitimes Research noted.However, Broadcom, Marvell and MediaTek all released Wi-Fi chips supporting MU-MIMO in early 2015, while expanding the bandwidth to 160MHz channels compared to the 80MHz channels used by other vendors including Qualcomm Atheros previously. Qualcomm Atheros managed to narrow the gap by releasing its 160MHz chips during Computex 2015.Since most chipset vendors are now able to roll out quad-stream, 160MHz-channel Wi-Fi chips, the competition will then shift to the development of 8-stream Wi-Fi parts, Digitimes Research commented.
Despite Apple highlighting developments for improving the user experience on its new Apple TV, there has yet to be a clear direction as to how the device can create new gaming experiences compared with other hardware applications, which as a result, will not lead to serious concerns for video game units from Sony and Microsoft, according to Digitimes Research.Advancements with touch control and voice activation features coupled with tvOS will give the Apple TV an advantage in the OTT and smart TV markets due to the access and variety in content viewing through apps. Apple however did not elaborate as to whether it expects the gaming industry to shift to such platforms and what advantages the TV box has over gaming consoles.The Apple TV is expected to see steady sales due to competitive pricing and due to the device's overall app services that are expected to spur a shift in content viewing behavior, said Digitimes Research.
With cooperation with Intel, China-based smartphone application processor (AP) supplier Spreadtrum is expected to start pushing 64-bit 8-core 5-mode 4G products for the mid-range and high-end sectors in the second half of 2015. The China-based supplier is also expected to become the official distributor of Intel's SoFIA chips in China for 4G smartphones and tablets with phone functionality and is expected to become a big threat to MediaTek and Qualcomm, according to Digitimes Research's latest report about the China AP industry.In 2014, Spreadtrum placed its focus mainly on TD-SCDMA products, and its slow response to China smartphone market's subsidy changes caused its shipments to drop dramatically. Although its shipment performance slightly recovered later in the year thanks to its inexpensive WCDMA products and orders from first-tier vendors such as Samsung, the supplier's overall performance in 2014 was still weaker than in 2013.To improve its status, Spreadtrum accepted to be acquired by Tsinghua Unigroup, and Tsainghua's investment partnership with Intel also opened the door for Spreadtrum to step into the x86 realm. Since it is becoming difficult to differentiate ARM architecture products, Spreadtrum has turned to create x86 architecture APs, looking to expand into the high-end sector with help from Intel's capacity and manufacturing process advancements, Digitimes Research analyzed.
Apple introduced its largest iPad, the iPad Pro at its product launch conference in September; however, the device pairing with a keyboard and an iPad Pencil will make the overall price surpass US$1,000. This means its price/performance ratio is much weaker than that for the MacBook Air's or Microsoft's upcoming Surface Pro 4 with a similar price level. Since the supply of iPad Pro's panels also faces shortages, the device's shipments are expected to reach less than three million units in the fourth quarter.A 32GB iPad Pro with a keyboard and an iPad Pencil is priced at US$1,067, while a 128GB MacBook Air is priced at US$899. Microsoft's upcoming Surface Pro 4 and a keyboard together will be priced at a similar level as the iPad Pro combo, but in terms of hardware performance and enterprise usage conveniences, the iPad Pro is much weaker.iPad Pro's IGZO panel is currently supplied by Sharp only and LG Display will only be able to supply a small volume starting November, while supply from Samsung will begin in 2016. As a result, Apple is only able to start shipping the iPad Pro in November and its shipments will be between 2.5-3 million units in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to Digitimes Research.
Shipments of iPhone 6s/6s Plus will total 80-85 million in the second half of 2015, Digitimes Research has estimated.Shipments of all iPhone devices are expected to reach 125-130 million during the period, bringing total shipments for 2015 to 234-239 million, Digitimes Research added.While the introduction of 3D Touch may not be strong enough to stir up demand for the new iPhones, Digitimes Research believes that a lack of cooperation with new telecom operators and dwindling demand for iPhone devices in China will have the most on sales of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.The specification upgrades in iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, including the adoption of the more powerful A9 chips, a 12-megapixel camera and support for 300Mbps LTE and 886Mbps Wi-Fi, may also fail to instigate replacement demand, Digitimes Research commented.
The global top-5 Wintel notebook brand vendors' combined shipments grew 17% on month in August, but compared to the same month a year ago, the volume was down 14%. Meanwhile the top-3 ODMs' combined volume was up 13% on month, but down 17% on year. Their on-month growths were mainly driven by the retailers' inventory preparation for the peak season. Windows 10's effect on notebook shipments so far is not yet clear.The top-5 brand vendors except Asustek and Dell, enjoyed significant on-month shipment growths in August and Acer had the strongest increase of more than 40%. Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Lenovo (not including NEC) both had about 30% on-month growth in August, but HP's shipments still led Lenovo's by a small margin, according to Digitimes Research's figures.Dell's weak shipments in August shows that the demand from the enterprise segment was probably weakening.The top-3 ODMs all had strong on-month shipment growths in August. Quanta Computer had the highest growth thanks to increased orders from HP. Compal Electronics and Wistron both saw growths because of Lenovo's orders.
The Touch Taiwan 2015 exhibition that recently ended in Taipei featured a number of new and improved applications from makers across the globe. Taiwan makers that displayed small- to medium-size products in particular exhibited automotive and wearble applications, with an emphasis on high-end products.AU Optronics (AUO) and Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) are pushing low-reflectance products for automovie applications such as displays used in dashboards or navigation centers. Innolux meanwhile displayed semi-reflective, semi-transmissive panels with advanced color saturation.AUO and CPT also sported new flexible AMOLED technologies for use in wearable applications while E Ink Holdings (EIH) displayd its latest EPD solutions, which are being used in products from Sony. Cando was also in attendance to display flexible touch panel applications that use ITO film, according to Digitimes Research.
August average retail price for 7W LED light bulbs (40W incandescent equivalents) in the China market decreased 0.3% on month to CNY30.7 (US$4.8), while that for 9W models (60W incandescent equivalents) dropped 10.9% to CNY34.2, according to Digitimes Research.Average retail prices for 40W- and 60W-equivalent LED light bulbs in the Japan market in August stood at JPY1,723 (US$14.0) and JPY2,751 respectively, the former rising 1.7% on month and the latter slipping 1.3%, Digitimes Research indicated.August average retail prices for 40W- and 60W-equivalent LED light bulbs in other markets were: KRW10,025 (US$9.0, up 1.2% on month) and KRW12,966 (up 2.0%) in South Korea; US$18.6 (up 2.8%) and US$18.5 (down 4.1%) in the US; EUR7.8 (US$9.0, down 17.0%) and EUR12.4 (down 3.1%) in Europe.Samsung Electronics' 40W-equivalent LED light bulbs and Philips 60W-equivalent models for sale in the South Korea market had the highest average lumen-price ratios of 98.3lm/US$ and 125.9lm/US$ respectively in August. In terms of luminous efficiency, Toshiba and Samsung 40W-equivalent LED light bulbs available in the Japan market had the highest average level of 81.3lm/W and Toshiba 60-equivalent models in the Japan market had that of 105.1lm/W.
Germany-based Osram has become a main international LED automotive lighting vendor and due to its particular capability in OLED lighting and laser lighting is expected to maintain its globally leading status in automotive lighting, according to Digitimes Research.The maker was relatively less affected from uncertainties in the LED market compared with others during the first half of 2015 due to its growing developments in OLED lighting. The company's products can be found in high-end automobiles from BMW and Audi, and are expected to be added to more lineups throughout the rest of the year.Low-priced solutions from China makers have also affected the financial performances of makers such as Osram, which saw a 6% on-quarter decline in fiscal third-quarter 2015, but the company's performance in terms of specialized lighting products for automotive and industrial applications remained stable, showing that high-end applications such as OLED are giving makers an edge in the market.Osram will increase capex by 11-23% in fiscal 2015, with 79% allocated to specialized lighting and optical semiconductor applications and 20% to general lighting, showing that it is increasing efforts to further push higher-end, niche products, said Digitimes Research.
Demand for transparent smart glass used in vehicles continues to rise but there are still many different opinions as to what type of technology will be sought out the most due to different developments and costs associated, according to Digitimes Research.Currently head-up display (HUD) technology, which allows drivers to see data displayed on a vehicle's windshied to prevent drivers looking away from their usual viewpoints, sticks out as a major player due to its strengths in displaying information and wind protection but struggles with light adjustment in various settings.Electrochromic (EC) and suspended particle display (SPD) technologies, which can change the visibility of glass from clear to opaque, on the other hand present strong light adjustment qualities but still suffer from high production costs.Polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) is also on the rise and bistable cholesteric liquid crystal (BiCh-LC) has also made its way in the market, but they have yet to reach commercialization, said Digitimes Research.
