In a report dated 10 years ago, the Council for Economic Planning and Development made a forecast basing on the dramatic annual increase in Taiwan's aging index that a decade later every four working people would have to support one elderly person on average. However, 10 years on, less than four people now have to support one elderly person, and the number will drop to below two people in 2020.In view of this, industries have started to search for business opportunities in blue oceans. Tatung Medical & Healthcare Technologies Co., Ltd., which started by providing health-grade oxygen concentrators and other medical devices, as well as integrated medical information systems, ventured further into the healthcare sector three years ago. Aside from cooperating with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to promote telecare, it also has established a website serving as a platform for telecare management, providing chronically ill patients and elderly people with convenient and timely healthcare services."What else can be done for elderly people in addition to physical care?" Edward Chen, President of Tatung Medical & Healthcare Technologies Co., Ltd., noted that daily care for the elderly is like a very big jigsaw puzzle and telecare is just the first piece waiting for other pieces. The idea of a "5bobe" portal site for the elderly was born after brainstorming between Chen, his colleagues and professional predecessors in the industry in hopes to satisfy elderly people's needs in terms of food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, entertainment to even psychological support.The elderly's life is blessed when they engage in the Internet-enabled applicationsAccording to "The Happiness Research of Taiwan's Retirement Communities" conducted by the Commerce Development Research Institute, in terms of "Internet Usage of Retirees," 29.2% of the retirees say they will increase the frequency of using the Internet. There are reports saying that for seniors who frequently use the Internet, the Internet is like a health supplement, and their physical and mental states are better than those of the same age who notably use the Internet less. While the majority of seniors don't have computer backgrounds and they rarely use consumer electronic tools, it is important to find ways to motivate the seniors to adopt 5bobe services and become interested in the Internet.Following research and investigation results, Tatung Medical & Healthcare Technologies has designed "5bobe" to meet the criteria of usefulness, simplicity and comfort basing on the elderly people's preferences and needs. Regarding website layouts, pop-up windows, bright colors, Flash and small fonts are avoided, and all drop-down menus are limited to two levels to prevent users from having to search through layer after layer. Several four-panel comic strips and animation videos have been designed to help users learn to operate the computer step by step in an easy way. Chen indicated that seniors do use the Internet, but there are numerous barriers in the designs of many existing website interfaces. The friendly Internet environment can be expected after the removal of these barriers.The next big task after solving the interface problem is to provide proper website functions and information according to the actual needs of the seniors. After conducting several analyses, Tatung Medical & Healthcare Technologies has divided the 5bobe services into five main categories: health, entertainment, parent-child communication, purchases and welfare/allowances. They also have created an adorable character, "Little Five," who delivers relevant knowledge and new information through the health channel; introduces seniors-friendly recreational sites through the entertainment channel; teaches seniors how to interact with their children via emails, Facebook or Line through parent-child communication channel; showcases products - such as adjustable focus eyeglasses, cutleries combining the spoon and fork, chopstick helpers - that are specifically designed to assist the elderly through the elderly purchasing channel; and introduces welfare services for the elderly through the welfare/allowances channel. These make sure the elderly won't miss out on their rights.Facing the arrival of aging societies, Tatung Medical & Healthcare Technologies combines information and communication systems and services to create a comprehensive value-added supply chain supporting medicare and daily needs. It offers a better life and long-term care for the elderly, adding the new piece of "5bobe" to the jigsaw puzzle."5bobe" portal for the elderly: http://www.5bobe.com.tw/Edward Chen, President of Tatung Medical & Healthcare Technologies, hopes that the "5bobe" portal will satisfy all needs of the elderly people

Shipments of tablet-use application processors (AP) in China grew 11.2% sequentially and 40% on year in the second quarter of 2014, buoyed by a rebound in demand for tablets in the China market as well as in overseas markets. Notably, the market for tablets with phone functions is expected to continue to grow robustly, with MediaTek serving as the second largest tablet AP provider, according to Digitimes Research.Rockchip Electronics ranked as the top vendor in the second quarter with shipments increasing 25% sequentially after suffering a decline of 23.8% in the previous quarter. Rockchip also saw its market share expand significantly in the second quarter.MediaTek's tablet-AP shipments were steady in the second quarter, rising 7.1% on quarter and 87.5% on year. However, Allwinner Technology saw its AP shipments drop 7.7% on quarter due to a sharp decrease in shipments of single-core models, despite an improvement in its product portfolio, Digitimes Research said.Combined share of the top-three tablet-AP vendors reached 72.6% in the second quarter of 2014 down from 77.7% recorded in the fourth quarter of 2013. In addition to the top-three vendors, others vendors such as Spreadtrum Communications and Qualcomm have also begun shipping tablet APs, affecting vendors' market share.Tablet-AP shipments from HiSilicon Technologies, Nvidia and Intel also grew significantly in the second quarter, highlighted by Intel's efforts to strengthen its deployments in the white-box tablet segment.

Microsoft unveiled its third-generation Surface on May 20 2014. Instead of the long-rumored 7.5-inch Surface Mini, the software giant released the 12-inch Surface Pro. Digitimes Research believes the company has turned its focus back to large-size models that enable better productivity.The design of Surface Pro 3 is a device that can replace notebooks but still maintain the size and weight of a tablet. The device has a display 40% larger than its predecessor, but it weighs 10% less and is 30% thinner. The starting price is US$100 lower.Although featuring an improved price/performance ratio, the device's pricing (starting from US$799) may still be too high to attract substantial demand.Digitimes Research believes the release of the Surface Pro 3 aims less at boosting shipments of its own than opening up a new market segment to help Microsoft's OEM/ODM partners find new business opportunities and create profits from larger-size applications.In addition, launching a high-end 12-inch 2-in-1 device prior to the release of the 12.85-inch iPad is a strategic move to give Microsoft an early-bird advantage in the 11-inch and above tablet market and help the software giant enter the segment that is between high-end tablets and notebooks.

The average pricing for LCD TVs sold in the market during May 2014 was up at large as vendors continued to release new units, according to Digitimes Research.Aside from units sized 46- to 48-inch, LCD TVs pricing increased. Units sized 55-inch saw the biggest increase at 8.3% on month to roughly US$2,002 due to the amount of new TVs equipped with the size released during the time period. Most of the units happened to be Ultra HD TVs.Entry-level LCD TVs sized 60-inch meanwhile rose to US$1,229, close to what they were priced one year ago while units sized 46- to 48-inch saw small decreases in pricing, said Digitimes Research.

G1F touch panel technology used in tablet and smartphone applications will see limited shipments in 2014 while OGS shipments are expected to remain steady, according to Digitimes Research.G1F technology has mostly been used in high-end tablets and smartphones from Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Microsoft. However, due to high costs vendors are reconsidering other technologies and are switching back to OGS in addition to other film technologies for use in their new products.G1F technology was developed as vendors looked to solutions other than G/G due to G/G thickness and weight while OGS production faced yield issues. Vendors such as Nokia, Samsung and LG, however, believe OGS has more potential for maintaining high production yields as well as strengthening for bezel-free products.Japan-based makers are also expanding production for ITO film while China makers are devloping low-priced solutions such as metal mesh, all of which will affect G1F shipments and cause the technology to lose a competitive edge in the market, said Digitimes Research.

Taiwan makers have successfully entered the supply chain of the Internet datacenter center (IDC) industry and may contribute over 90% of the global server shipments in 2014. Combined revenues from related product lines such as motherboards, back-end assembly, storage and telecommunication devices, are expected to reach NT$450 billion (US$14.94 billion) in the year, up 8.8% from 2013.In 2014, three makers are expected to achieve over NT$100 billion in revenues from the server industry: Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry), Quanta Computer and Inventec. Wistron, in fourth place, will also be able to achieve NT$50 billion for the year, Digitimes Research estimates.In the next 2-3 years, with more mega IDCs to be established, Taiwan makers will continue to enjoy revenue growths. However, Taiwan makers will need to improve on their lack of global operation plans and service centers worldwide as the market will gradually expand into other regions as well as into the small-to-medium-size enterprise industry, according to Digitimes Research.

Shipments of smartphones in the China market declined 6.4% sequentially in the first quarter of 2014 as consumers delayed plans for the purchase of new phones or replacements, given that handset vendors have postponed the release of sub-CNY1,000 (US$160) 4G models to the second quarter due to a high inventory levels of 3G smartphones, according to Digitimes Research.Samsung Electronics ranked the top smartphone vendor in China in terms of shipment volume in the first quarter of 2014, followed by Apple, Xiaomi Technology and Coolpad, said Digitimes Research.However, the popularity of the sub-CNY1,000 4G models did not pick up significantly in the first quarter of 2014 since the availability of 4G chipset solutions supporting 10 band, 5-mode standards is limited to only Qualcomm and Marvell Technology. 4G smartphones built with Qualcomm's solutions are priced CNY1,500-2,000, while those built using Marvell's can be available for less than CNY1,000. Coolpad was the only vendor that adopts Marvell's 4G solutions in the first quarter of 2014.China Mobile has a total of 770 million mobile service subscribers, accounting for over 60% of China's mobile service market, making the carrier a major force to push 4G services in China. Initially, users looking for 4G are more likely to buy high-end smartphones from international brands. Apple, which began to promote its 4G-enabled iPhones in China in cooperation with China Mobile in mid-January 2014, thus became the biggest winner in the race for 4G smartphone sales in China in the first quarter.With handset vendors expected to complete their transition from 3G to 4G and clear-out 3G inventories, plus the release of 4G solutions by MediaTek in the second quarter of 2014, China-based vendors will be eager to launch sub-CNY1,000 4G smartphones starting in the quarter, accelerating the expansion of the 4G subscriber base for China Mobile.

The global top-5 notebook brand vendors' combined shipments in April dropped 24% on month and 3% on year, while shipments of the top-3 ODMs dropped 15% on month and 9% on year, according to the latest figures from Digitimes Research. Most vendors replenished their inventories during March, and reduced their demand in April.Among the top-5 brand vendors, only Asustek Computer achieved on-month growth in April. Acer and Dell both suffered around 15% on-month drops, while Hewlett-Packard's (HP) shipments declined over 40% in April after the completion of its education procurement orders.Lenovo's shipments slid over 20% on month in April because the company had been pushing its shipments in March in order to meet the shipment goal for fiscal 2013 ended March 31, 2014.Compal Electronics, Wistron and Inventec suffered large on-month drops in April, but these ODMs were also the ones who enjoyed strong shipment rebounds in March.Despite the weakened shipment growth of tablets in the first quarter, notebook shipments still suffered a 6% on-year drop during the period. Since the second half of 2013, notebook shipments have mostly been contributed by demand from the enterprise market, entry-level education procurement orders (including the Chromebook) and demand for entry-level consumer models. Raising notebooks' added value only has a limited benefit over boosting demand, according to Digitimes Research.

LCD monitor vendors focused on releasing 24- and 28-inch Ultra HD units in April 2014, according to Digitimes Research.Many of the new units displayed at NEC in April were equipped with GB-R white light LED backlighting, which helps in improving green and red color performance, in addition to IPS wide-angle panels with Ultra HD technology.Large-size units are also a major focus of monitor vendors aiming at niche markets and maintaining profits, added Digitimes Research.

Amid strong sales in the smartphone market, mini molding chokes have become the hottest area in the passive components industry since last year. Mini molding chokes are small, have low DC resistance, and are capable of withstanding large currents, resulting in their broad use in midrange to high-end smartphones that emphasize product performance, thereby continually driving related demand.A report from the ITRI IEK Components Research Department indicates that global market demand for mini molding chokes in 2014 is estimated at 8.7 billion units, with the overall market still in a state of demand exceeding supply. Chilisin Electronics is a major supplier in the industry.Introducing the World's Smallest Mini Molding ChokeVendors currently capable of supplying mini molding chokes include Chilisin Electronics, Japan's TOKO, Japan's TDK, and Cyntec (which is part of the Delta Electronics Group). What's worth mentioning is that the HEI (High Efficiency Inductor) series of power inductors introduced by Chilisin at the end of 2013 has properties that outperform those of competitors' and has successfully obtained certifications from many mobile phone customers in the market. In addition, Chilisin plans to introduce an even smaller mini molding choke - the industry's first HEI201208 (2.0 x 1.2x0.8mm) - this quarter. It is expected to meet mobile phone customers' needs in terms of smaller-sized components, making Chilisin an industry leader.Longer battery life is an important goal for smartphone power management design. Comparisons show that Chilisin's products outperform competitors' in terms of both inductor Q factors under light loading and RDC values under heavy loading. This shows that Chilisin's mini molding chokes perform efficiently both under heavy loading (PWM) and light loading (PFM), meeting efficiency requirements of mobile phones under operational modes as well as reducing power consumption under standby modes.To promote this product, Chilisin continues to strengthen partnerships with mobile phone chip vendors, serving as a primary solution supplier when mobile phone chips are announced and actively doing design-in with various major vendors. In the first half of this year, most mass-produced models on the market still use 2520 mini molding chokes; beginning from the second half of the year, the 2016 form factor will gradually become the mainstream. But Chilisin is one step ahead of the industry and has already started mass-producing 201210 molding chokes. Mobile phone clients who have adopted this product are expected to expand their orders during the third quarter of this year. It is understood that each high-end smartphone uses about 15-25 power inductors. Currently, Chilisin has a complete lineup of high-end smartphone mini molding chokes in the 3225, 2520, 2016 and 2012 sizes, and they are capable of meeting the needs of different regions as well as different generations of mobile phones.Continued Optimization with Inductor Arrays Being Added to the BlueprintsChilisin stresses that with the increase in operating frequencies for chips in mobile phones, power efficiency requirements under light loads are also more and more stringent. A 1-2% difference in efficiency can make the difference between winning and losing an order from mobile phone vendors who try to squeeze out every single drop of power savings. Chilisin believes that its high-efficiency inductor products have significant competitive advantages. Judging from previous experiences with dealing with Japanese mobile phone vendors, it is clear that they care much more about inductor performance than cost considerations. Chilisin has established close partnerships with many Japanese customers through major Japanese dealerships in the form of strategic alliances, in which high-performance HEI series products are extremely popular.As a follow-up to the current series of HEI molding chokes, Chilisin plans to introduce its UHEI (Ultra-High Efficiency Inductor) series at the end of this year, providing mobile phone vendors with products of even higher efficiency. Furthermore, Chilisin also plans to introduce its MTFA 2-in-1 inductor array products in the first half of 2015, which will make even more effective use of the limited circuit space in handheld devices, providing customers with an even more diverse range of product solutions.Chilisin has successfully expanded its production capacity for mini molding chokes from 60 million units per month last year to 100 million units per month this year. Through continual improvement of its process technologies, Chilisin has increased its yield to above 80%. Chilisin's executives have stated that since overall market demand has been exceeding supply this year, they plan to continue to expand production capacity throughout the year.Meeting Different Needs through a Diverse Range of ProductsThis year's inductor product market has focused on mini molding chokes, whereas Chilisin began strategically planning for the mobile phone market in 2009, which has allowed it to successfully enter the supply chains of various major global smartphone vendors. When you look at why new customers prefer Chilisin, its success in introducing mini molding chokes is one factor. Another important reason for its ability to maintain its competitiveness is its constant improvements in product integration.Chilisin's products are suitable for DC-DC converters, RF applications, as well as EMI suppression applications. Their constructions, ranging from multilayering or thin-film, to wire-winding or molding, provide the ability to meet the diverse design needs of all types of mobile phone customers. For example, for mobile phone power inductor applications, HEI or MHCD series mini molding chokes can support PMIC circuits, and the metal-based MRSC series magnetic wire-wound power inductors can support step-up circuits for backlighting; for Wi-Fi modules, there are multilayer-process MPB power inductors for small current applications. Over the years, Chilisin has accumulated much knowledge on different types of processes and technologies, and to this day continues to pursue perfection. Chilisin's R&D team has begun to combine and consolidate various different types of process technologies to engage in the development of next-generation products, and it is anticipated that when these products are introduced, they will once again become highlights of the market.Capability of Vertically Integrating Powders and ProcessesChilisin has always been able to quickly introduce new inductor products in line with the latest trends in the electronics industry as well as different market segment requirements. The key to its success is the fact Chilisin has its own powder factory and the capability of develop powders in-house. Chilisin points out that the Ni-Zn ferrite and metal-alloy powders required for producing inductors is 100% internally developed, without any help from outside sources. Therefore, Chilisin is able to formulate materials based on customer requirements and provide effective solutions rapidly, thereby quickly meeting the needs of its customers in terms of properties and specifications. This is also one of the underlying reasons why Chilisin is able to offer competitive prices.Chilisin is able to manage a variety of powder materials and it is one of few specialists who simultaneously possess the know-how for developing and manufacturing multilayer inductors, precision wire-wound inductors, thin-film inductors, and molding chokes. Therefore, Chilisin is not only capable of meeting the needs of mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and notebooks; it also continues to supply components for various types of products, including PC monitors, LCD TVs, servers, as well as telecommunications equipment. It is now even planning to enter the automotive electronics market. Looking forward, Chilisin's independent materials development and technological capabilities, as well as its diverse market strategies, will continue to inject endless momentum into the company.A comparison of Chilisin's and T Company's products