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Friday 6 February 2026

Foxconn sees 35% revenue increase in January on AI server demand

Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn) reported a 35.53% year-over-year increase in revenue for January 2026, reaching NT$730.04 billion (US$23.06 billion), driven by strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) servers, which have boosted shipments of cloud and networking products. Despite entering the traditional off-season, the company's first-quarter 2026 outlook remains robust.

Friday 6 February 2026

Huawei unveils new wearables, phones, and tablets ahead of MWC

Huawei announced on February 4 that it will hold a product launch event titled "Now is Your Run" on February 26 in Madrid, Spain. The company plans to introduce a diverse lineup, including wearables, smartphones, earphones, and tablets, showcasing its latest advancements in sports health, imaging experience, and multi-scenario smart ecosystems.

Thursday 5 February 2026

Qualcomm accelerates push beyond phones: Targets AI PCs, robotics, and data centers

Qualcomm is accelerating its diversification beyond smartphones, moving towards AI PCs, robotics and data centers, even as near-term handset revenues face supply-side pressure. During its fiscal first-quarter earnings call, the company highlighted expanding momentum across multiple AI-driven platforms, underpinned by its focus on power-efficient computing, edge intelligence and specialized architectures.

Thursday 5 February 2026

Taiwan's color e-reader boom reshapes digital reading and local supply chains

Taiwan's digital reading market is entering a new expansion cycle, fueled by color e-paper adoption, a strengthening local hardware supply chain, and platforms pushing dedicated devices to deepen user engagement across age groups.

Wednesday 4 February 2026

AMD sees PC growth in 2026 despite market contraction

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) expects to continue growing its PC business in 2026 even as elevated component prices are projected to weigh on the broader industry, according to comments from CEO Lisa Su on the company's February 3, 2026, earnings call. During the call, Su detailed a strategy focused on enterprise customers and the premium segment to offset anticipated market headwinds.

Wednesday 4 February 2026

HP CEO Enrique Lores steps down; board names interim leader

HP announced today that Bruce Broussard, who has served on the company's board of directors since 2021, has been named interim chief executive officer, effective immediately. He succeeds Enrique Lores, who is stepping down as president, CEO, and board member to pursue another professional opportunity. The board has established a CEO search committee and retained a leading global executive search firm to assist in identifying Lores's permanent successor.

Wednesday 4 February 2026

Alibaba's Quark glasses escalate China's push against Meta and Samsung

Alibaba Group's launch of its Quark artificial intelligence glasses has intensified competition in the global market for AI-powered wearables, as Chinese technology companies step up efforts to challenge a category where US firms led by Meta Platforms have taken an early lead.

Wednesday 4 February 2026

PC price hikes in 2026 challenge IC design houses to rely on spec upgrades

Major PC brands and chip suppliers have recently warned that price increases for PC products in 2026 are likely unavoidable. Rising costs of memory and many other components continue to surge, and if these cannot be passed on to consumers, the entire supply chain's profitability will face significant pressure.

Tuesday 3 February 2026

Apple deepens AI-hardware integration with Q.ai acquisition

Apple has taken a significant step in the intensifying AI competition with Meta Platforms and Alphabet by acquiring Israeli startup Q.ai, a move that underscores its effort to rebuild momentum in artificial intelligence. Reuters reported the acquisition, citing sources who said the deal is valued at about US$1.6 billion, while the Financial Times put the price closer to US$2 billion. If confirmed, the transaction would rank as Apple's second-largest acquisition, after its 2014 purchase of Beats Electronics.

Tuesday 3 February 2026

D-Wave pursues dual-track quantum strategy to face challenges from IBM, Google

D-Wave has begun 2026 with a series of strategic initiatives to further solidify its position in the race to commercialize quantum computing. The company, which has long focused on quantum annealing technology for optimization problems, recently completed its acquisition of Quantum Circuits Inc. (QCI), a leading developer of gate-model quantum computing systems. This acquisition marks a significant shift as D-Wave expands beyond its core technological pathway to compete more directly with IBM and Google in the broader quantum computing arena.

Monday 2 February 2026

Smart glasses will become mainstream as companies 'platformize'

Human information intake relies heavily on vision. With the accelerated development of AI, augmented reality (AR), and spatial computing technologies, smart glasses are evolving beyond wearable gadgets to become a core interface for the next generation of human-machine interaction. These interactions can naturally integrate information, AI assistant functions, sensing, and interaction into the user's field of view, eliminating reliance on handheld devices or touch controls.

Monday 2 February 2026

AR glasses flop amid continued pressure to cut costs

AR glasses are no longer newcomers to the tech industry, but their development remains constrained by high costs. On January 30, 2026, Kinko Optical held the opening ceremony for its AR/VR/MR R&D center at the Tai Yuen Hi-Tech Industrial Park in Zhubei City. Chairman Ching-Chi Chen stated that the center's equipment investment totals roughly NT$400–500 million (US$12.7–15.8 million), with an initial NT$300 million focusing on AR waveguide and optical engine technologies. The company secured R&D projects with US clients in 2025 and plans to start mass production in 2027, then shifting** large-scale manufacturing to its Taichung facility.

Monday 2 February 2026

Apple and Samsung enter decade-long AR glasses race, putting Taiwan's optical suppliers on display

Demand for smart glasses is climbing. Alongside established players such as Meta, Rokid, RayNeo, and Xreal, heavyweight brands including Samsung Electronics and Apple are preparing to enter the market, raising the stakes across the supply chain. In Taiwan's optical industry, several suppliers have emerged as focal points.

Monday 2 February 2026

India roundup: EU and India concludes FTA amid global trade disruption

After two decades, India and the EU close an FTA deal as US's tariff policy is disrupting the global supply chain.

Monday 2 February 2026

LG shifts TV production to Vietnam, expands webOS reach

LG Electronics is formalizing a shift in its television manufacturing strategy, extending outsourcing beyond China to Vietnam as part of a structural overhaul. The move comes as the company seeks to address intensifying global competition and weakening profitability in the TV market.

Sunday 1 February 2026

China controls 80% of global AI glasses production

China has become the primary manufacturing and innovation hub for AI glasses, backed by an integrated supply chain. Omdia and IDC forecast global shipments exceeding 10 million units in 2026, with China holding roughly 12% market share, per Sina.

Friday 30 January 2026

Apple dominates 2025 smartphone rankings, with iPhone 16 as the world's best-seller

According to a recent report from Counterpoint Research, the Apple iPhone 16 finished 2025 as the world's best-selling smartphone, topping global sales ahead of all other models. The iPhone 16's strong performance capped a remarkable year for Apple, which claimed seven out of the top ten best-selling smartphone models worldwide. Only Samsung's devices filled the remaining three positions, underscoring a duopoly at the top of the market that has held steady for several years.

Friday 30 January 2026

Smart glasses market transitions from Meta dominance to three-way showdown in 2026

Counterpoint held an online seminar on January 28, 2026, to discuss the smart glasses market outlook, noting that with Google, Samsung, and Apple potentially entering the space, the market could shift in 2026 from a single dominant player to a three-way competition.

Friday 30 January 2026

Samsung, LG hike laptop prices as memory 'chipflation' hits

Prices for laptops and consumer IT devices are climbing as a sustained rally in memory semiconductor costs ripples through the market. The trend, described by industry observers as "chipflation," is beginning to reach consumers as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics debut their latest notebooks with sharply higher price tags.

Friday 30 January 2026

Analysis: Apple hits record quarter as iPhone 17 demand outstrips chip supply

Apple Inc. delivered a record-breaking quarter, fueled by surging demand for the iPhone 17 even as rising chip costs and tightening memory supply began reshaping its margins and supply-chain strategy.

Friday 30 January 2026

Apple achieves record-breaking revenue in India amid surging demand

Apple has reported an exceptional performance in India for its first fiscal quarter of 2026, achieving strong double-digit revenue growth in the region. CEO Tim Cook characterized the period as a "terrific quarter" for the Indian market, where the company continues to see strong momentum in emerging markets. This growth comes as Apple reaches new heights in the second-largest smartphone market and the fourth-largest PC market in the world.

Friday 30 January 2026

Memory, CPU shortages hit Wintel notebooks, benefiting Apple

Notebook makers are under growing pressure as memory shortages and price increases persist, while a widening shortage of CPUs adds a second constraint. What began as a supply gap at Intel has now extended to AMD, leaving notebook brands that had planned to pull forward orders with limited components available. The dual shortages are clouding the outlook for the notebook market in 2026. Industry observers say Apple is likely to benefit in the near term as Wintel suppliers absorb most of the disruption.

Thursday 29 January 2026

Earnings call summary: Meta accelerates AI glasses push as wearables emerge as next major consumer platform

Meta is sharpening its AI device strategy, redirecting investment toward smart glasses and wearables as management signals urgency in shaping the next consumer computing platform, with implications for hardware ecosystems, AI deployment, and the long-term role of virtual and augmented reality.

Thursday 29 January 2026

Vivo exits smart glasses race, citing three insurmountable obstacles

After preparing for half a year, China-based smartphone maker Vivo has reportedly decided to terminate its AI glasses project. Its exit was not due to a lack of technical capability, but rather the identification of three fundamental challenges facing the smart glasses market.

Wednesday 28 January 2026

China's TV subsidies lose traction, shipments likely to decline in 2026

China will continue implementing its national subsidy policy in 2026, but with stricter conditions and higher thresholds. Judging from TV sales trends in 2025, the subsidies had already lost momentum in the later stages. Although the policy will be extended into 2026, it is expected to struggle to stimulate consumer demand, and TV shipments in China are therefore projected to continue declining in 2026.

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