With a population of 1.4 billion and an annual demand for more than 200 million smartphones, Africa is a big market. However, few have asked why it is that Transsion, a Chinese brand, enjoys a near monopoly in this market. Why did the Taiwanese companies miss out on the opportunity?
Preorders for the iPhone 15 lineup have begun after Apple's latest launch event. Carriers and retailers have all noted higher-than-expected preorder volumes, the most popular being for the 256GB Pro and Pro Max models. With the launch of the iPhone 15 series, monthly smartphone sales are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels for the fourth quarter of this year, with shipments reaching 500,000 phones per month.
Huawei's Mate 60 Pro has been shown to be equipped with only locally-produced SoCs and no peripheral chips from US-based companies. This revelation is part of the greater trend in China to source materials locally.
Taiwanese network IC suppliers are optimistic about demand from India, which requires extensive infrastructure upgrades as it solidifies its position as a key technology product manufacturing base, according to industry sources.
After the operation of the indigenously developed NavIC navigation system, India is on track to encourage mobile devices, including phones and vehicles, to support NavIC with potential incentives.
China-based Transsion Holdings, which primarily targets the African handset market, has expanded into new markets along with its chip partners MediaTek and Unisoc, according to industry sources.
The 2023 global smartphone market has very much been lackluster, with major brands all uncertain about their sales growth. Apple's iPhone 15 series is seen as the only stable contender in the market. Under these circumstances, Huawei's return to the 5G smartphone market, after being relegated to the sidelines for years, created a major buzz immediately upon its reveal.
Analyses diverge on how well the overall sales for the iPhone 15 series will perform this year. Due to the unexpectedly high order amount and the fact that the series is still in the initial stages of mass production, it is still too early to reach a conclusion, say industry sources. Potential supply chain issues, restrictions from the Chinese government, and competition from Huawei could still steer the sales of the iPhone 15 series in different directions.
V. Lee, the Foxconn representative in India, said in a LinkedIn post that the group aims for another doubling of employment, FDI, and business size in India. Lee did not elaborate on the timeline of Foxconn's expansion plan in India. According to Reuters, Foxconn employs 40,000 people in India.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with a 5x optical zoom-in capability, marking the first time in Apple's iPhone history and sparking discussions about whether Apple has started incorporating periscope lenses.
Apple Inc., facing a controversy in France over the iPhone 12's radiation levels, has advised tech-support staff not to volunteer any information when consumers ask about the issue.
Huawei's progress in successfully producing self-developed chips may have inspired another Chinese smartphone brand company's decision to restart its smartphone system-on-chip (SoC) development. Xiaomi has started posting job vacancies related to self-developed SoC on its official website.
The Chinese government and state-owned enterprise employees have long been "discouraged" from using foreign brand smartphones, including Apple's iPhone, during official hours. Recent reports from The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times have reignited discussions on this topic. In response, Chinese officials have officially stated that there is no explicit ban on iPhones.
Tata Electronics, the subsidiary of Tata Group engaged in iPhone case manufacturing, generated revenues from mobile phone parts manufacturing but incurred huge losses.
Asustek is taking legal action against Samsung Electronics, contending that Samsung has infringed on its wireless communication patents. The firm is taking the offensive while it has usually been taking the opposite side. The move indicates high confidence on Asustek's part.
HTC is taking a highly diversified strategy in its operations, strengthening and enriching its VR/AR ecosystem, while at the same time expanding its smartphone lineup to face market challengers head on. The company has set its targets on 5G, AI, blockchain, and AR/VR technologies, with its vision of the Viverse vision at the core of its operations. With tangible results in recent metaverse and private 5G networking applications, the company expects a boost to its operations as applications in these areas continue to expand.
Gaming continues to be one of the key competitive points of flagship smartphone SoC design in 2023, rather than generative AI as previously emphasized, according to sources.
At the Apple Event 2023, the new Apple Watch product line was unveiled as the first-ever carbon-neutral product of the US consumer electronics giant and became one of the spotlights of the day. Originally, Apple was planning to reach the goal of 100% carbon-neutrality of its supply chain by 2030. Now with Apple Watch hitting the goal first, the supply chain partners of Apple's MacBooks, iPhones, etc., will have to get ready for the rigorous alignment.
In 2023, global spending on fab equipment for front-end facilities is projected to decrease by 15% before rebounding with a 15% year-over-year increase in 2024, according to a recent SEMI report.
The new iPhone 15 series does not include 2TB of storage, and initial sales projections are less optimistic, causing memory manufacturers to be cautious about customer shipment pull-ins in the second half of this year despite it being prime season, according to industry sources.
The new S9 system-in-package (SiP) that powers the just-unveiled Apple Watch is manufactured by Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) and Universal Scientific Industrial (USI), both of which are under ASE Technology Holding, according to industry sources.
