Business and Technology Report: Prepared by Ferhat Ünlükal 9/2/2012

2012
BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY REPORT
Prepared by Ferhat nlkal 9/2/2012

AUGUST 2012
Headlines
Consumer Electronics (CE) Samsung Electronics showed two of its upcoming TVs. LG has announced four game apps for Cinema 3-D Smart TV line. LG Electronics is set to show off a slew of new products aimed at the home theater market. Sony has reported that despite making revenues of $19.2 billion for its last quarter it managed to make a net loss of $312 million. Sony has revealed it plans to purchase all remaining shares in Japanese broadband company So-Net. Sony showed off an 84-inch TV set with 4K resolution technology. Sharp said it will cut 5,000 jobs after widening its annual loss forecast to 250 billion yen ($3.2 billion). Sharp is considering selling its overseas plantsto Foxconn. Sharp and Foxconn's new 60-inch TV model that is rumored to be released later in 2012. TCL has reported a 34.99% on-year increase in flat panel TV revenues in July. TCL and Tencent jointly launched iCE SCREEN. Amtran published its financial earnings for the first half of 2012. MaxLinear Inc. announced that Vestel Elektronik has selected the MxL601 for its latest generation of hybrid televisions.
Lenovo has yet to see favorable responses from consumers with its K series smart TVs. AKAI has announced the launch of its new range of attractively priced LEDs and LCD televisions Hisense announced that they would be bringing the Hisense Pulse to market later this year. Foxconn e posted a $226m loss. Foxconn Electronics and Sharp will soon be releasing a new LCD TV. Foxconn Technology Group companies wrote off NT$6.4 billion last quarter because of a decline in Sharps share price. Shares of Hon Hai Precision Industry rallied as it said it had reached an agreement to renegotiate the deal to invest in Sharp Electronics. Foxconn is to set up an operation in Indonesia with plans to invest $5-10 billion over five to 10 years. Foxconn is now asking to double its planned stake in Sharp Corp. to about 20 percent. Foxconn had reached a tentative agreement with Japanese electronics company NEC Corp. to buy some of its liquid crystal display (LCD) patents. Foxconn is planning a rooftop solar project using panels Logitech launched a new high-definition webcam for TVs, able to run Skype videoconferencing software without the need for a PC. Gene Dolgoff, a New Yorker whose resume boasts of inventing digital projection and the LCD projector, invented 3-D Visions Instant 3-D Converter. The global TV & video market had total revenues of $189 billion in 2011. OLED TVs are expected to comprise less than 1% of flat panel TV sales. TV vendors are looking to bump up sales in third and fourth tier cities in China. The vendors are claiming that flat screen TVs are bringing losses. Taiwan-based flat screen TV OEMs will see a 10% decline in shipments. The global electronics contract maufacturing (ECM) market was valued
at $410 billion in 2011 and is projected to grow at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9% from 2013-2018. Worldwide shipments of flat-panel televisions rose to 48.9 million units in the second quarter, up 3.6 percent from 47.2 million from the first quarter. India Set Top Box (STB) market is expected to ship 67.2 million units by 2017 The global set top box market is expected to show strong growth in 2012. A total of 45.3 million individuals will pay to access OTT internet television programming in 2012. China is set to represent the fastest growing set top box market in the world. Apple Inc's market value climbed past US$623 billion. Apple Inc. scored a sweeping legal victory over Samsung. Apple Inc is gearing up to unveil a new product. The iPad Mini and Apple television set are now in production at Foxconn factories. Apple expects to sell more than 263 million of its sixth-generation iPhone. Apple has been meeting with various cable companies to discuss a new set top box. Apple and Google have joined forces to bid on Kodak's patent portfolio. Samsung is supposedly readying an 11.8in tablet. Samsung Electronics became the first handset maker to announce a smartphone using Microsoft's latest mobile software. Samsung is considering buying Research in Motion. Samsung has successfully demonstrated clear reception capabilities of LTE Broadcast services. LG announced that worldwide sales of its 4G LTE smartphones have surpassed 5 million units.
ICT
Sony will roll out its PlayStation Mobile cross-platform gaming service. Sony's cell-phone division is cutting 1,000 jobs, or 15 percent of its global workforce. Toshiba has decided not to introduce Windows RT models. Barnes & Noble, Inc. reported a loss for the first quarter. Barnes & Noble Inc cut prices on three models. BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is looking to sell cloud services provider NewBay. Nokia Corp. (NOK) said it has agreed to sell its remaining share of software development kit Qt. Nokia is promoting Groupon Inc offers on the maps. Nokia Corp. (NOK) announced a new partnership with Harman International Industries Inc. Nokia Siemens Networks is planning to open a new factory in Brazil. Hewlett-Packard absorbed the largest quarterly loss in its history. Dell Inc warned of a challenging second half. HTC Corp said it sees sales growing only in China. HTC said it will buy a 17.1 percent stake in a U.S. next-generation enterprise platform company for $35.4 million. Acer has urged Microsoft Corp to reconsider its planned venture into the tablet market. Acer is getting ready for Windows 8 with new devices. Lenovo reported a better-thanexpected quarterly profit. Lenovo on introduced a new range of all-in-one PCs. Haier has adopted its 1GHz TD-SCDMA Android platform. Ozmo Devices announced that global TV innovator Haier Group will develop Ozmo-based Wi-Fi direct peripherals. International Business Machines Corp has considered buying Research In Motion's enterprise division. IBM is acquiring flash memory system provider Texas Memory Systems. 3
IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Vodafone today announced a collaboration to combine mobile communications. IBM and Kenya have opened a research lab. Cisco said t that it has completed its acquisition of NDS Group. Cisco cooperates with WMWare for cloud computing. Eastman Kodak Co said it plans to sell most of its consumer and document imaging businesses. Apple Inc and Foxconn have improved work and safety conditions. Foxconn Technology Group's Indonesian factory will begin operating. InterDigital announced that its patent holding subsidiaries have entered into a worldwide, non-exclusive, royaltybearing patent license agreement with Wistron Corporation. Wistron has stepped into recycling scrap PCs. Intelligent Living Corp. announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding ("MOU") with Coast Tsimshian Resources LP. Home Automation, Inc. (HAI), recently announced a connectivity partnership with NextAlarm. Trimble Navigation Ltd has agreed to purchase privately held software maker TMW Systems Inc for $335 million. According to Gartner, sales of smartphones were up by 42.7% to 154 million units in Q2. Digitimes Research has remained conservative about the prospects for the period, with half-year shipments projected to reach 49.18 million units. Android's market share dropped and Apple iOS' share grew. Apple's iPad will remain the global tablet leader through at least 2016. Infonetics forecasts the overall set-top box market, including cable, satellite, IP and hybrid IP/DTT STBs, to grow modestly in 2012, to $14.7 billion. The navigation market is forecast to reach a low of $22 billion this year, before fluctuating around the $22-$24 billion mark.
ABI's prediction that shipments of connected cars will rise from 5.7 million in 2012 to 50.9 million in 2017. The global digital music market is expected to grow at 15 percent annually, reaching nearly USD$22.5 Billion by 2017. Total broadband aggregation equipment sales reached $1.72 billion in 2Q12. Japan is seen to become the leading market for wireless power technology. The revenue generated in global chipless RFID market is expected to reach $ 3,925 millions in 2016.
Panel Industry Samsung is working on an AMOLED display. Panel makers such as LG Display are holding a conservative outlook for panel growth in the third quarter. LG has started mass-producing a new type of thinner display for use in the next-generation iPhone. Sharp Corp's main creditors Mizuho Corporate Bank and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group are considering extending about $2.52 billion in new loans. Sharp has said it plans to cut 2,000 jobs through a new voluntary retirement program. Sharp will start shipping screens destined for a new Apple iPhone. Sharp Corp. may spin off a plant in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, that produces liquid crystal display panels for smartphones. Sharp Corp said output at its moneylosing LCD television panel plant had almost tripled to 80 percent of capacity. Toshiba will put out an 84-inch 4Kx2K TV in 2013 priced at US$12,700. AUO has announced preliminary consolidated July 2012 revenues of US$1 billion. The board of directors of LCD panel maker AU Optronics (AUO) has approved an additional capital expenditure (capex) budget of US$61.3 million in 2012. AU Optronics (AUO) has been focusing on product differentiation.
AUO's shipments of new 39- and 50inch panels currently reach several hundred thousand units a month. AU Optronics (AUO) is exhibiting a 4.46-inch smartphone display panel. AU Optronics (AUO) is showcasing a 50-inch full HD transparent display. AUO is showcasing its ultraslim notebook displays. AU Optronics (AUO) has said an earthquake in Taiwan affected its July revenue. AUO said it is holding a conservative outlook for the third quarter. AU Optronics (AUO) is reportedly working closely with Japan- and Chinabased TV vendors to promote 84-inch 4Kx2K LCD TVs. CMI has reported losses for seven consecutive quarters. CMI has been tackling emerging markets with a focus on acquiring panel orders for tablets used in the educational sector. Monthly shipments of 29-, 39- and 50inch TV panels from CMI have surpassed one million units. Chimei Innolux (CMI) is planning to showcase its new 5-inch Full HD panel module. Chimei Innolux (CMI) has announced its second-quarter 2012 results. Chimei Innolux (CMI) saw sharp declines in revenues from touch panels in the second quarter. CPT is seeing an increase in small-sized panel production due to increasing demand for low-end smartphones in China's market. Hannstar expects to see increased operations in the second half of this year. HannStar Display shipped 39.61 million small- to medium-sized TFT-LCD panels in July, Chimei Innolux (CMI), Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) and HannStar Display have seen increasing shipments of handset-use panels BOE has recently announced that it plans to construct another 8.5G plant in China.
TPK expect to see increased orders in the fourth quarter with the release of Windows 8, new tablet PCs and various notebooks. eMagin announced that it has received a $2.4 million contract. E Ink announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to buy shares of SiPix Technology. Global Touch Panel Display market to grow at a CAGR of 13.2 percent over the period 2010-2015. Total touch screen module revenue will reach $16 billion in 2012. Digitimes Research predicts there will be a total of 389 million large-sized TFT LCD panels shipped in the second half of 2012. LCD TV panel prices are stabilizing and may see an additional 2-3% rise. Large-sized LCD panel shipments are expected to increase in August. Taiwan-based LCD TV panel makers will be left to fulfilling market requirements. Chimei Innolux (CMI) and AU Optronics (AUO) worrying that the ramifications of increased panel production in China. China's government may increase tariffs for imported LCD TV panels from 5% to 8-10%. The market size of HUD in 2012 is estimated to be $991.86 million and expected to reach $2.91 billion at a CAGR of 24% from 2012 to 2017. Forecasts say the total market value of materials used in OLED applications will grow quickly from over USD 500 million in 2012 to over USD 7 billion by 2019end. The market for active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) will grow nearly tenfold from 2.3M square meters in 2012 to more than 22M in 2016.
Semiconductor Industry Broadcom announced the industry's first fully integrated 40nm Dual ISDB-T receiver chipset. Broadcom Corporation introduced the StrataXGS Trident II Series. Broadcom said that it plans to offer about $500 million of senior notes Intel has turned more aggressive about other product lines. Intel also signed contracts with Beijing to jointly establish a technology R&D school. Advanced Micro Devices is taking steps to bridge the gap between x86 and ARM processors. STMicroelectronics announced that it has taken an important additional step in its positioning in the emerging videosharing market for smartphones and other portable consumer devices. STMicroelectronics has teamed up with China FAW Group Corp. (FAW) in establishing a joint laboratory in the FAW Group Research and Development Center. Qualcomm has acquired Israel based DesignArt Networks. Sigma Design has announced that Japan's Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, and Telecommunications. Elpida announced that it has submitted to the Tokyo District Court a restructuring plan in line with Micron Technology's proposed takeover. The Taiwanese government has approved for MediaTek Inc.'s proposed acquisition of rival fabless company MStar Semiconductor. Rovi Corporation (ROVI), announced that MediaTek Inc is set to integrate Rovi's DivX Plus Streaming(TM) technology. MediaTek has acquired a total of 282.37 million share. MediaTek Inc applauded the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliance's Wi-Fi CERTIFIED TDLS. MStar Semiconductor has announced pre-tax profits of US$52.71 million for the second quarter of 2012. MStar offers a wide range of products for the Pay-TV STB industry.
Ubitus Inc. and MStar Semiconductor Inc., will together showcase smart TV cloud gaming solutions Microchip announced that it has received notice of clearance of its previously announced acquisition of SMSC. Hitachi Ltd said it will supply 142.3 million pounds loan to prop up struggling chipmaker Renesas. ALi has announced that the company has teamed up with Panasonic's semiconductor business group to begin mass production of a new DVB-T2 STB solution. Seagate Technology reported a fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $1 billion. Seagate Technology Plc has reached an agreement to buy the former manufacturing plant and headquarters building of bankrupt Solyndra LLC. Silicon Laboratories Inc. announced that it has shipped its one hundred millionth silicon TV tuner. ON Semiconductor has introduced a fully programmable Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) switching battery charger. Telit announced the achievement of ZigBee PRO and Smart Energy software certification. Chimei Materials is looking to bump up its profits in the second half of this year by providing polarizing films for use in 50-inch TV panels. GreenPeak Technologies has announced it is expanding its product portfolio and customer target base. The Z-Wave Alliance is pleased to announce the approval of the Z-Wave frequency band in Brazil. Taiwan's IC design market will grow to nearly NT$409 billion in 2012. Semiconductor spending in Asia-Pacific among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the region is expected to rise by 6 percent in 2012 Apple and Samsung Electronics remained the two largest buyers of microelectromechanical systems.
Software Industry Microsoft's corporate logo has a new look. Microsoft has given a makeover to its SkyDrive cloud storage service. Microsoft disclosed that it has cut the price for the Kinect sensor. Microsoft Corp. has introduced mice and keyboards to work with its Windows 8 software. Microsoft Corp unveiled a revamped, Facebook-friendly version of its free. Microsoft announced it was releasing Windows 8 to its manufacturer partners. Google Inc said it acquired marketing start-up Wildfire. Google Inc showed off enhancements to its voice-based search technology. Eastman Kodak received two bids from investor groups including Apple Inc and Google Inc of between $150 million and $250 million. Google Inc will slash 20 percent of the workforce of Motorola Mobility. Rovi Corp signed an agreement with Google Inc. Google Inc is buying the Frommer's line of travel guidebooks. Oracle Corp said it would buy privately held Xsigo. SAP agreed to pay rival Oracle Corp $306 million in damages over copyright infringement allegations. Red Hat, Inc. announced it has acquired business process management (BPM) technology developed by Polymita Technologies S.L. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission cleared Facebook Inc's acquisition of Instagram. Windows Phone and the outdated Windows Mobile has gained market share worldwide, going from 2.3 percent in Q2 2011 to 3.5 percent in Q2 2012. The Indian application development software market is expected to cross $227 million in 2012, a 22.6 per cent rise over 2011.
Service Industry Roku Inc will work with Haier. Datalogix and TiVo announced an exclusive partnership. TeliaSonera said it has entered a deal to acquire the next generation wireless broadband technology, or WiMax, operations of Kazakh company Alem Communications. Based on forecasts for 80 countries, pay TV revenues will climb to US$200 billion in 2017. DTH revenues will reach US$91 billion in 2017, up from US$76 billion in 2011. Infonetics forecasts the global video infrastructure market to grow 9% in 2012, to over $875 million. Third generation (3G) data services usage grew by 78 per cent in India. Many of the same trends from the first quarter of 2012 with slowing 2G/3G spending and strong LTE momentum continued in the second quarter.
Retail and Payment Industry VeriFone Systems, Inc. (NYSE: PAY), will provide the merchant payment solutions in the initial phase of the first major contactless payment rollout in Mexico City. Shares of VeriFone Systems Inc. slid 11 percent. VeriFone announced that its Point Group has won its largest to date VeriFone announced that its Point Group is providing key payment services for the GoMcDo online mobile ordering system utilized by McDonalds diners in France. e-Nabler Corporation has announced the certification of Ingenico's iSMP mobile payments. Apple acquired AuthenTec (AUTH) for approximately $356 million, a move that highlights the companys transition to mobile payments. Casio, have launched their revolutionary cloud-based Business Portal with five new software apps designed to help businesses get the most from their Android platform based ePOS systems. 7
Google Inc. (GOOG) unveiled changes to its mobile-payment system. Isis announced that U.S. market leaders in retail fuel dispensers. PayPal is in the early stages of what may be a blockbuster mobile payments deal with McDonald's Corp. PayPal announced an extension of its offline strategy by teaming up with Discover to bring PayPal to more than 7 million merchant locations across the U.S. Starbucks will also invest $25 million in Square. First Data Corporation, announced that it will provide ID TECH, a leading supplier of point-of-sale (POS) devices, with its TransArmor data encryption and tokenization technology . McAfee is expanding its mobile security software for Android tablets and smartphones. Agilysys, Inc. announced the formal availability of NextPosition 3S, a nextgeneration mobile point-of-sale (MPOS) software system. QUORiON, launches new line of electronic cash registers for small business. GoPago introduces GoPago LIVE, a system that replaces merchants' cash registers with sleek, 4G-enabled tablets and "point-of-sale" (POS) software. Wayne will integrate the Isis SmartTap mobile commerce application. Gartner Inc. (IT) said it estimated the value of mobile-payment transactions would reach $617 billion worldwide by 2016, up from $105.9 billion in 2011. Global NFC PoS Terminal market to grow at a CAGR of 17 percent over the period 2011-2015. China continues to be an integral part of the market, accounting for approximately 13% of all worldwide smart government ID shipments in 2011. Some of the largest store chains, like Publix, Target and Walmart, have come together to form a new company that will offer shoppers a new digital-age way experience of paying at the register.
Sales of physical goods by mobile phone are only expected to account for 4 per cent of retail transactions by 2017, they will amount to more than $1.3tn in total revenue. Mobile-payment transactions are expected to hit an estimated $600 billion worldwide by 2016. Starbucks will use Square Inc.s payment system in 7,000 stores and invest $25 million in the startup. Mocana disclosed it has received $25 million in new venture capital funding led by Trident Capital.
Energy Industry Siemens says it is starting a shares repurchasing program worth up to 3 billion ($3.6 billion). Robert Bosch GmbH will close a solarpanel plant in eastern Germany by the end of the year. Toyota plans to sell a fuel cell vehicle in 2015. Hitachi Ltd and General Electric Co are considering combining their two nuclear power joint ventures. Sharp Corp has entered talks with an overseas manufacturer to negotiate the sale of its key solar cell factory. Manila Electric Company and Cisco are collaborating on a holistic approach to providing reliable computing and networking infrastructure as a foundation for operations on a smart grid. AUO announced that the company is actively advocating its EU project, the first made-in-Europe solar integrated service alliance in the PV industry. Daintree Networks and Philips have signed an agreement to develop advanced lighting controls products. Ford is investing $135 million to develop more electrified vehicles. Silver Spring Networks announced that it has been selected by CPFL Energia. The Consortium for Smart Energy Profile 2 Interoperability announced its formal incorporation. The US smart grid market is expected to continue its double-digit growth momentum of the last five years to
reach approximately $26.7billion by 2017. A new Internet-enabled power outlet was developed will allow users to control household appliances.
Consumer Electronics (CE) Samsung 55 OLED and 75 LED TV Samsung Electronics showed two of its upcoming TVs at the IFA trade show on Thursday, the 55-inch OLED ES9500 and the ES9000, an LED TV with a 75inch screen.
Healthcare Industry Siemens Healthcare announced that the company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Penrith Corporation of Plymouth
Samsungs stock performance LG Game Apps on Smart TV LG has announced four game apps previously only available for Android or iOS devices are now available for its Cinema 3-D Smart TV line in full 3-D. This will be the first time the apps have been available in 3-D. The available apps include Air Penguin, Frisbee Forever, Burn The City, Downhill Bowling 2 and Diversion. The games are available as of today on LG Smart World and all 13 countries where the service is available including the UK and the US. LG has (August 27) announced the launch of Game World, the Korean firm's new video games portal on its internet-connected 3D television sets.
Acquisition of Broadband company Sony has revealed it plans to purchase all remaining shares in Japanese broadband company So-Net, in a deal worth 60 billion yen ($764 million). A filing completed by the two companies on Thursday (.pdf) announced Sony's plans to acquire the shares remainder in the company -- 42 percent -- in order to turn the broadband provider into a whollyowned subsidiary. The company believes that completing the deal will result in "a full leverage of So-net's business portfolio and assets."
LGs stock performance Home Theather systems LG Electronics is set to show off a slew of new products aimed at the home theater market. Running the gamut from 3D sound systems to entertainment hubs, the new devices will be on display at the IFA trade show in Berlin.
84 inch 4K TV Set Sony showed off an 84-inch TV set with 4K resolution technology at the IFA consumer show in Germany.
Sony Financial Sony has reported that despite making revenues of $19.2 billion for its last quarter it managed to make a net loss of $312 million. Incurred costs from restructuring its division containing Sony Mobile contributed to the loss, with a small loss from its gaming division. Bigger loss contributions came from Sony's Entertainment's division, which includes its TV manufacturing-reflecting the woes of the greater industry itself.
Sharp Financial and cutting 5000 jobs Sharp Corp. (6753), maker of Aquos televisions, said it will cut 5,000 jobs after widening its annual loss forecast to 250 billion yen ($3.2 billion) as demand for its sets slumped.
Sharps stock performance Selling overseas plants to Foxconn Troubled Japanese TV maker Sharp Corp <6753.T> is considering selling its overseas plants that make liquid crystal display (LCD) modules to Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry (TAI:2317), the Nikkei business daily reported without citing sources. The plants Sharp is
Sonys stock performance
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looking at selling are located in Mexico, Poland, China and Malaysia, the report said. 60 inch TV with Foxconn Sharp and Foxconn's new 60-inch TV model that is rumored to be released later in 2012 may pose strong challenges for high-end models made by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics due to large price differences and similar quality between the models, said sources. Sources said the new 60-inch TV will be priced less than NT$40,000 (US$1,300). This will most likely cause the Korea-based makers to lower their prices.
TCL LCD TV sales TCL Multimedia Technology Holdings Limited announced the sales volume of its TV and AV products for July 2012. The Group's monthly sales volume of LCD TV in July 2012 amounted to 1,111,573 sets, up 34.7% year-onyear, of which the sales volume of overall LED backlight LCD TV reached 812,386 sets in July, accounting for 73.1% of the total LCD TV sales volume.
Lenovo Smart TV China-based Lenovo has yet to see favorable responses from consumers with its K series smart TVs due to its pricing, sales channels and increased competition in the flat screen TV sector, said industry sources. The K series was released in May of this year and has been up against a number of other smart TV models from Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics. In China, Lenovo's 42-inch smart TV models aren't priced far from Korean TVs and the company has been up against other major local TV makers such as TCL that offer better pricing.
TCLs stock performance LCD TV Shipments China-based TV vendor TCL has reported a 34.99% on-year increase in flat panel TV revenues in July. The vendor sold over 1.1 million flat screen TVs in July, which brought its total LCD TV sales from January throughout July to 6.48 million. This represents a 60.6% increase compared with the same time period last year. Market observers said subsidies issued by China's government that include funding for LCD TVs were the main driver for TCL's increased sales. The subsidies have been particularly helpful for replacing CCFL TVs with low-end LCD ones in China's third and fourth tier cities while high-end LCD and smart TVs have been increasing in sales throughout first and second tier cities, added the observers.
Lenovos stock performance
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Smart TV Platform TCL Multimedia Technology Holdings and Tencent, China's leading integrated internet service provider, jointly launched iCE SCREEN, the world's first large screen mobile entertainment smart cloud product, creating a new form of consumer electronic products and bringing the evolution of the crossindustry integration between China's consumer electronics industry and internet industry to a higher level.
Vestel Hybrid TV MaxLinear Inc. (NYSE: MXL), a leading provider of integrated radio frequency (RF) and mixed-signal integrated circuits for broadband communication applications, announced that Vestel Elektronik, Europe's leading TV manufacturer, has selected the MxL601 for its latest generation of hybrid televisions targeting the European LED/LCD television market.
Amtran AKAI Financial Amtran has revealed plans to make high-profit, large-sized TVs that have smart functions such as Internet connectivity for various TV vendors in order to bump up TV sales in North America. Recently, Amtran published its financial earnings for the first half of 2012 stating that it made NT$29.2 billion (US$980 million) in consolidated revenues and shipped three million LCD displays due to increasing market demand. However, the company said that demand in the second half will be lower, and that it needs to make highend TVs to maintain profits.
New LCD Product Line AKAI, one of the largest Japanese consumer electronics brands with over eight decades of lineage as a technology innovator in consumer electronics, has announced the launch of its new range of attractively priced LEDs and LCD televisions. The company has launched 2 new models of LED TVs and 1 new model for LCD TV. The range includes India's first 29 inch ultra slim LED with only 9 mm narrow bezel (model LED29E12) whose initial response has been extremely encouraging. AKAI India is targeting a growth of 50 percent in the next quarter with its diverse range of LEDs, High Definition LCDs and CRT televisions.
Hisense Hisense Plus STB solution Hisense announced that they would be bringing the Hisense Pulse to market later this year. The Pulse, like the CoStar, is a small set-top box that brings the Google TV experience to any television with an HDMI input. It will be available in mid-November for under $99.
Amtrans stock performance
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Foxconn Financial Foxconn International Holdings (FIH), the world's largest contract producer of smartphones, has seen shares fall 3.5 per cent after its worst-ever first-half net loss. The manufacturer posted a $226m loss for the January to June period, marking a significant deterioration in performance since the same time last year, when it recorded losses of $17.65m.
Simon Hsing told Bloomberg News Aug. 3. Investment in Indonesia Foxconn Technology Group is to set up an operation in Indonesia with plans to invest $5-10 billion over five to 10 years and starting with the assembly and production of 3 million handsets per year, Indonesia's Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan told reporters. The first investment will start in October and in phase two of the project, starting in July 2013, Foxconn will build a plant and increase output to 10 million units per year.
Renegoiating with Sharp Shares of Hon Hai Precision Industry rallied on Monday as it said it had reached an agreement to renegotiate the deal to invest in Sharp Electronics, according to the China Post. The Japanese consumer-electronics maker, Sharp, has been a drag on the Taiwanese Hon Hai, contract manufacturer for Apple, over the past four months. Over the past week, the situation took a turn for the worse, but today, Sharp is getting a 2% relief rally. Taiwanese Hon Hai had previously agreed to hand over 66.9bn (547m, $853.8) for a 9.9 per cent stake in Sharp and another 66bn (539.58m, $842.3m) for a 46.5 per cent stake in Sharp's joint venture telly business with Sony.
Foxconns stock performance New LCD TV with Sharp in Taiwan Foxconn Electronics and Sharp will soon be releasing a new LCD TV in the Taiwan market using a new brand name, according to sources. The new model is rumored to be 60 inches in size and will be compatible with Chunghwa Telecom's (CHT) multimedia on demand (MOD) service.
Declining Sharps share price Foxconn Technology Group companies wrote off NT$6.4 billion last quarter because of a decline in Sharps share price as investors bet against the Japanese electronics makers chances of a turnaround. Foxconn still plans to proceed with an investment of at least 9.9 percent in Sharp, while the deal wont be for the original price of 550 yen per share, Hon Hai spokesman Acquisition more stakes from Sharp The Nikkei, Japans economic journal, reported that Foxconn owner Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. is now asking to double its planned stake in Sharp Corp. to about 20 percent from the originally agreed 9.9 percent. Executives of Foxconn Technology Group and Sharp Corp. continued talks in Japan on Tuesday to revise the
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Taiwan firm's plan to invest in the ailing Japanese electronics maker. Patent agreement with NEC Hon Hai Precision Industry Chairman Terry Gou said yesterday he had reached a tentative agreement with Japanese electronics company NEC Corp. to buy some of its liquid crystal display (LCD) patents for an undisclosed amount.
3D vision Instant 3D Converter Gene Dolgoff, a New Yorker whose resume boasts of inventing digital projection and the LCD projector, invented 3-D Visions Instant 3-D Converter. Dolgoff is also the chairman, CEO and chief technology officer of 3-D Vision. (The device) converts any video content into 3-D, and it also will convert any viewing device, like a TV set, into 3-D as well, Dolgoff said. So for $299 you have a complete 3-D system with unlimited content and no need to go out and buy a new 3-D TV set.
Solar Project Foxconn Technology Group, the maker of Apple Inc. (AAPL)s iPhone and iPads in China, is planning a rooftop solar project using panels from Thornton, Colorado-based Ascent Solar Technologies Inc. (ASTI) Logitech
CE Market Global TV & Video Market
Skype TV Logitech launched a new high-definition webcam for TVs, able to run Skype videoconferencing software without the need for a PC. The webcam runs a customized version of Skype, and comes with a remote control for controlling the Skype software and zooming images in and out. It has a wider-angle lens than traditional webcams, Logitech said.
The global TV & video market had total revenues of $189 billion in 2011, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.1% between 2007 and 2011. The TV segment was the market's most lucrative in 2011, with total revenues of $142.1 billion, equivalent to 75.2% of the market's overall value. The Blu-ray, DVD & VCRs segment contributed revenues of $26.8 billion in 2011, equating to 14.2% of the market's aggregate value. The performance of the market is forecast to accelerate, with an anticipated CAGR of 3.7% for the fiveyear period 2011 - 2016, which is expected to drive the market to a value of $227.2 billion by the end of 2016.
TV Shipments Logitechs stock performance Following a sharp 30-percent drop during the first three months of 2012, worldwide shipments of flat-panel televisions returned to growth in the second quarter, according to research firm HIS.
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Worldwide shipments of flat-panel televisions, a category consisting of liquid crystal display (LCD) and plasma sets, rose to 48.9 million units in the second quarter, up 3.6 percent from 47.2 million from the first quarter. Worldwide LCD TV shipments increased 3.4 percent in the second quarter, following a 29.3 percent drop in the first quarter. While worldwide plasma shipments are generally declining, they enjoyed a 6.6 percent bump in the second quarter, compared to a 39.5 percent plunge in the first quarter.
platforms of digital content with their electronic devices, said the sources. Telecommunication providers as a result are reacting to this trend by forming alliances with hardware makers to make devices that can connect with new wireless system platforms to allow consumers to access a wide variety of digital information. The sources said that telecommunication providers are already starting to work with Samsung Electronics and are not ruling out the possibility of working with other smart TV makers in order to stay ahead of market trends. Smart TV Alliance, launched in June this year by founding Board members LG Electronics and TP Vision with Toshiba joining shortly after, has expanded with new members with expertise from different areas of the Smart TV industry. As it continues to expand its market reach, the Smart TV Alliance will publish specifications for its software development kit (SDK) 2.0 on its official website www.smarttvalliance.org. The actual SDK tool will be made available by the end of the year for use by developers.
OLED TV OLED TVs are expected to comprise less than 1% of flat panel TV sales through at least 2013, reaching 9% of units by 2017. In contrast, LED/LCD TVs, which often offer thinner form factors and less power consumption over traditional (CCFL) LCD TVs, are expected to grow from 35% of the market in 2011 to 75% in 2017. 2012 OLED TVs from Samsung and LG are expected to cost well over $5,000 (closer to $10,000) at sizes less than 60 Sony and Panasonic are partnering to release larger screen OLED TVs in 2013. At these prices consumers are challenged with selecting picture quality and form factor over size consider that an equivalent sized LED TV costs thousands less and at these prices you are close to Sharps 15
Smart TV Alliance TV hardware makers and telecommunication providers are reportedly forming alliances to overtake the traditional cable TV format and provide more digital content through smart TVs as the devices are becoming the new TV viewing trend, according to industry sources. TV vendors throughout Asia are reportedly continuing to invest in developing smart TVs as trends show that consumers want to be able to share information and access multiple
new 90 LED TV (Sharps 80 LED TV can be had for prices closer to $4,000). TV sales in China TV vendors are looking to bump up sales in third and fourth tier cities in China, with 3D models expected to see sharp growth, industry sources have revealed. At present, China is the world's largest TV market with steady growth. But growth is slowing down in its major cities where competition between high-end brands is fierce.
due to lower than expected growth in economies throughout Europe. These economic declines have caused TV vendors to restructure their shipment quotas for the second half as well as adjust their product portfolios in hopes of seeing a better turnaround in 2013. ECM Market The global electronics contract manufacturing (ECM) market was valued at $410 billion in 2011, and is projected to grow at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9% from 2013-2018, to increase from its market value of $435 billion in 2013 to $670 billion in 2018. Segment wise, computers and telecommunications are projected to account for nearly $243 billion in 2012 and $250 billion in 2013. The market is expected to reach $389 billion by 2018, a CAGR of 9.3%. The consumer and industrial segment is projected to total $128 billion in 2012 and $132 billion in 2013. This segment is expected to reach nearly $203 billion in 2018, a CAGR of 8.9%. Other applications should account for nearly $51 billion in 2012 and $53.4 billion in 2013. This segment is expected to reach nearly $78 billion 2018, a CAGR of 7.9%.
Reducing the quantities Panasonic is restructuring its goal of selling 15.5 million flat screen units in 2012 to 9.4 million while Sony is lowering its target from 19.6 million to 15.5 million. Samsung Electronics is also lowering its 2012 flat screen TV sales quota from 50 million units to 40 million while LG Electronics is lowering its from 40 million to 26 million. The vendors are claiming that flat screen TVs are bringing losses, especially Sony which reported US$314 million in losses during the second quarter. High-end value-added smart TVs on the other hand are bringing in more profits and brought in US$4.5 billion in net profits for Samsung Electronics and US$138 million for LG Electronics during the second quarter, according to recent Digitimes reports. Sources added that demand for flat screen TVs is expected to rise in emerging economies and that there will be a big wave of TV purchasing in 2013 in China.
STB Market The global set top box market is expected to show strong growth in 2012 despite overall slow growth in the developed economies of the world. New technology and increasingly powerful processors has enabled a more personalised viewing experience to be provided to clients. The provision of downloadable apps and improved technology within new set top boxes is providing added functionality for clients, which in turn is driving increases in the uptake of new set top boxes. During 2012, the volume of satellite set top boxes in the world is expected to increase by 12%.
Taiwan based TV OEMs Taiwan-based flat screen TV OEMs will see a 10% decline in shipments by the end of the year due to TV vendors across the globe lowering their flat screen TV shipments for the second half of the year, according to industry sources. Sources predict there will be approximately 41 million units shipped from Taiwan-based OEMs in 2012, 10% down from the previous year largely
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OTT Internet TV Market A total of 45.3 million individuals will pay to access OTT internet television programming in 2012 - about 2x as many as the number that subscribe to the world's largest cable TV network, Comcast (U.S.A), which claimed 22.8 million subscribers at the end of 2010. By 2016, the number of individuals who pay to access OTT internet TV programming will have increased to 352.4 million, a figure which is nearly 50% of the worldwide total of Pay-TV subscriptions (cable, satellite and IPTV combined).
ICT Industry Apple Market Cap. Apple Inc's market value climbed past US$623 billion, surpassing the record set by Microsoft Corp during the heyday of technology stocks in 1999.
STB Market in China China is set to represent the fastest growing set top box market in the world as one of the main sources of recent set top box (STB) market growth has set a target of moving from terrestrial television to digital cable transmission by 2015. The domestic market in China for set top boxes is extremely large and it is this expected large volume of sets required for this transition to materialise, which is attracting foreign investors into the Chinese set top box market. In 2009, Cisco acquired the cable STD division of DVN (Holdings) Limited and agreed to pay up to US$44.5 million.
Apples stock performance Patents protection against Samsung Apple Inc. scored a sweeping legal victory over Samsung as a U.S. jury found the Korean company had copied critical features of the hugely popular iPhone and iPad and awarded the U.S. company $1.051 billion in damages. Apple, which accuses the South Korean electronics giant of copying the iPhone and iPad too closely, is seeking damages of up to US$2.75 billion (S$3.44 billion) and an injunction that could knock some Samsung products off the US market.
STB Market in India India Set Top Box (STB) market is expected to ship 67.2 million units by 2017, at a CAGR of 28.5% from 20122017. At present, DTH subscribers are the major customers of STBs in India, however with the government directives to digitize entire pay TV network including cable TV, the market for India STBs is expected to gain significant momentum.
iPad Mini and Apple TV The iPad Mini and Apple television set are now in production at Foxconn factories, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek believes. In a research note sent out last week, Misek claimed that the production of the iPad Mini has caused Foxconn, Apple's main manufacturing partner, to see an unusual 5 percent increase in revenues in July, reports Forbes
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Misek claims that Taiwan component sales in July and his own supply chain checks have led him to believe that Apple plans to build 25 million iPads in the September quarter, up from the 18 million previously predicted. The December quarter could also see an increase from 22 to 25 million iPads to 30 million, says Misek, who thinks that Apple will sell at least 8 million iPad Minis in that quarter. Apple has tapped two companies to produce the display for its iPad Mini, a new report claims. AU Optronics and LG Display will produce the iPad Mini's 7.85-inch screen, Bloomberg is reporting today, citing several sources. TPK Holding and Foxconn-owned Yeh Cheng Technology will handle lamination coating for the screen, according to the sources.
Apple is reportedly in talks with cable manufacturers to make set-top boxes that would sort of reinvent TV, but there's an easier and more obvious route for Apple to take: buy TiVo.
Acquisition of Kodaks patent portfolio Apple and Google have joined forces to bid on Kodak's patent portfolio, The Wall Street Journal is reporting, citing unnamed sources. Samsung New Tablet PC Samsung is supposedly readying an 11.8in tablet with a 2560 x 1600 resolution to rival Apple's new iPad. The tablet, possibly called the Galaxy Tab 11.8, was revealed in court documents relating to a trial with Apple. Its codename is P10 and the tablet will combine an 11.8in screen with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, according to The Verge.
New Iphone Apple Inc is gearing up to unveil a new product at a major September 12 event, a source familiar with the plan said, presaging the long-awaited launch of the redesigned iPhone. The world's most valuable technology company typically takes the wraps off its latest smartphones around the fall, allowing the gadget to hit store shelves in time for the peak holiday shopping season. The fifth iteration of the device that helped revolutionize the mobile industry is expected to sport a thinner, larger screen and a smaller dock connector, among other tweaks, sources and analysts have said. This led analyst firm Asymco to the conclusion that Apple expects to sell more than 263 million of its sixthgeneration iPhone (dubbed iPhone 5).
Smartphone with Windows 8 Samsung Electronics became the first handset maker to announce a smartphone using Microsoft's latest mobile software, making its surprise, hurried announcement just days before the highly anticipated launch of Nokia's version.
Buying Research in Motion (RIM) Samsung is considering buying Research in Motion or licensing RIM's BlackBerry 10 operating system, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek wrote in a note to investors this week.
Negotiation with cable companies According to the Wall Street Journal and CNET, Apple has been meeting with various cable companies to discuss a new set top box that would allow users to stream cable content on demand as an alternative to the set-top boxes that cable subscribers rent.
LTE Broadcast Services Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, has successfully demonstrated clear reception capabilities of LTE Broadcast services using evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) technology using Anritsu's
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(www.anritsu.com) Rapid Test Designer (RTD) and MD8430A to simulate the LTE network environment. LG LTE Phones LG announced that worldwide sales of its 4G LTE smartphones have surpassed 5 million units, up from 3 million units in May. The South Korean vendor currently offers LTE smartphones in more than 10 countries and plans to double its reach by the end of 2012.
in the future while monitoring market conditions."
Toshibas stock performance Barnes&Noble Financial Bookstore chain and Nook eReading software provider Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS:Quote) reported a loss for the first quarter that narrowed from last year, reflecting a surge in digital content sales as well as strong sales of the "Fifty Shades of Grey" series at its bookstores. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT:Quote) said in late April that it will make a $300 million investment in a newly formed subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Newco, which includes the Nook digital and college businesses. Barnes & Noble is actively engaged in the formation of Newco and expects the Microsoft transaction to close this Fall.
Sony Cross Platform Gaming Services Sony Computer Entertainment Inc will roll out its PlayStation Mobile crossplatform gaming service starting this fall, offering application software and other content across devices like the handheld PlayStation Vita and Xperia smartphones and tablets.
Cutting jobs Sony's cell-phone division is cutting 1,000 jobs, or 15 percent of its global workforce, mostly in Sweden over the next two fiscal years through March 2014.
Toshiba Windows 8 and Tablet application "Toshiba has decided not to introduce Windows RT models due to delayed components that would make a timely launch impossible," the Japanese electronics company said in a statement to Bloomberg earlier today. "For the time being, Toshiba will focus on bringing Windows 8 products to market. We will continue to look into the possibility of Windows RT products
Barnes&Nobles stock performance
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Price cutting on e-books and tablets Barnes & Noble Inc cut prices on three models of its Nook e-reader and tablet devices, ahead of the peak of the back to school season and amid speculation that rival Amazon.com Inc is preparing to launch a new version of its Kindle Fire tablet. Barnes & Noble, which has said the Nook has allowed it to win 27 percent of the U.S. e-books market, said it had slashed the retail price of its Nook tablet with 16 GB of memory to $199 from $249. Amazon is the market leader with about 60 percent of e-book and e-reader sales.
(DIG1V.HE) for an undisclosed sum, as the ailing Finnish handset maker continues to divest assets in a bid to return to profitablity.
Nokias stock performance Promoting Groupon Nokia is promoting Groupon Inc offers on the maps on its Lumia smartphones as it tries to stand out in a crowded field vying for the attention of U.S. cellphone owners.
RIM Selling cloud service provider BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is looking to sell cloud services provider NewBay and some of the other minor assets it recently acquired, as part of a strategic review process, according to a source familiar with the matter. RIM acquired NewBay, a provider of photo, video, and social-networking tools for smartphones and computers, in October 2011 for reportedly around $100 million, as it sought to roll out a new strategy to stem its steady decline.
Partnership with Harman Nokia Corp. (NOK) announced a new partnership with Harman International Industries Inc. (HAR), a supplier of audio and infotainment systems, to develop wireless consumer audio technologies exclusively for the Nokia Lumia range.
Nokia Siemens Investment in Brazil Nokia Siemens Networks is planning to open a new factory in Brazil, in partnership with Flextronics International, a company executive has confirmed.
RIMs stock performance Nokia Selling the share of QT Nokia Corp. (NOK) said it has agreed to sell its remaining share of software development kit Qt to IT firm Digia Oyj
HP Financial Hewlett-Packard absorbed the largest quarterly loss in its history as the Silicon Valley pioneer owned up to past mistakes that have left it scrambling to adapt to a shifting technology market.
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The loss of $8.9 billion announced Wednesday didn't come as a surprise. HP telegraphed the news earlier this month when it disclosed plans to take an $8 billion charge to reflect the shrinking value of Electronic Data Systems, a technology consulting service it bought for $13 billion in 2008.
HTC Financial Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC Corp said it sees sales growing only in China this quarter while other regions decline, forecasting as much as a 23 percent fall overall in revenue, in a further sign of how tough its road to recovery will be. The world's No.5 smartphone maker, once one of the industry's high flyers but badly hit by competition from Apple Inc and Samsung, sees third-quarter revenue at between T$70 billion and T$80 billion ($2.3 billion and $2.7 billion), compared with T$91 billion in the second quarter.
HPs stock performance Dell Challeging second half Dell Inc warned of a challenging second half and slashed its full-year earnings outlook as customers cut back on computer purchases ahead of the launch of Microsoft's Windows 8 software, sending its shares down more than 4 percent.
HTCs stock performance Acquisition of Magnet Systems Taiwanese smart phone maker HTC Corp (2498.TW) said it will buy a 17.1 percent stake in a U.S. next-generation enterprise platform company for $35.4 million (22.5 million pounds) in order to enhance service offerings to its mobile enterprise customers. "The investment will bring social, mobile, and cloud capabilities to HTC's portfolio of service offerings to its mobile enterprise customers," HTC said in a statement on Monday. The target company, Magnet Systems, headquartered in Silicon Valley, is a platform builder of a nextgeneration enterprise applications that accelerates the development and delivery of mobile enterprise applications, according to HTC.
Dells stock performance
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Acer
Lenovo Financial and Market situation Lenovo Group Ltd, the world's No.2 PC maker by sales, reported a better-thanexpected quarterly profit, pushing its shares to a seven-week high, but analysts warned a slower Chinese economy could cut into its performance. The ThinkPad maker, close to overtaking Hewlett Packard Co for the top spot, has risen quickly on the global PC stage due to aggressive pricing, overseas acquisitions and a fast-growing home market. These rapid gains in market share, however, have come at the expense of margins, with profits growing at their slowest pace in more than a year. Lenovo, with a market value of $8.2 billion, also faces slowing growth in the market for personal computers and tough competition from the likes of Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd in the fast-growing tablet PC and smartphone space.
Tablet Market Taiwanese computer maker Acer has urged Microsoft Corp to reconsider its planned venture into the tablet market, the Financial Times reported. Acer Chairman and Chief Executive J.T. Wang, said Microsoft's plans to launch its own "Surface" tablet in October would be "negative for the worldwide ecosystem" in computing. Microsoft's "Surface" tablet would enter the market in direct competition with Acer's "Iconia" or Hewlett-Packard Co's "TouchPad" tablets.
Acers stock performance Windows 8 Like many PC and tablet vendors, Acer is getting ready for Windows 8 with new devices. The company is planning to sell a Windows RT tablet. But that won't launch until early next year after Acer has a chance to see how well Windows 8 takes off. Windows 8, which launched as an RTM (release-to-manufacturing) version on Wednesday, has garnered decidedly mixed reviews. Many reviewers, testers, and users say the new OS works smoothly on tablets but isn't as user friendly on PCs. The split personality of the Windows 8 user interface (formerly known as Metro) and the desktop also has proved controversial.
Lenovos stock performance All in one PC with Windows 8 Lenovo on introduced a new range of all-in-one PCs that have touchscreens and are designed to run Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 OS, with prices for the desktops starting at US$599.
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Haier Smartphone Spreadtrum Communications has announced that Haier has adopted its 1GHz TD-SCDMA Android platform, the SC8810. The Haier HT-I617, a smartphone designed to address the needs of the mass-market consumer, has completed China Mobile's certification testing, paving the way for a commercial launch through China Mobile's channels.
IBM Buying RIMs enterprise division International Business Machines Corp has considered buying Research In Motion's enterprise division, Bloomberg reported On Friday, citing two unnamed sources.
IBMs stock performance Acquisition of Texas Memory Systems Android Tablet Chinese brand Haier, perhaps better known for household appliances than mobile devices, has revealed a series of Android-powered tablets and a smartphone ahead of consumer electronics fair IFA in Berlin. To augment its line of storage and data center systems with solid state technology, IBM is acquiring flash memory system provider Texas Memory Systems (TMS).
Haiers stock performance
Wi-Fi Direct Ozmo Devices, the leader in ultra-low power Wi-Fi Personal Area Networks (Wi-Fi PAN), announced that global TV innovator Haier Group will develop Ozmo-based Wi-Fi direct peripherals for its new line of Smart TVs. The wireless Wi-Fi accessories for Haiers 2013 Smart TV models will likely include a remote control, a microphone, and a variety of other innovative human interface products.
IBMs stock performance Cooperation with Vodafone IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Vodafone today announced a collaboration to combine mobile communications and cloud
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computing for the remote management of 'smart home' appliances.
Mobile applications Researchers at Armonk-based IBM are working to develop the companys Watson AI technology (the computer that competed on Jeopardy) for mobile devices. They expect to generate billions in sales by putting it to work in finance, healthcare, telecommunications and other areas. Currently the computer version is the companys most high-profile product, after being sold to Lenovo Group Ltd. in 2005. The companys next challenge is to make it mobile. Even though most of the computations occur at the data center in Yorktown Heights, NY, a Watson smart phone application would still consume too much power for it to be practical today. The next hurdle is the time it takes Watson to do the machine learning it can take years to master a field. Researchers also need to add voice and image recognition to the service so that it can respond to real-world input. Unlike Apples Siri, IBM is focused on corporate customers and aims to tackle more complex questions such as explaining symptoms and Watson suggesting what the ailment might be.
March the most significant acquisition for Cisco since it bought videoconferencing leader Tandberg in 2009. The move is indicative of the company's intent to lead the service provider video market, where its Videoscape initiative and ScientificAtlanta set top boxes are targeted.
Ciscos stock performance Partnership with WMware The Aug. 27 press release announcing an expansion of the partnership between Cisco and VMware (NYSE: VMW ) is a great strategic business move. Cloud technology is the future of computing, and $39 billion VMware is one of the leaders in the industry. Cisco's no slouch when it comes to the cloud, either. It offers customers a suite of Cisco-specific solutions, including SecureX, data loss prevention, and secure mobile solutions.
Reseach Lab U.S. computer services company IBM and Kenya have opened a research lab they hope will save the country billions of dollars by developing technology to improve delivery of public services. Kodak
Selling consumer and document imaging business Eastman Kodak Co said it plans to sell most of its consumer and document imaging businesses and shift its focus to commercial printing as it works to emerge from bankruptcy.
Cisco Acquisition of NDS Networking giant Cisco said t that it has completed its acquisition of NDS Group, a provider of video software and content security systems for service providers and media companies. Cisco announced its intention to buy NDS Group for $5 billion (3.2bn) back in
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Wistron Licence Agreement InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDCC) announced that its patent holding subsidiaries have entered into a worldwide, non-exclusive, royaltybearing patent license agreement with Wistron Corporation. The agreement covers various products, including handsets, wireless modules, computers, tablets and other consumer electronic devices, designed to operate in accordance with 2G, 3G, and 4G wireless standards, including LTE and LTE-Advanced.
Kodaks stock performance
Foxconn Improving work and safety conditions Apple Inc and Foxconn have improved work and safety conditions at the Chinese factories that make most of the world's iPads and iPhones, but the auditors they enlisted to monitor the process warned that the toughest tasks lay ahead. Foxconn Electronics, on August 23, announced an upward adjustment in wage rates for employees at its production base in Zhengzhou, northern China, with the hike effective on August 1, according to China-based tech.163.com. Foxconn Technology Group, a major supplier of Apple Inc, said it will further reducing overtime for its Chinese workers to less than 9 hours a week from the current 20.
Wistrons stock performance Recycling scrap PCs Wistron has stepped into recycling scrap PCs at its factory in Kunshan, eastern China, and expects to recycle 4,000 tons of scrap PCs a month in 2013, with the recycling business to begin to profit in the second quarter of 2013, company chairman and CEO Simon Lin said at an August 24 investors conference. Wistron has also stepped into after-sale services in 15 countries around the world, with 250 offices servicing China, Lin indicated. Wistron expects revenues from aftersale service to keep growing to US$100 million in 2014, Lin said.
Production operations in Indonesia Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group's Indonesian factory will begin operating in December this year and the majority of the output will be sold in the local market, says report.
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Intelligent Living Corp. Home Automation Intelligent Living Corp. ("ILVC"), (ILVC), a leading supplier of green building solutions and innovative home automation and control technology systems, announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding ("MOU") with Coast Tsimshian Resources LP ("CTR") (http://ctrlp.ca) targeting First Nations and offshore markets for the Company's modular homes and emergency shelters. The MOU outlines time frames and conditions for the establishment of a three year business plan and the corporate structure required to achieve revenue targets.
rangefinders and navigation systems. Its products are generally focused on the mobile, fleet, construction and scientific markets. ICT Market SmartPhone market According to Gartner, sales of smartphones were up by 42.7% to 154 million units in Q2. Even more important, overall profits are following the same curve. But Apple and Samsung together accounted for 83% of all smartphone sales. That dichotomy is the source of Foxconn International Holdings loss. For the year, IDC forecasts dramatic changes. In 2011, US share in smartphone market was 21.3 percent compared to 18.3 percent for China. This year, China is expected to reach 26.5 percent, while the United States falls to 17.8 percent.
SmartPhone market in US Android's market share dropped and Apple iOS' share grew as smartphone unit sales decreased in the U.S during the second quarter, according to market research company Strategy Analytics. Overall smartphone shipments in the U.S. fell 5 percent year-on-year to reach 23.8 million units. Google's Android is still the most popular OS by a wide margin. However, an estimated 13.4 million Androidbased smartphones were shipped during the second quarter resulting in a 56 percent share of the U.S. market. That compares to 15.3 million units and a 61 percent share during the same period last year, according to Strategy Analytics. At the same time, Apple's U.S. market share grew from 23 percent in the second quarter last year to 33 percent. Apple's unit sales increased from 5.9 million to 7.9 million smartphones.
ILCs stock performance Home Automation Inc. Partnership with NextAlarm Home Automation, Inc. (HAI), recently announced a connectivity partnership with NextAlarm and their VoIPAlarm product to offer builders a way to leverage a younger buyer demographic that cut the landline cord long ago.
Trimble Navigation Acquisition of TMW Trimble Navigation Ltd has agreed to purchase privately held software maker TMW Systems Inc for $335 million in cash. California-based firm Trimble is known for its advanced positioning solutions, including GPS receivers,
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Tablet PC market Apple's iPad will remain the global tablet leader through at least 2016, even as it loses some market share, according to researcher Gartner Inc. The iPad will account for an estimated 46 percent of shipments in 2016, down from a projected 61 percent this year, Gartner said. Tablets running Google Inc.'s Android software may have 37 percent by 2016, a gain from 32 percent. Microsoft, which had zero percent of the tablet market last year, is expected to nab 12 percent by 2016. That number may increase because the Gartner report was issued before Microsoft unveiled its Windowsbased tablet. Digitimes Research has remained conservative about the prospects for the period, with half-year shipments projected to reach 49.18 million units and whole-year shipments being revised downward to 88.69 million units; the ratio of shipments between the first and second halves of the year is estimated to be 45:55. The research firm has predicted that the ranks of competitors in the tablet market will experience enormous changes in 2012. The market situation has shifted from a situation where mobile phone and PC vendors went against Apple into a melee between Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Apple. The free for all between the industry's giants will be important to the emergence of the industry during the second half of 2012.
During the first half of 2012, iPad 2 Shipments reached 12 million units. Apple's sales of the iPad 2 and the launch of Google's Nexus 7 in the third quarter have already left a significant impact on other tablet manufacturers. These events will soon be followed by the launch of Amazon's next-gen 7-inch tablet and Microsoft's Surface. There are also reports of a possible move by Apple to launch a smaller version of the iPad, dubbed the iPad Mini, as well as a revamped version of its main iPad model.
STB Market Infonetics forecasts the overall set-top box market, including cable, satellite, IP and hybrid IP/DTT STBs, to grow modestly in 2012, to $14.7 billion Future STB revenue declines will be offset in part by a shift from cable STBs to hybrid IP/QAM STBs and from satellite STBs to hybrid IP/DVB-S STBs the fastest growing STB segment Motorola maintains its worldwide revenue share lead among set-top box manufacturers, followed very closely by Cisco and Pace. North America remains the most lucrative market for set-top boxes, with an STB average selling price (ASP) of over $150.
Navigation Market Senior analyst Patrick Connolly stated," When we look at the decline from 2008 to 2011, there is a perfect storm of economic conditions, low-cost/free smartphone navigation, the decline of PNDs, and falling car sales. The market is forecast to reach a low of $22 billion this year, before fluctuating around the $22-$24 billion mark, as a new period of growth for factory-fitted solutions, coupled with smartphone solutions, will take in-car navigation towards saturation point in many regions by 2017."
Global Tablet Shipment forecasts for major brands, 1H10-2H12(m units)
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1.25G, 2.5G, and 10G EPON; 2.5G and 10G GPON; FTTH; FTTB; PON; and DSL aggregation equipment. The report also tracks FTTH, FTTB+LAN, and DSL subscribers. Wireless power According to IMS Research, Japan is seen to become the leading market for wireless power technology this year, with enabled devices surpassing two million shipments by the end of 2012. The report points to mobile phone carrier support, in-box packaging and deployment of wireless power infrastructure as the main reasons for the rapid rise in cable-free charging, said the market research firm.
Navigation Devices and Systems Revenues by Type World Markets, 2006-2017 Source: ABI Research Connected Cars Connected cars with features like internet-enabled navigation and streaming media will soon be the norm with 50 million being sold every year by 2017. So say the research wonks at ABI Research and who are we to argue. ABI's prediction that shipments of connected cars will rise from 5.7 million in 2012 to 50.9 million in 2017.
RFID Market The revenue generated in global chipless RFID market is expected to reach $ 3,925 millions in 2016 from $1087 millions in 2011 at an estimated CAGR of 29.3% from 2011 to 2016.
Digital Music Market The global digital music market is expected to grow at 15 percent annually, reaching nearly USD$22.5 Billion by 2017, according to Australiabased independent telecom analyst firm Ovum.
Broadband Market Total broadband aggregation equipment sales reached $1.72 billion in 2Q12, according to the report. However, the market will be challenged to match last years record-setting activity. For example, despite being up 5% from the previous quarter, 2Q12 sales were 8% smaller than those in the year-ago quarter. The quarterly PON, FTTH, and DSL Aggregation report provides worldwide and regional market size, select vendor market share, forecasts, and analysis for
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Flat Panel Industry Samsung OLED Display Samsung is working on an AMOLED display that is rumored to be betterthan-retina. The South Korean phone manufacturer is hoping to feature a display that uses pixel densities which ETNews says will carry a higher pixel density count than Apples tablet and smartphone Retina display technology.
quarter of 2012 compared to the first, thanks to panel shipments for Apple iPad, according to IHS iSuppli. During its most recent results announcement with industry analysts, LGD said its tablet panel revenues reached US$610 million in the second quarter. This indicates the company's tablet panel sales performance was up 126%, more than double from US$270 million in the first quarter. Sharp Financial Sharp Corp's main creditors Mizuho Corporate Bank and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group are considering extending about 200 billion yen ($2.52 billion) in new loans to the struggling TV maker, Japanese media reported, sending its shares higher.
LG Display Conservative Outlook in Q3 Panel makers such as LG Display are holding a conservative outlook for panel growth in the third quarter due to economic instabilities throughout Europe, but they may still be able to turn losses into profits due to stabilizing panel prices, according to industry sources.
Cost Cutting Japanese electronics maker Sharp has said it plans to cut 2,000 jobs through a new voluntary retirement program. The television set and display panel maker estimates that the voluntary retirement scheme will cost the company 27 billion yen ($3.34 billion), of which the expenses have been included in the financial estimates for the end of FY2012.
Investment to boost capacity LG Displays stock performance Next Generation iPhone panel LG has started mass-producing a new type of thinner display for use in the next-generation iPhone, according to reports. Apple patented the technology and would be the first to use new incell technology for its iPhone, giving it an edge over competing smartphones. LG Display (LGD) more than doubled its tablet display revenues in the second Hon Hai Precision Industry and Sharp Corp may spend over US$1 billion (RM3.13 billion) to boost capacity at the worlds most advanced LCD panel factory in western Japan, part of an effort to rescue century-old Sharp from the wreck of Japans sinking TV industry
New IPhone display Japan's Sharp Corp. will start shipping screens destined for a new Apple iPhone that is widely expected to be 29
released in October ahead of the preChristmas shopping season. "Shipments will start in August," Sharp's new president, Takashi Okuda, said at a press briefing in Tokyo on Thursday after the company released its latest quarterly earnings. Production delays in IPhone panels Sharp is said to be facing serious production delays of its alleged in-cell touchscreen displays destined for the next-generation iPhone. Sharp had previously promised that it would begin the mass production of the mobile displays with the new technology over this past month, but sources speaking to The Wall Street Journal say that this has not gone ahead as planned. The incell display technology uses new manufacturing methods, and Sharp is said to be facing technical difficulties in moving to the mass production phase.
Electronics, Sharp has been helped by partner Hon Hai Precision Industry, which has garnered business from U.S. TV maker Vizio and Sony Corp, sources familiar with the matters told Reuters on condition they were not identified. Toshiba 4K*2K LCD TV Japan-based TV vendor Toshiba will put out an 84-inch 4Kx2K TV in 2013 priced at JPY$1 million (US$12,700) according to media reports in Japan while Sony will reportedly be doing the same. Sources said that AUO will most likely supply panels to the vendors, which will help AUO expand its product portfolio and influence in the TV market.
AUO Financial AU Optronics (AUO) has announced preliminary consolidated July 2012 revenues of NT$31.7 billion (US$1 billion), a 5.1% on-month decline and a 3.1% on-year decrease. For July 2012, large-size panel shipments, for desktop monitors, notebooks, LCD TVs and other applications were 10.38 million units, a decrease of 9.7% from the previous month. Small-and-mediumsize panel shipments exceeded 11.75 million units, down 17.8% over June.
Invitation investment from other companies Struggling Sharp Corp. may spin off a plant in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, that produces liquid crystal display panels for smartphones and also invite investment from other companies to secure additional operating funds, sources said. Selling its air conditioner, copier and electronic components businesses, including LED production, as well as downsizing domestic TV assembly by ending its operations in Tochigi Prefecture, are also under consideration as part of restructuring efforts, the sources said. "We must reduce our deficit as much as possible through the sale" of businesses, a senior Sharp official said.
New orders and increasing capacity usage Japan's Sharp Corp said output at its money-losing LCD television panel plant had almost tripled to 80 percent of capacity since July, giving the company badly needed cash as it prepares for deeper cost-cutting and asset sales. In addition to a large order from Samsung
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Lineup of advanced display Technologies The world's leading provider of display total solutions, AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO), announced that it will participate in Touch Taiwan 2012 from August 29 to 31 and bring a full lineup of advanced display technologies and product total solutions. AUO is not only consistently dedicated to innovating display technologies, but also to aggressively developing high value-added products and applications. The exhibition highlights in the show, including a large video wall assembled by the world's narrowest(*) nine 46" high resolution super narrow bezel panels, the 50" Full HD transparent display with application on vending machine, the world's first commercially available 55" 4K by 2K 2D/3D switchable TV display, the new size 50" Full HD 3D TV display with super narrow bezel, and a series of OneGlass-Solution (OGS) touch solutions ranging from 4.7" to 27" will be presented. For mobile device applications, AUO will demonstrate a series of high resolution smartphone displays and Full HD high resolution Ultra Notebook displays with slimmer and lighter designs.
and increasing the proportion of its sales from small- and medium-sized panels in order to attempt to make up for seven consecutive quarters of losses, said sources. The panel maker will be providing new panel products for use in TVs and laptops in the third quarter and may become the largest provider for international tablet brands by the end of the year, said sources. It is estimated that in September, AUO will have 2 million tablet shipments and the order visibility for high-end goods is currently until the end of year due to new tablet and laptop products that are about to hit the market, added sources. AUO recently said its shipments to the small- to medium-size segment will grow in the third quarter and that the panels being used for future tablet shipments will have a higher resolution, will consume less power and will also come in various new sizes from 7- to 10-inches.
New Size TV applications Taiwan's top-2 LCD panel makers Chimei Innolux (CMI) and AU Optronics (AUO) will continue to ramp up the production ratio of new-size TV applications to fend off increasing competition from China-based rivals in the traditional panel segment, according to industry sources. AUO's shipments of new 39- and 50-inch panels currently reach several hundred thousand units a month and the shipment volume will continue to expand in the rest of the second half of 2012, according to the company.
Additional Capital Expenditure The board of directors of LCD panel maker AU Optronics (AUO) has approved an additional capital expenditure (capex) budget of NT$1.84 billion (US$61.3 million) in 2012 specifically for adjustment in product mix and upgrade in product specification and quality, according to the company. AUO spent NT$25.7 billion on acquisition of fixed assets in the first half of 2012 and expects capex of NT$40 billion in 2012.
4.46 inch smartphone display panel AU Optronics (AUO) is exhibiting a 4.46-inch smartphone display panel with wide viewing angle and HD 720 high resolution (329 PPI) at Touch Taiwan 2012 running until August 31.
Product Differentiation AU Optronics (AUO) has been focusing on product differentiation, improvements with its product portfolio
50 inch transparent display AU Optronics (AUO) is showcasing a 50-inch full HD transparent display 31
applied on a vending machine at Touch Taiwan 2012. Ultraslim Notebook displays AUO is showcasing its ultraslim notebook displays at Touch Taiwan 2012. The 10.1-, 13.3- and 15.6-inch Ultra Notebook displays feature ultra slim and light with high resolution. CMI Financial CMI has reported losses for seven consecutive quarters and sources said losses for the second quarter might be as high as NT$7 billion (US$233 million), indicating that the LCD panel industry is still facing serious challenges due to global economic crises despite recoveries with small- and mediumsized panels. Chimei Innolux (CMI) has announced its second-quarter 2012 results. Combined net sales for the quarter amounted to NT$112.5 billion (US$3.8 billion), a 3% increase over the previous quarter's NT$109.2 billion. Gross loss was NT$1.9 billion, for a gross margin of negative 1.7% while operating loss totaled NT$7.6 billion with an operating margin of negative 6.8%. Additionally, net loss attributable to the shareholders of the parent company amounted to NT$9.5 billion and equaled negative NT$1.31. The company shipped 35.3 million large-sized units in the second quarter, which represented a 9.1% increase over 32.4 million units shipped in the first quarter. Combined small-andmedium sized revenues for the second quarter amounted to NT$21,280 million, a decrease of 17.7% when compared against the previous quarter. The company shipped 94.5 million small-and-medium sized units, an increase of 4.7% over the 90.3 million units shipped in the previous quarter.
Earthquake in Taiwan AU Optronics (AUO) has said an earthquake in Taiwan affected its July revenue by causing one of its 6G LCD panel plants to stop for 3-5 days. The company said the earthquake contributed to its 9.7% on-month drop with large-sized panels in July. The company also saw a 17.8% on-month drop in small- to medium-size panel shipments, as well as a 5.1% decrease in consolidated revenue, which came to NT$31.72 billion (US$1.06 billion).
Conservative Outlook in Q3 AUO said it is holding a conservative outlook for the third quarter despite the approaching October 1 National Day shopping season in China. Amid global economic instabilities, AUO expects unit shipments of large-size panels to stay flat in the third quarter, but in terms of panel area and ASP, they will both rise. The company added that ASP for largesize panels will rise 5% in the third quarter. Small- to medium-size panel shipments will grow slightly in the third quarter, the company said.
84 4K*2K LCD TV AU Optronics (AUO) is reportedly working closely with Japan- and Chinabased TV vendors to promote 84-inch 4Kx2K LCD TVs in order to compete with high-end TV models made by Korea-based TV vendors, according to industry sources.
New Size Panel Monthly shipments of 29-, 39- and 50inch TV panels from CMI have surpassed one million units, and CMI will ramp up combined shipments of 39- and 50-inch panels to over two million units a month in the third quarter, said industry watchers. Additionally, CMI also began to ship 58-
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inch TV panels earlier in August. CMI has been making the 58-inch panels at its 5.5G lines, achieving a substrate utilization rate of nearly 95%. 5 inch Full HD panel Chimei Innolux (CMI) is planning to showcase its new 5-inch Full HD panel module with a 443ppi for the first time at Touch Taiwan.
CPT Increasing small sized panel production Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) is seeing an increase in small-sized panel production due to increasing demand for low-end smartphones in China's market, said sources. CPT plans to hit 80 million with shipments for smartphones this year but hopes that number will be as high as 100 million. CPT will also start mass producing ultrabook panels in the third quarter and hopes to ship 500-600 million small- and medium-sized panels in 2012 in order to maintain its spot as the number one maker of small- to medium-size panels in the world.
Panel orders from tablets used in education Taiwan-based panel maker Chimei Innolux (CMI) has been tackling emerging markets with a focus on acquiring panel orders for tablets used in the educational sector, said sources. So far CMI has received panel orders for tablets used in the education sector throughout India and is in the process of negotiating similar orders throughout Thailand, Brazil and Turkey, said sources.
Hannstar Financial HannStar generated revenues of NT$3.126 billion (US$105 million) in July, rising 10.51% on month but slipping 8.11% on year. The company's January-July revenues of NT$19.863 billion dipped 22.03% on year.
Conservative Outlook in Q3 Chimei Innolux (CMI) saw sharp declines in revenues from touch panels in the second quarter mainly because of customers adjusting their products as well as delaying them to the market, according to company chairman Tuan Hsing-chien. CMI's touch panel sales dropped almost 50% sequentially and 22% on year in the second quarter. CMI said there have been various panel and phone makers that are delaying products to the market. The company did not mention specifically what companies or what products have had the most influence.
Hannstars stock performance Panel shipment Taiwan-based HannStar Display shipped 39.61 million small- to medium-sized TFT-LCD panels in July, increasing 5% on month, according to the company. In addition, HannStar shipped 980,000 large-sized panels used in monitors and under its brand
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HannsG in July, decreasing sequentially by 38.4%, the company indicated. Increasing cell phone and tablet orders Hannstar expects to see increased operations in the second half of this year due to being involved with various supply chains of China-based cell phone and tablet vendors, according to sources.
2013 and that tablet PCs will grow in sales as well, giving panel makers including TPK no shortage of opportunities to increase their shipments.
BOE 8.5G Plant investment China-based panel maker BOE has recently announced that it plans to construct another 8.5G plant in China to increase its production capacity. At present, BOE has one 8.5G production line that is expected to produce approximately 10 million glass substrates in 2012. The new 8.5G line is estimated to be completed as of the first quarter in 2014 and will produce 55-inch and below sized TFT LCD panels, according to industry sources. TPKs stock performance eMagin OLED Microdisplay orders from Navy eMagin Corporation (NYSE Amex: EMAN), a leader in OLED microdisplays and virtual imaging technologies, announced that it has received a $2.4 million contract from the U.S. Navy for research and development of a highbrightness 2,000 x 2,000 pixel OLED microdisplay.
TPK Touchscreen panels to tablet PC and notebooks Large-sized touch screen panel makers such as TPK expect to see increased orders in the fourth quarter with the release of Windows 8, new tablet PCs and various notebooks, according to upstream industry sources. TPK has stated that it has secured 75% of touch screen panel orders for ultrabooks. Sources said that industry estimates predict there will be as many as four million notebooks that feature touch screen technology in the second half of the year, meaning that TPK needs to have production capacity for producing three million touch screen panels, or an average of one million per month in the fourth quarter. Sources also estimate that notebooks using touch screen panels have the potential of reaching 16 million units in
eMagins stock performance E Ink Acquisition of SiPix Technology E Ink Holdings E Ink (8069.TW), the global leader in electronic paper and LCD technologies, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to buy shares of SiPix Technology, Inc. (STI) and its wholly owned subsidiary
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SiPix Imaging, Inc. (SII), the maker of electronic paper displays. Established in 1999, SiPix, based in California and Taiwan, makes micro-cup technology based electrophoretic displays. E Ink has reached an agreement to buy 82.7% of SiPixs (STI) shares and is seeking to buy up to 100%, which is valued at approximately NT$1.5 billion. After customary regulatory approvals, the final closing is likely to be during Q4, 2012.
increased demand from applications such as iPads and other tablet PCs, smart phones, and emerging notebook PC designs. While the leading touch technology is projected capacitive touch, demand for other technologies is on the rise. Touch screen penetration has rapidly increased in mobile phones, handheld games, and game consoles, as well as in tablet PC applications, which are forecast to collectively account for more than $13.6 billion in touch screen revenues this year. In addition, NPD DisplaySearch forecasts strong touch screen growth over the next several years driven by demand in larger display applications such as convertible/hybrid notebook PCs.
E Inks stock performance Panel Market Touch Screen Panel Market TechNavio's analysts forecast the Global Touch Panel Display market to grow at a CAGR of 13.2 percent over the period 2010-2015. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increasing demand for smartphones and tablets. The Global Touch Panel Display market has also been witnessing increasing preference for single glass touch panel displays. However, high cost of touch panel displays could pose a challenge to the growth of this market. Source: DisplaySearch 2012 Touch Panel Market Analysis Panel Prices LCD TV panel prices are stabilizing and may see an additional 2-3% rise due to panel makers improving their product portfolios as well as adjusting their panel shipments, said the sources. Small- and medium-size panels for use in smartphones and tablets are also expected to increase, which is expected to increase panel prices in the second half, added the sources. However, panels for use in notebooks may see a decline in pricing due to makers adjusting their inventories, according to WitsView. LCD TV panel prices will remain steady throughout the month of August due to the TV market recovering worldwide, according to industry sources. 35
Touch Screen Module Total touch screen module revenue will reach $16 billion in 2012, and nearly double in six years, reaching $31.9 billion by 2018, according to the most recent NPD DisplaySearch 2012 Touch Panel Market Analysis. The market growth is being driven by
TV panel prices are expected to be relatively stable in the third quarter due to expected peak sales of LCD TVs during China's National Day holidays in early October, according to sources with Taiwan-based panel makers.
Large-Sized LCD panel shipments Large-sized LCD panel shipments are expected to increase in August as downstream brand customers in the panel industry are stocking up their reserves to prepare for the traditional busy season in upcoming months. Panel makers are seeing increased shipments with panels used in notebooks and expect 3-5% growth in shipments during August due to the upcoming release of Windows 8, according to WitsView. That is after a 6% on-month decline in July due to rising popularity with tablets and panel makers adjusting their reserves. Digitimes Research predicts there will be a total of 389 million large-sized (9 inches and above) TFT LCD panels shipped in the second half of 2012, with 195 million in the third quarter and 194 million in the fourth quarter - with the total representing a 7.6% increase over the first half of this year. These estimates aren't ideal for the panel market and can be attributed to a lack of demand momentum for LCD TVs, LCD monitors, notebooks and 9-inch and above tablets in the second half of the year.
Value Added product Taiwan-based LCD TV panel makers will be left to fulfilling market requirements for mostly low- and midrange products if they fail to enhance their production technology to make high-end products within a timely manner, according to industry sources. Sources said at present Japan-based panel makers are making the most high-end LCD TV panel products in the industry and will most likely continue to dominate the market once Sharp and Foxconn Electronics start to release new IGZO panel products for use in TVs by the end of the year. Additionally, Korea-based panel makers are fulfilling mid-range product requirements at present for TV vendors such as Samsung Electronics and LG Display and will also start tackling highend markets with the release of AMOLED TVs that are expected to hit markets by the end of the year or early 2013, added the sources.
Rethinking the panel strategy Taiwan-based panel makers such as Chimei Innolux (CMI) and AU Optronics (AUO) worrying that the ramifications of increased panel production in China will result in greater competition, cheaper panel prices and reduced
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profits, added the sources. The panel makers are also apprehensive that panel tariffs in China will increase as local TV vendor TCL is putting pressure on the government to do so in order to help China-based panel makers and their affiliates compete both domestically and internationally. CMI and AUO will have to rethink their future strategies as the two makers have reported debts for the last seven consecutive quarters and as panel makers bump up panel production to meet increasing requirements in China's, added the sources.
tenfold from 2.3M square meters in 2012 to more than 22M in 2016.
OLED Application materials Forecasts say the total market value of materials used in OLED applications will grow quickly from over USD 500 million in 2012 to over USD 7 billion by 2019end. Of the total OLED materials market value, the active OLED materials emissive materials, hosts, and hole/electron injection and transport materials are expected to account for nearly USD 3 billion.
Import Tariffs for LCD TV panels in China China's government may increase tariffs for imported LCD TV panels from 5% to 8-10%, which will give Chinabased makers even more of an advantage.
Head-up Display Market The market size of HUD in 2012 is estimated to be $991.86 million and expected to reach $2.91 billion at a CAGR of 24% from 2012 to 2017. The market of North America and Europe holds 38% and 29% of market share respectively as of 2012. With the growth of market in APAC and ROW, the share of North America and Europe will reduce upto 33% and 28% in the global HUD market in 2017. The major players in automotive HUD market are Pioneer (U.S.), Continental AG (Germany), Delphi (U.S.), Denso (Japan), Pioneer (U.S.), etc. Thales Group (France), Rockwell Collins (U.S.), Selex Galileo (U.K.), Microvision (U.S.), Bae System (U.K.), Elbit System (Israel), Toshiba (Japan), Honeywell Aerospace (U.S.), etc.
AMOLED Based on planned investments, NPD DisplaySearch forecasts that the market for active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) will grow nearly
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Component & Semiconductor Industry Broadcom Financial Chipmaker Broadcom Corp. (BRCM) said that it plans to offer about $500 million of senior notes. The final amount of the offering will be determined by Broadcom in light of market and other conditions. Broadcom said it expects to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, which may include repayment of the company's 1.500% Senior Notes due 2013.
along with up and coming markets from all over the world.
Dual ISDB-T Receiver chipset Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, announced the BCM3472, the industry's first fully integrated 40nm Dual ISDB-T receiver chipset. Addressing the growing popularity of digital TV in Latin America, Broadcom is driving the deployment of digital terrestrial TV (DTT) services in Brazil and a range of emerging markets around the world.
Intel Focused on Embedded Devices Intel plans to hold an intelligent systems conference in Shenzhen, southern China, during August 15-16 to exhibit its roadmap including intelligent in-car systems and digital monitoring solutions, with hundreds of Chinabased supply chain makers invited to attend. Seeing weakening global PC shipment growth, while its smartphone and tablet PC platforms have not yet achieved any significant performance, Intel has turned more aggressive about other product lines such as embedded devices, hoping to raise its overall profitability, and is targeting China as the major battlefield.
Broadcoms stock performance Ethernet Swicthing solutions Broadcom Corporation (BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, introduced the StrataXGS Trident II Series, a new line of Ethernet switching solutions optimized to meet the bandwidth, scalability and efficiency demands of cloud networking environments and mega data centers.
Expand the market in China Broadcom is looking to expand its market in China, where the cost of smartphone manufacturing is low. The chip maker is looking to work with ZTE Corp. that manufactures handsets for a low price to gain market share in China
Intels stock performance Establishing R&D School in China
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Intel also signed contracts with Beijing to jointly establish a technology R&D school and will invest CNY200 million (US$31.39 million) in the next five years to develop technologies for purposes such as transmission and data processing.
consumer devices. Following a successful joint development effort with start-up bTendo, ST has acquired the intellectual property and has hired most of the staff of the Israeli company to accelerate the propagation of the technology.
AMD The bridge between x86 and ARM Advanced Micro Devices is taking steps to bridge the gap between x86 and ARM processors, and hopes to build a foundation from which programs will operate on mobile devices like tablets independent of architecture, the company's chief technology officer, Mark Papermaster, said in an interview.
STMicros stock performance Cooperation with China FAW Group STMicroelectronics has teamed up with China FAW Group Corp. (FAW) in establishing a joint laboratory in the FAW Group Research and Development Center. The facility will focus on advanced research covering cuttingedge solutions in power train, chassis, safety, car body, car infotainment, and new-energy technologies, as well as other automotive applications. FAW will adopt ST's MCUs, application specific standard products (ASSPs) and smart drivers in automotive electronics platforms.
AMDs stock performance ST Microelectronics Acquisition of bTendo STMicroelectronics (STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications and the world's top MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) manufacturer(1), announced that it has taken an important additional step in its positioning in the emerging video-sharing market for smartphones and other portable Qualcomm Acquisition of DesignArt Networks Qualcomm has acquired Israel based DesignArt Networks, a developer of small cell modem and system design for cellular base stations and wireless backhaul infrastructure. The company did not disclose how much it is paying, although it is thought to be in the region of US$120-140 million.
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Elpida Restructuring plan with Micron Japanese DRAM maker Elpida announced that it has submitted to the Tokyo District Court a restructuring plan in line with Micron Technology's proposed takeover, in hopes of saving the company from total liquidation. Details of the plan were not publicly released. Micron confirmed in July that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire and support Elpida for $2.5 billion. The deal includes $750 million to pay off part of Elpida's debt to creditors at closing and another $1.75 billion to be paid in annual installments until 2019 to meet the demands of Elpida's creditors.
Qualcomms stock performance Sigma Design Z-Wave Sigma Designs (NASDAQ: SIGM), a leading provider of System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions for home entertainment connectivity and control, has announced that Japan's Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, and Telecommunications, has approved a radio frequency range for low-power RF device usage in Japan. As a direct result, Sigma Z-Wave-based control and automation devices for smart homes and small business can be used in the region without the need for radio station licensing. Z-Wave is one of Sigma Designs' fastest-growing technologies, and the company has seen significant worldwide adoption over the past few years, particularly in the smart home automation and control, security, telecommunications and energy markets.
Elpidas stock performance Mediatek Acquisition of Mstar The Taiwanese government has approved for MediaTek Inc.'s proposed acquisition of rival fabless company MStar Semiconductor in a cash and stock deal valued at $3.83 billion. According to local reports, MediaTek will initially acquire up to 48 percent of MStar and will take over the remainder in the first quarter of 2013. The approval comes after MediaTek expressed a tender offer in late June. The merger has been expected to boost Taiwan's global competitiveness in the TV controller chips market. MediaTek has acquired a total of 282.37 million shares, or 53%, of MStar Semiconductor's outstanding shares
Sigma Designs stock performance
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through a tender offer, meeting the requirements to proceed with the merger deal agreed between the two IC design houses, according to an announcement by the companies.
CERTIFIED TDLS test bed as the benchmark to drive interoperability testing for the newest Wi-Fi program. MStar Financial MStar Semiconductor has announced pre-tax profits of NT$1.58 billion (US$52.71 million) for the second quarter of 2012, decreasing 6.1% from the previous quarter. Second-quarter EPS stood at NT$2.98, which met with market expectations. For the first half of 2012, pre-tax profits edged up 0.9% on year to NT$3.26 billion or NT$6.16 per share. First-half consolidated revenues reached NT$17.87 billion, an increase of 7.9% from a year earlier, said the company.
Mediateks stock performance Integration of DiX Plus Streaming Rovi Corporation (ROVI), driving digital entertainment innovation, announced that MediaTek Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions, is set to integrate Rovi's DivX Plus Streaming(TM) technology into its silicon solutions for connected Blu-ray disc players and DTVs. The collaboration will enable CE manufacturers to rapidly deploy devices compatible with online video services from retailers, operators, and content owners that have adopted the advanced adaptive streaming format such as Dixons and Media Markt. Rovi will be demonstrating DivX Plus Streaming at IFA 2012, August 31 to September 5 (Hall 25, Stand 146) in Berlin.
MStars stock performance STB product portfolio MStar is the world leading IC provider for high volume consumer electronics markets, including TV and STB. The company offers a wide range of products for the Pay-TV STB industry and building on its leadership position is now able to offer Tier 1 operators STB solutions that rival any in the industry. The company has successfully built a diverse product portfolio to become one of the fastest growing in the industry since its inception.
Wifi certificied TLDS MediaTek Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions, applauded the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliance's Wi-Fi CERTIFIED TDLS (Tunneled Direct Link Setup) program and announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Ralink Technology, has been selected to be in the Wi-Fi
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Smart TV cloud gaming Ubitus Inc., the technology leader of cloud gaming solutions, and MStar Semiconductor Inc., a leading semiconductor company for display and digital home platforms, will together showcase smart TV cloud gaming solutions at 2012 IFA, starting from today.
years to better compete against tough overseas competitors.
Microchip Acquisition of SMSC Microchip Technology Incorporated (MCHP), a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, announced that it has received notice of clearance of its previously announced acquisition of Standard Microsystems Corporation (SMSC) from the Anti-Monopoly Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce of the Peoples Republic of China. ALi Cooperation with Panasonic for DVB-T2 ALi, a provider of set-top box (STB) system-on-chip (SoC) solutions, has announced that the company has teamed up with Panasonic's semiconductor business group to begin mass production of a new DVB-T2 STB solution in the third quarter of 2012. The DVB-T2 solution will target the markets in eastern Europe, the Asia Pacific and Africa, ALi said. Hitachis stock performance
Seagate Financial Microchips stock performance Hitachi Supply loan to Renesas Japan's Hitachi Ltd said it will supply a 17.5 billion yen (142.3 million pounds) loan to prop up struggling chipmaker Renesas Electronics Corp on October 1. Mitsubishi Electric Corp, which like Hitachi is a major shareholder in Renesas, earlier said it would provide 14.5 billion yen to the chipmaker. Renesas has said it plans to reduce its workforce by 12 percent and halve the number of domestic plants within three Seagate Technology reported a fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $1 billion, or $2.37 a share, on $4.5 billion in revenue. During the same period a year ago, the computer hard-disk drive maker earned $119 million, or 27 cents a share, on sales of $2.86 billion. Excluding one-time items, Seagate would have earned $1.03 billion, or $2.41 a share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet Research had forecast Seagate to earn $2.50 a share on $4.55 billion.
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Seagates stock performance Acquisition of Solyndra LLC Seagate Technology Plc , maker of hard drives and storage devices, has reached an agreement to buy the former manufacturing plant and headquarters building of bankrupt Solyndra LLC, which was financed by a controversial government loan, a source familiar with the deal said.
Silicon Laboratoriess stock performance ON Semiconductor Lithium Ion swicthing battery ON Semiconductor (Nasdaq: ONNN), a premier supplier of high performance silicon solutions for energy efficient electronics, has introduced a fully programmable Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) switching battery charger optimized for power efficiency in smart phones, tablets and other handheld devices. The NCP1851 significantly reduces charge time, increases battery life and includes advanced startup features.
Silicon Laboratories Silicon TV Tuner Reaching a major milestone in the broadcast TV market, Silicon Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in high-performance, analogintensive, mixed-signal ICs, announced that it has shipped its one hundred millionth silicon TV tuner. Silicon Labs TV tuners were the first to fully displace traditional tuner modules in iDTVs and have been adopted by virtually all of the name-brand TV makers. Silicon Labs patented silicon TV tuners represent a disruptive breakthrough that enables TV makers to improve picture quality and channel reception while reducing system cost and complexity.
ON Semiconductors stock performance Telit Wireless Zigbee PRO and Smart Energy Telit Wireless Solutions, Inc., a leading global provider of high-quality machineto-machine (M2M) modules and valueadded services, recently announced the
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achievement of ZigBee PRO and Smart Energy software certification.
be tied in knots, worn as a bracelet, or woven into textiles.
Telits stock performance Chimei Materials Polarizing Films Chimei Materials is looking to bump up its profits in the second half of this year by providing polarizing films for use in 50-inch TV panels, according to industry sources. Chimei Materials was largely focused on polarizing film for use in monitors in the past but is now switching its focus to using the film in TV panels due to increasing demand from its main customer Chimei Innolux (CMI). CMI started shipping new 50inch TV panel products back in June and is currently awaiting approval for a new series expected to sell well when released by the end of this year, added sources. Additionally, Chimei Materials is investing more into research and development for materials used in small- and medium-sized panels and expects the panels to increase its proportion of small- and medium sized panel income in the second half, said sources. LG Chems stock performance GreenPeak Zigbee GreenPeak Technologies, a leading Smart Home RF communications semiconductor company, has announced it is expanding its product portfolio and customer target base. GreenPeak ZigBee chips are already integrated into leading cable industry set-top boxes to enable power saving and long range RF based connections for remote controls.
Z-Wave Alliance Z-Wave frequency band in Brazil The Z-Wave Alliance, a consortium of global companies that oversees the world's largest interoperable ecosystem for wireless home control products and services, is pleased to announce the approval of the Z-Wave frequency band in Brazil, the largest consumer market in South America and the second largest economy in the western hemisphere.
LG Chem Cable Type Lithium ion battery LG Chem, a member of the LG conglomerate/chaebol and one of the largest chemical companies in the world, has devised a cable-type lithiumion battery thats just a few millimeters in diameter, and is flexible enough to
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Semiconductor Market TaiwanS IC design market According to SEMI, Taiwan's IC design market will grow to nearly NT$409 billion in 2012 from NT$384.5 billion in 2011, driven by strong and rising demand for consumer products including smartphones and tablets.
Wireless Chipset Market The most common & established wireless chipsets in consumer electronic devices are Wi-Fi and WLAN chipsets, but the market of wireless chipsets has witnessed the launch of novel entries such as Wireless HD & HDMI, WiMAX, LTE and ZigBee chipsets for integration of respective wireless functionalities in various devices. In the current scenario (2012), the wireless chipsets market is one of the fastest growing & most promising segments in the overall semiconductor industry with an overall CAGR more than 25%. Though majority of the current market size (which is more than $7 billion) is due to Wi-Fi & WLAN chipsets, the percentage shares of the new & upcoming chipsets is expected to increase gradually over the next five years, with faster growth rates & higher CAGRs (>30%), in turn boosting the global wireless chipsets market. The overall market for wireless chipsets is expected grow at a rapid rate, with increasing shipment sizes for each of the individual chipset markets, owing to the growing demand in all core high-revenue earning segments of the expanding consumer electronics sector.
OEMs is set to average only 2.5 percent for the year. Meanwhile, local firms are also leading the Asia-Pacific region in terms of semiconductor purchasing growth. As IHS noted in July, Apple is expected to post the second-highest growth among the Top 10 biggest chip-buying OEMs in the Asia-Pacific region in 2012, at 15 percent. However, the fastest growth among the region's Top 10 will be generated by Taiwan's HTC Corp. at 23 percent. Furthermore, for all OEMs buying chips in Asia-Pacific, the fastest growth will be posted by three indigenous companies: ZTE Corp. of China; HTC; and TCL Corp., another entity from China.
Source: IHS iSuppli August 2012 MEMS Apple and Samsung Electronics remained the two largest buyers of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices for consumer and mobile applications in 2011, solidifying their command and expanding their influence over the market, according to IHS iSuppli. Apple and Samsung last year accounted for a combined 37 percent of the consumer and mobile MEMS space, mainly on the strength of their smartphones and tablets using MEMS devices like accelerometers, gyroscopes, MEMS microphones and bulk acoustic wave filters. Apple, the top buyer, made MEMS purchases equivalent to $499.8 million, or roughly 23 percent, of the $2.1 billion consumer and mobile MEMS market. Samsung, in second place, was worth 45
Semiconductor spending in Asia Pasific According to an IHS OEM Semiconductor Spend Analysis Report, semiconductor spending in Asia-Pacific among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the region is expected to rise by 6 percent in 2012. On the other hand, chip purchasing growth in Asia-Pacific for all global
$291.3 million to the industry, or 14 percent. Apple's total last year was up 139 percent from $209.2 million in 2010, while Samsung's MEMS expenditure was up 45 percent from $201.2 million for the same period. As smaller, thinner smartphones and tablets start employing smart sensors to add intelligence, market researcher IHS predicts that global revenue for MEMS motion sensors will grow during the next five years from $1.1 billion in 2011 to $1.9 billion by 2015.
Software Industry Microsoft New Logo Microsoft's corporate logo has a new look, setting the stage for a wave of products designed to cast the world's largest software maker in a new light.
Microsofts stock performance New Mice for Windows 8 Microsoft Corp. has introduced mice and keyboards to work with its Windows 8 software for tablets and personal computers as it prepares its own device to compete with Apple Inc.'s iPad.
Cutting Price of Xbox Microsoft disclosed in a blog post that it has cut the price for the Kinect sensor for the Xbox 360 game console in the U.S. to $109.99, from $149.99.
New E-mail service Microsoft Corp unveiled a revamped, Facebook-friendly version of its free, online email service on Tuesday in an attempt to reverse market share losses to Google Inc's fast-growing Gmail. The world's largest software company is renaming its Hotmail service Outlook, giving it a sharp new look, social network links, and new features for handling the tide of junk and mass mail that swamps many users.
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Releasing Windows 8 to its manufacturer partners Microsoft announced it was releasing Windows 8 to its manufacturer partners. That means its all done tweaking and finalizing the operating system, which is now ready to be incorporated into products. PC makers such as Lenovo, Asus and Toshiba will certainly be happy to get their hands on the final build of Windows 8, which will let them put the final touches on the first round of PCs that will ship with the new OS when it goes on sale Oct. 26.
the market in Q2 2012. That's a huge drop from its 11.5 percent market share in Q2 2011. IDC attributes Microsoft's market share gain mainly to Nokia, "which almost doubled its Lumia/Windows Phone shipments sequentially," the report noted.
SkyDrive Cloud Storage Services Microsoft has given a makeover to its SkyDrive cloud storage service, including a new Web interface, as well as improvements to its desktop applications and developer API, the company announced. Microsoft launches its official SkyDrive app for Android devices. Similar to its sibling apps on Windows Phone and iOS, this newest release lets users access their SkyDrive cloud storage accounts from devices running Google's mobile operating system. While it was designed specifically with Android 4.0 in mind, the app is said to be fully functional with devices running Android 2.3 and above.
Google Acquisition of Wildfire Google Inc said it acquired marketing start-up Wildfire to help the world's largest Internet search company expand further into social media. Google paid about $250 million for the business, according to a person familiar with the deal. The source is not authorized to speak publicly about the transaction and requested anonymity. Wildfire provides software that links to Facebook Inc, Twitter, LinkedIn Corp, Pinterest and other social networks, allowing customers to manage their online brand and presence. Wildfire's clients include Sony Corp and Amazon.com Inc.
Smartphone OS Research firm IDC's latest figures show Microsoft's smartphone platforms -Windows Phone and the outdated Windows Mobile -- has gained market share worldwide, going from 2.3 percent in Q2 2011 to 3.5 percent in Q2 2012. That means Microsoft is gaining ground on Nokia's Symbian operating system (which Nokia is phasing out in favor of making Windows Phone its primary smartphone operating system), as well as RIM's Blackberry, which had 4.8 percent of
Googles stock performance
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Voice based search technology Google Inc showed off enhancements to its voice-based search technology for Apple Inc's iPhone and said it was testing a new service that will combine its Web-based email with its search engine. The new version of Google's search app for the iPhone and iPad, expected to be available within a few days, will let users find information about everything from the weather to nearby movie showings by speaking into the devices, matching some of the capabilities offered by Apple's own Siri technology.
Oracle Acquisition of Xsigo Software maker Oracle Corp said it would buy privately held Xsigo Systems, a network virtualization software maker. San Jose, Californiabased Xsigo's software helps customers save costs by allowing them to connect any server to any network.
Bid to Kodak patents Eastman Kodak, which is planning to auction 1,100 digital patents, received two bids from investor groups including Apple Inc and Google Inc of between $150 million and $250 million, the Wall Street Journal reported. SAP Copyright infringement Business software maker SAP agreed to pay rival Oracle Corp $306 million in damages over copyright infringement allegations against a SAP unit, avoiding a new trial.
Oracles stock performance
Slashing 20 percent of the workforce in Motorola Google Inc will slash 20 percent of the workforce of Motorola Mobility in the Internet search giant's largest job cuts ever as it moves to make more smartphones and fewer simple mobiles.
Patent agreement for STB with Rovi Rovi Corp signed an agreement with Google Inc to allow the technology giant to use its interactive program guide patent portfolio for set-top boxes, sending its shares up 4 percent in premarket trade. SAPs stock performance Facebook Acquisition of Instagram The U.S. Federal Trade Commission cleared Facebook Inc's acquisition of Instagram, voting unanimously to close its antitrust investigation into the deal without taking any action.
Buying Travel guidebooks Google Inc is buying the Frommer's line of travel guidebooks, the latest move to amass a trove of publishing content that could strengthen the No. 1 Internet search company's push to become a major online travel broker.
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Cloud based applications According to Gartner, cloud is changing the way applications are designed, tested and deployed, resulting in a significant shift in app priorities. About 90 per cent of large, mainstream enterprises and government agencies will use some aspect of cloud computing by 2015. Gartner predicts that mobile AD projects targeting smart phones and tablets will outnumber native personal computer projects by a ratio of 4:1 by 2015. Emerging mobile applications, systems and devices are transforming the app development space rapidly, and are one of the top three CIO priorities at the enterprise level.
Facebooks stock performance Red Hat Acquisition of BPM technology Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT), the worlds leading provider of open source solutions, announced it has acquired business process management (BPM) technology developed by Polymita Technologies S.L. The deal accelerates Red Hats entry into the BPM software segment and augments its JBoss Enterprise Middleware integration software offerings.
Red Hats stock performance Software Market Application development market in India The Indian application development software market is expected to cross $227 million in 2012, a 22.6 per cent rise over 2011.
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Service Industry Roku Cooperation with Haier Roku Inc., the Web-based video platform, will work with Haier Electronics Group Ltd. (1169), Hitachi America and Mitsubishi Electric to create televisions that can access online services like Netflix without a set-top box. Roku has revealed that the new Roku Streaming Stick will be supported at launch by a number of partners including Onkyo, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Element Electronics, Insignia, GlobalVue, and Haier, amongst others.
to acquire the next generation wireless broadband technology, or WiMax, operations of Kazakh company Alem Communications for $170 million, and made a $35 million investment in Kazakhstan network operator KazTransCom.
TeliaSoneras stock performance Service Market Pay TV service Based on forecasts for 80 countries, pay TV revenues will climb to US$200 billion in 2017, up by US$23 billion on 2011 but up by only US$2 billion (1%) on 2016, according to a new report from Digital TV Research. The forecasts are based on subscription and ondemand revenues.
Tivo Cooperation with DataLogix Datalogix, the leader at connecting digital media and offline consumer data, and TiVo Research and Analytics, Inc., a subsidiary of TiVo Inc. (TRA), the leading media marketing and analytics software company, announced an exclusive partnership. The companies have teamed up to give digital media buyers the ability to reach consumers online via display and video based on programs watched on TV.
Digital TV service The Digital TV World Revenue Forecasts report concludes that DTH (DBS) revenues will overtake cable TV revenues in 2015. DTH revenues will reach US$91 billion in 2017, up from US$76 billion in 2011.
Video Instructure market Tivos stock performance TeliaSonera Acquisition of Alem Communications Swedish telecom operator TeliaSonera AB (TLSN.SK) said it has entered a deal Infonetics forecasts the global video infrastructure market, including IPTV, cable and satellite video infrastructure, to grow 9% in 2012, to over $875 million.
IPTV Infonetics expects the number of IPTV subscribers to more than double from 2012 to 2016, when it will hit 168
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million worldwide, with the majority in Asia and Europe
Retail & Payment Industry Verifone
3G data services in India Third generation (3G) data services usage grew by 78 per cent in India in the first half of this calendar year, a report by Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) said.
Data security Security consultants MWR Inforsecurity discovered that Verifone credit card readers can have their software hacked simply by inserting a modified chip and PIN credit card into the device. This could be carried out in any store with a Verifone reader installed while attempting to pay. The payment wouldnt work, but thats not the goal and the hacker could use an alternative payment method once the compromise had been performed.
LTE services Many of the same trends from the first quarter of 2012 with slowing 2G/3G spending and strong LTE momentum continued in the second quarter, according to Dell'Oro Group. The report also reveals that Ericsson and AlcatelLucent maintained the first and second spots in LTE revenue share while Nokia Siemens Networks passed Huawei to become the number 3 vendor Samsung held the number 5 position in the combined FDD/TDD LTE market while Huawei and ZTE continued to lead the LTE TDD market. Global 4G LTE subscribers this year are forecast to reach 73.3 million, up a whopping 334 per cent from 16.9 million in 2011. Another round of impressive triple-digit growth, equivalent to 181 per cent, is expected in 2013 when 4G LTE subscribers total 205.7 million. By 2016, 4G LTE subscribers will reach nearly 1.2 billion strong.
Verifones stock performance Payment as a service VeriFone Systems, Inc. (NYSE: PAY), announced that its Point Group has won its largest to date payments-as-aservice (PaaS) contract, with an agreement to supply Finlands S Group a complete range of payments services in its 1,600 locations.
Payment solution VeriFone Systems, Inc. (NYSE: PAY), will provide the merchant payment solutions in the initial phase of the first major contactless payment rollout in Mexico City by the Mexican bank Banamex.
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Developer Portal VeriFone Systems, Inc. (NYSE: PAY), , announced the launch of the SAIL Developer Portal, providing application developers with access to tools and APIs that enable them to integrate with the SAIL mobile payment platform.
Ingenico Cloud based payment e-Nabler Corporation, developer of cloud-based software-as-a-service market providing mobile business solutions -- including payment processing, has announced the certification of Ingenico's iSMP mobile payments sled for iPod and iPhone with its full-feature mobile point-of-sale App eMobilePOS enabling merchants to execute EMV Chip & PIN payment transactions in the U.S.
Decreasing shares after Starbucks deal Shares of VeriFone Systems Inc. slid 11 percent in afternoon trading on Wednesday, as investors weighed whether the electronic payments company could face heightened competition from Square, a mobile payments startup.
Mobile Payment for McDonalds VeriFone Systems, Inc. (NYSE: PAY) announced that its Point Group is providing key payment services for the GoMcDo online mobile ordering system utilized by McDonalds diners in France. Points work with McDonalds in France provides yet another example of how VeriFones payments-as-a-service solutions integrate the worlds of traditional point of sale and mobile payments McDonalds selected Point's PAYBOX Services offering to process payments for its GoMcDo pre-order service. The GoMcDo app for mobile phones utilizes the PAYBOX gateway service, so that consumers can place their order and enter payment information or access stored payment information from the app, then go to the specified McDonalds location and complete their transaction at an unattended device where they receive a ticket for fasttrack food pickup.
Ingenicos stock performance Apple Mobile payment Apple (AAPL) acquired mobile and network security provider AuthenTec (AUTH) for approximately $356 million, a move that highlights the companys transition to mobile payments according to one analyst. The largest feature that could be added due to the AuthenTec acquisition would be a move to an e-wallet fingerprint service, said RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani, per The Financial Post. While the current security offerings for the iPhone are solid, we believe fingerprint security could allow for a secure mobile e-payment service offering. The analyst said that AuthenTecs technology could also be used to unlock devices, make payments and bolster the security on Apple wares such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and notes that the buyout was viewed as a technological acquisition.
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The deal still requires regulatory and shareholder approval, however. BGR reported earlier this month that the next-generation iPhone will include NFC capabilities, which could play a significant role in any mobile payment service Apple might be working on. Casio Android ePOS terminal Hot on the heels of the very successful VX-100 (the worlds first Android ePOS terminal), Casio, one of the worlds largest corporate hardware manufacturers have launched their revolutionary cloud-based Business Portal, casiobp.co.uk with five new software apps designed to help businesses get the most from their Android platform based ePOS systems. One of which is AirPOS, the worldchanging POS solution from the Belfastbased start-up.
changes aim to eliminate barriers to enrolling in the service. Iss Mobile payment in retail fuel dispenser Isis, the mobile commerce joint venture created by AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, announced that U.S. market leaders in retail fuel dispensers, Wayne, a GE Energy Business, and Gilbarco Veeder-Root, agreed to provide integrated support for the Isis SmartTap mobile commerce application, allowing consumers to quickly and efficiently pay, present loyalty cards and redeem offers with a single tap of their Isis Ready phones at the gas pump.
New Mobile Payment applications ISIS, a joint venture between the wireless carriers to usher in a mobilepayment system, is poised to launching two trial markets in September.
PayPal Dealing with McDonalds for mobile payment PayPal is in the early stages of what may be a blockbuster mobile payments deal with McDonald's Corp, the world's biggest hamburger chain. McDonald's is testing a mobile payments service featuring PayPal at 30 of its restaurants in France. Earlier this year, McDonald's ran demonstrations of a broader PayPal mobile payments service at its franchisee conference in Orlando, Florida.
Casios stock performance Google Digital Wallets Google Inc. (GOOG) unveiled changes to its mobile-payment system in a bid to get the upper hand in the battle for control of consumers' "digital wallets." The revamp allows a consumer to load any existing credit- or debit-card number into a software application, which then can be used to make purchases using smartphones equipped with a special computer chip. The
Cooperation with Discovery PayPal announced an extension of its offline strategy by teaming up with Discover to bring PayPal to more than 7 million merchant locations across the U.S., and potentially to millions of international merchant locations in the
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future. Starting in 2013, Discover will work with PayPal to enable participating merchants to accept PayPal easily through their existing relationship with Discover. Consumers will be able to take advantage of the benefits of PayPal at these merchant locations, providing them with the simplicity, speed and security they've come to expect from PayPal across any channel, any time. Square Cooperation with Starbucks Starbucks Corp's deal to use Square Inc to process payments at its U.S. coffee shops is a big win for a 2-year-old startup that is beginning to threaten established payment processors and shake up retailing. As part of the deal announced, the world's biggest coffee chain will also invest $25 million in Square, the San Francisco-based company led by Jack Dorsey, cofounder of social media company Twitter Inc. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz will also join Square's board Starbucks acquired its stake as a participant in Square's recent $200 million funding round that valued the company at $3.25 billion - sharply up from its $1.6 billion valuation just a year ago - a person familiar with the matter said. Starbucks, the largest coffee-shop chain, will use Square Inc.s payment system in 7,000 stores and invest $25 million in the startup, making it easier for customers to make purchases with mobile phones.
TECH SecureMag swipe readers will incorporate the First Data TransArmor solution, which will equip each device with tokenization and endto-end encryption technology that delivers a randomly assigned number (token) representing a card used in a transaction to merchants. McAfee Mobile Security McAfee is expanding its mobile security software for Android tablets and smartphones, as it sees an increase in threats targeting Android devices, the Intel subsidiary announced.
Mocana Capital funding for Mobile Security Mocana disclosed it has received $25 million in new venture capital funding led by Trident Capital, which sees the startup as a potentially major player in mobile security. Founded in 2004 and based in San Francisco, Mocana offers Mobile Application Protection software for securing Apple iOS and Google Android devices by wrapping apps in an encryption-based process. Mocana also interacts with device manufacturers with its Security DetailIT products. Its encryption modules have achieved FIPS 140-2 encryption validation, a plus with potential U.S. federal government buyers.
GoPago Mobile payment GoPago, the leading cloud-based mobile payment app backed by JPMorgan Chase, introduces GoPago LIVE, a system that replaces merchants' cash registers with sleek, 4G-enabled tablets and "point-of-sale" (POS) software.
First Data Data Encryption to ID TECH First Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing, recently announced that it will provide ID TECH, a leading supplier of point-of-sale (POS) devices, with its TransArmor data encryption and tokenization technology . Select ID
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Agilsys Mobile POS Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading developer and marketer of proprietary enterprise software, services and solutions to the hospitality and retail industries, announced the formal availability of NextPosition 3S, a next-generation mobile point-of-sale (MPOS) software system specifically designed to work with the SAP Pointof-Sale (SAP POS) application 2.3 This innovative software extends and expands the Agilysys NextPosition MPOS functionality through integration with SAP POS via a modern, mobile user interface for the store associates.
Wayne Mobile Payment Wayne will integrate the Isis SmartTap mobile commerce application into the contactless/NFC reader used with the Wayne iX Pay Secure Payment solution. Secure, flexible and future-proof, the Wayne iX Pay Secure Payment solution offers EMV and PCI-PTS 3.0 compliance, the highest standards of pay-at-the-pump financial data security in the industry.
Target & Walmart Mobile payment Some of the largest store chains, like Publix, Target and Walmart, have come together to form a new company that will offer shoppers a new digital-age way experience of paying at the register. Merchant Customer Exchange will exist as a mobile app and focus on offering mobile-based promotions, offers and other retail programs, according to a press release. The new application will be available through any smartphone. Development is underway. Chains involved in the new program include 7-Eleven, Best Buy Co., CVS/pharmacy, Darden Restaurants, Publix Super Markets, Sears Holdings Inc., Shell Oil Products U.S., Sunoco, Target Corp., Walmart Stores, Inc., and several others.
Agilsyss stock performance Quorion Cash register for small business German point of sale manufacturer, QUORiON, launches new line of electronic cash registers for small business. Store owners will be able to customize the QMP2000 around a variety of keyboards, displays, and high speed printers. The cash register will run QUORiONs POS software and offer complete customization for retail stores and restaurants.
Retail and Payment Market Mobile Payment Research firm Gartner Inc. (IT) said it estimated the value of mobile-payment transactions would reach $617 billion worldwide by 2016, up from $105.9 billion in 2011.
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Mobile payment transaction revenue According to a Juniper Research report, although sales of physical goods by mobile phone are only expected to account for 4 per cent of retail transactions by 2017, they will amount to more than $1.3tn in total revenue. Mobile-payment transactions are expected to hit an estimated $600 billion worldwide by 2016, according to market researcher Gartner.
China Smart Government ID shipments China continues to be an integral part of the market, accounting for approximately 13% of all worldwide smart government ID shipments in 2011. It currently has the largest single national ID project with an installed base of over 900 million. It is also migrating to e-passports and introducing new social security/payment cards, up to 800 million of which will be deployed by 2015.
NFC POS TechNavio's analysts forecast the Global NFC PoS Terminal market to grow at a CAGR of 17 percent over the period 2011-2015. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increasing need to minimize point-of-sale (PoS) overheads. The Global NFC PoS Terminal market has also been witnessing the vendors offering non-payment applications as value-added services. However, the high cost of NFC terminals could pose a challenge to the growth of this market.
POS Terminal market in China The increasingly robust domestic demand for bank card payment and the mushrooming number of merchants in the POS network boost the demand for financial POS terminals. As of the end of 2011, there had been 3.18 million merchants in the interbank payment network and 4.83 million networked POS terminals in China, up 997,100 merchants and 1.49 million machines over the end of 2010 respectively. Despite the fast-growing ownership of networked financial POS terminals, the Chinese financial POS terminal market has not been saturated. By the end of 2011, each POS terminal had corresponded to 672 bank cards, down 7.2% year-on-year and far lagging behind developed countries. In the long run, there is still enormous potential demand for POS terminals in China.
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Energy Industry Siemens Repurchasing the shares German engineering company Siemens says it is starting a shares repurchasing program worth up to 3 billion ($3.6 billion). Toyotas stock performance Hitachi Combining nuclear power JV with GE Hitachi Ltd <6501.T> and General Electric Co are considering combining their two nuclear power joint ventures under a single entity which may end up under Hitachi's control, the Nikkei business daily said.
Siemenss stock performance Bosch Closing solar panel plant Robert Bosch GmbH will close a solarpanel plant in eastern Germany by the end of the year as the worlds biggest car-parts manufacturer trims back its solar- energy business.
Toyota Fuel Cell Vechicle Toyota plans to sell a fuel cell vehicle in 2015, which would make it a leader in a technology that most other automakers regard as about 10 years from being marketable. Sharp
Hitachis stock performance
Negotiation for solar cell business Japan's Sharp Corp has entered talks with an overseas manufacturer to negotiate the sale of its key solar cell factory in western Japan, Japanese media said as the prospect of deep losses forces it to look for cash injections.
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Cisco Computing and Networking for smart grid Manila Electric Company (Meralco), the Philippines' largest distributor of electrical power, and Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) are collaborating on a holistic approach to providing reliable computing and networking infrastructure as a foundation for operations on a smart grid.
Ford Investment to electrified vechicles Ford is investing $135 million to develop more electrified vehicles to compete better against Toyota, the automaker that continues to dominate the hybrid powertrain market.
AUO Solar Integrated Service Alliance AU Optronics Corp. announced that the company is actively advocating its EU project, the first made-in-Europe solar integrated service alliance in the PV industry. Taking AUO's solar module factory in Czech Republic as a platform of manufacturing center, AUO is able to provide made-in-Europe high-efficiency and high quality solar modules. AUO is enthusiastically conferring with strategic partners currently and expecting to kick off the project by end of this year.
Fords stock performance
Flextronics Cooperation with Holst Centre for OLED Plextronics, a U.S.-based global technology company specializing in printed electronics, and Netherlandsbased Holst Centre, an open-innovation initiative by imec (B) and TNO (NL), today announced their partnership on shared research towards flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) lighting and signage.
Philips Cooperation with Daintree for lighting controls Daintree Networks and Philips have signed an agreement to develop advanced lighting controls products for commercial buildings through the use of open standards.
Fraunhofer Institute Interner enabled household appliances A new Internet-enabled power outlet was developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication Systems ESK in Munich will allow users to control household appliances via their smartphone, and reduce their energy costs into the bargain.
Philipss stock performance
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Silver Spring Networks Smart Grid in Brazil Silver Spring Networks, a leading networking platform and solutions provider for smart energy networks, announced that it has been selected by CPFL Energia for a foundational smart grid networking project across the company's distribution area in Brazil, including parts of the states of Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Paran and Minas Gerais. The standards-based Silver Spring Smart Energy Platform will enable CPFL to deploy a robust smart grid infrastructure for a diverse range of commercial and industrial customers throughout its concession area. After the initial widespread commercial and industrial deployment, this already deployed infrastructure can be used for the expansion of smart grid coverage for Low Voltage (residential) clients and can facilitate new Distribution Grid automation projects.
Energy Market Smart Energy Profile The Consortium for Smart Energy Profile 2 Interoperability announced its formal incorporation, with founding members HomePlug Alliance, Wi-Fi Alliance and ZigBee Alliance continuing a clear path to SEP 2 interoperability for consumer benefits in the smart grid market.
US Smart Grid Market The US smart grid market is expected to continue its double-digit growth momentum of the last five years to reach approximately $26.7billion by 2017 with a CAGR of 13% over the next five years.Growing use of renewable energy sources and their integration into a common grid is likely to drive the market over the forecast period.
Smart Grid in New Zealand Silver Spring Networks, a leading networking platform and solutions provider for smart energy networks, announced that it has been selected by Unison for a smart grid project in New Zealand. Silver Springs standardsbased IPv6 networking solution will be deployed across the entirety of Unisons service territory (in Hawkes Bay, Rotorua and Taupo). Unisons smart grid roll out is expected to deliver improved reliability and service for consumers, provide enhanced management of power grid assets, and enable greater overall energy efficiency.
Japan Smart Home The ZigBee Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies, creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, commercial and consumer applications, announced a new initiative examining approaches for using the 920 MHz frequency band in Japan for home energy management. This initiative will evaluate use of the forthcoming ZigBee Internet Protocol (IP) specification and the IEEE 802.15.4g standard to help Japan create smart homes that improve energy management and efficiency.
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Healthcare Industry Siemens Acquisition of Penrith Siemens Healthcare (NYSE: SI) announced that the company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Penrith Corporation of Plymouth Meeting, Pa., a manufacturer of integrated ultrasound imaging systems.
References Tweets Please follow my twitter accounts (ferhatunlukal) if you want to reach the details of the news in the report.
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2012

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY REPORT

Prepared by Ferhat nlkal 9/2/2012

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY REPORT

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY REPORT

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CE Market Global TV & Video Market

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in the future while monitoring market conditions."

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Dells stock performance

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computing for the remote management of 'smart home' appliances.

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Global Tablet Shipment forecasts for major brands, 1H10-2H12(m units)

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AUOs stock performance

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Intels stock performance Establishing R&D School in China

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Sigma Designs stock performance

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years to better compete against tough overseas competitors.

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