Recently, China implemented a local lockdown in Zhengzhou city. This region is close to an Apple iPhone manufacturing site, which has raised concern for the company’s smartphones supply chain.

According to a Bloomberg report, certain areas in the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone have been put under a quarantine zone. In other words, people living in the area are not allowed to move outside of their homes. Furthermore, this Airport Economy Zone is also where Foxconn’s largest iPhone assembly plant is located. For those unaware, the Taiwanese company is the Cupertino based giant’s largest iPhone supplier. So, the local lockdowns may very well impact the production of iPhones.

Notably, the lockdowns arrive after employees have begun going through mandatory COVID testing. Additionally, the country has been implementing lockdowns in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus outbreaks. While the iPhones haven’t been directly affected so far, there is already a shortage issue with MacBooks. Apple’s other suppliers like Pegatron and Quanta had also recently halted production on the eastern side of China due to these quarantines.

Just last month, even Foxconn had been forced to stop production for several days from its Shenzhen facility after a city wide lockdown was imposed. And now, it seems that a similar incident might occur again due to rising cases of COVID. Although, it remains to be seen if production halts in this region as well.

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Foxconn, a known Apple supplier, has “basically” resumed normal operations in Shenzhen China. The supplier had initially halted operations due to outbreak of COVID-19 cases and later partially reignited production.

According to a Reuters report, the Cupertino based giant’s major supplier has brought production in its Shenzhen site to nearly full capacity again. Foxconn made the announcement earlier today (21st March 2022) as the city eases up restrictions  following the COVID-19 outbreaks. Furthermore, the brand added that is has restarted some production and operations at its Shenzhen campuses. To restart production, the company even had to make arrangements to have some staff live within the work bubble.

This arrangement was requested by the local government, as it was battling the outbreak of Coronavirus. Notably, the company said in a statement that it has “basically resumed normal work order and production operations” at its major campuses, including the Longhua and Guanlan districts. Foxconn further added that the process is taking place “under the premise of abiding by epidemic prevention policies and strictly implementing epidemic prevention and control.”

As per an internal document reviewed by Reuters, staff within the “high risk” area of Futian will have to continue to work from home. In other words, only a small part of Apple iPhone production is dedicated in the southern city of Shenzhen. Meanwhile, the majority of the production takes place in Zhengzhou in the central province of Henan.

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Foxconn, one of the primary Apple suppliers, has apparently paused its operations in China. The company has halted iPhone production due to the ongoing lockdown caused by a new wave of Coronavirus outbreak.

According to a Bloomberg report, Foxconn had to halt its operations in the region because of the recent lockdowns. Although, the company has managed to relocate production to other sites that are still operating at the moment, to offset the impact of the lockdown on its production. The lockdown is expected to be in effect till March 20 and was initially started by the Chinese government after more than 3,000 cases of COVID-19 were reported on Sunday (13th March 2022).

So now, the local government put the 17.5 million residents of Shenzhen, China into lockdown. Various forms of public transport like buses and subway systems have been closed and business are only allowed to operate for providing essential services. While Foxconn’s production takes a hit, Apple would also face the impact of the lockdown, alongside other tech firms that rely on its facilities to manufacture their products.

Although the report also points at the demand for products being low since the season follows right after the peak holiday season, Apple had just launched a number of new products recently. This includes the iPhone SE (2022), fifth gen iPad Air, and Mac Studio. So, early buyers might face delays in shipments over the ongoing lockdown in China.

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Apple is apparently facing issues in keeping up with demand for its newly launched iPhone 13 series. A new report has revealed that the delivery times for the new iPhones have extended even further due to the impacts of COVID-19.

According to a Reuters report, sources close to the matter have revealed that the delivery times for the new smartphones from the Cupertino based giant are longer than expected as a wave of Coronavirus infections have impacted Vietnam. In other words, it has caused issues in supply as components for the iPhone 13 lineup are assembled in the region. This includes the new camera module for the 2021 iPhone series.

The report further added that this disruption is expected to ease as early as mid October. As of right now, the impact of the new infections has affected supplied of camera modules for all four of the new iPhone 13 series models. These are assembled in Vietnam, so the wait times for your new iPhone might be longer. This is all the information available regarding this matter, so stay tuned as we will be covering any notable developments.

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A new report has revealed that the global smartphone market is expected to see a growth in shipments this year. The projected growth is around 12 percent, with total shipment figures reaching 1.4 bllion units.

According to a Canalys report, the growth in smartphone shipments is indicative of the strong recovery of the market from last year. During 2020, the shipments of handset fell by 7 percent due to the severe market constraints caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. But with the world recovering from the pandemic and vaccines being rolled out, the issue with supply of components will emerge as the new bottleneck for the smartphone industry.

As per Canalys Research Manager Ben Stanton, “The smartphone industry’s resilience is quite incredible.” He further added that “There is strong momentum behind 5G handsets, which accounted for 37% of global shipments in Q1, and are expected to account for 43% for the full year (610 million units). This will be driven by intense price competition between vendors, with many sacrificing other features, such as display or power, to accommodate 5G in the cheapest device possible. By the end of the year, 32% of all 5G devices shipped will have cost less than US$300. It is time for mass adoption.”

Although, the supply constraints for components wil limit the grwoth potential of smartphone shipments this year. For those unaware, the world is suffering from a major shortage of semiconductors and certain component materials at the moment. This has led to a build of backorders and “The industry is fighting for semiconductors, and every brand will feel the pinch,” Stanton added.

Canalys VP of Mobility Nicole Peng stated that “The other angle to this is pricing. As key components, such as chipsets and memory, increase in price, smartphone vendors must decide whether to absorb that cost or pass it on to consumers.” Furthermore, the report added that the pandemic even caused permanent changes in the market, with channels transforming having to adapt or die during the pandemic.

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5G network is the next advancement in telecommunications that nation across the globe is moving to adopt. But there are various groups and individuals that believe that the newer and faster bandwidth might actually be a detriment to people. Now, a celebrity has filed a suit against the implementation of 5G in India over these alleged negative reasons.

According to an IndianExpress report, Actress Juhi Chawla, who is also an environmental activist, has filed a suit against the implementation of 5G networking. The celebrity stated that “We are not against the implementation of technological advancements. On the contrary, we enjoy using the latest products that the world of technology has to offer, including in the field of wireless communications. However, whilst using the latter kind of devices, we are in a constant dilemma, because after doing our own research and studies regarding the RF radiation from wirefree gadgets and network cell towers, we have sufficient reason to believe that the radiation is extremely harmful and injurious to the health and safety of the people.”

Juhi Chawla’s spokesperson further added that the suit is directed to the concerned department to certify that 5G technology is safe for humankind and all kinds of animals and birds as well. This suit also demanded a study that will ensure that the implementation of 5G is safe in this current day and the near future. While the efforts from the Indian celebrity are born out of concern and caution, some parts of India have rather been affected by baseless rumors.

Due to the impacts of the second wave of the Coronavirus in India, false rumors have increased in circulations, with the latest one claiming that 5G testing towers are one of the causes for the growing spread of the COVID-19. This rumor has been going around in states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana. The rumor even prompted certain individuals to damage said mobile towers.

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The supply chain for Apple and Samsung could face troubles as Vietnam is struggling to combat the recent outbreak of Coronavirus. The rapid spread of COVID-19 has caused factory operations to run below capacity in the country.

According to a Reuters report, the rapid spread of the virus has impacted production capacity in Vietnam’s industrial northern provinces. These regions are responsible for supplying the Cupertino based giant and the South Korean smartphone maker, along with other global tech firms as well. Sources close to the matter added that this news arrives after the nation had successfully contained the new coronavirus for most of last year.

At the moment, Vietnam is combatting the outbreak, which is spreading quickly and has already infected more than 3,000 people in 30 of the 63 cities and provinces since late April 2021. Furthermore, this has also prompted the government to shut down restaurants and ban public gatherings in the capital Hanoi, and the southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City. The report stated that a few business sources from the country said that their operations have been affected as some regions are under lockdown.

A source working at one of the Apple suppliers said that the company had split its workforce over two shifts, calling this a “temporary solution, for maybe two weeks.” The person close to the matter added that this was being done to avoid the supply chain being further disrupted. Similarly, even Samsung has notable operations in Vietnam, with the imposed curfew impacting its supply. Notably, Vietnam alone accounts for half of the smartphone and tablet production of the company.

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Chinese smartphone manufacturers have apparently lowered their handset shipment goals for 2021 again. This reportedly includes major brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme, and Honor, which have already lowered their targets earlier this month.

According to a DigiTimes report, industry sources close to the matter have revealed that these brands further lowered their smartphone shipment goals for the year 2021. There are multiple factors that have led smartphone makers from China to lower their shipment goals, which include supply issues with materials and even the global chip shortage that has impacted various industries across the globe. For those unaware, the semiconductor shortage has already impacted industries like automobiles, PCs, home appliances, and even smartphones.

Another notable factor includes the resurgence of Coronavirus in key regions like India, which is suffering from the impacts of the second wave of COVID-19. The smartphone market in the country was recovering but it seems to on the decline again. Kiranjeet Kaur, a senior research manager at IDC added that “People are not venturing outside their home unless they absolutely need to. Online retailers are only providing essentials, and smartphones are not considered an essential.”

India has been a crucial market for smartphone brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme, and others. Thus, declining sales in the region will impact the overall sales of these companies. Notably, Xiaomi was the leading smartphone brand in the region, annually shipping over 41 million units in 2020. In a statement, Realme said that “Our current business development is affected to a certain extent, but as the situation hopefully improves, we are confident that we will be able to recover quickly.”

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Earlier today (18th May 2021), Alphabet announced the launch of the Google News Showcase platform in India. The company had announced the news related platform ast year, with a 1 billion US Dollar to support publishers across the globe.

The search engine giant is partnering with 30 publishers in the region to launch News Showcase as the country struggles with the second wave the Coronavirus outbreak. At the moment, this service is available in various regions like Germany, Brazil, Canada, France and more. Now, the platform has launched in India and includes 30 national, regonal, and local news agencies as well. This includes The Hindu Group, ABP LIVE, India TV, NDTV, and other local publishers.

In a blogpost, the company stated that “Today’s announcement comes at a particularly challenging moment in India, with Indians seeking out authoritative news and information as the COVID-19 crisis deepens.” Currently, Indians have become increasingly reliant on social media platforms to stay informed and acquire crucial information related to supplies that are in dangerously low supply in the country.

The content provided by News Showcase in India will arrive in English and Hindi. Tjese will appear in panels in Google News and on Discover. Furthermore, the company announced that it would soon include additional local langauges later this year. For India alone, the brand has allocated 18 million uS Dollars in new funding. This will also include expenses for adertising and support for public health related campaigns as well.

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The smartphone shipments in India in the first quarter of this year saw a record growth of 23 percent year on year, reaching over 38 million units. This marks the highest first quarter shipments in the country but are expected to lower in the following quarter due to the resurgence of Coronavirus in the region.

According to a Counterpoint Research report, the record rise in shipments in the nation arrives as new product launches paired with promotions, new financial schemes, and pent up demand coming from last year. Research analyst Prachir Singh stated that “Continuing with its stellar run, India’s smartphone market registered a third consecutive quarter of record shipments in Q1 2021, riding on pent-up demand. Consumer confidence also increased due to the beginning of a vaccination drive in the country. But these numbers should be taken with caution as a second and more virulent wave of COVID-19 is currently on in the country and is likely to impact the coming quarters. The consumer demand will take a hit due to the ongoing COVID-19 wave and subsequent lockdowns.”

Furthermore, the report also added that the Chinese brands also held around 75 percent share in the first quarter of 2021. In the local market, Xiaomi led with a 26 percent market share followed by Samsung, Vivo, Realme, and Oppo. Xiaomi managed to hold the lead thanks to the expansion of its local manufacturing capacities with new EMS partners. Samsung also maintained a high number of new product launched in its Galaxy M series, Galaxy F series as well as the Galaxy S21 series as well.

The Indian mobile handset market also grew by 19 percent year on year in Q1 2021 due to the strong performance of both feature phones and smartphone segments. The feature phone market saw a growth of 14 percent year on year. Notably, OnePlus led the 5G smartphone market in the region, with a 33 percent market share while Samsung recorded the largest growth in the region at 52 percent year on year.

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Due to the coronavirus pandemic that hit the world in 2020, it seemed like the semiconductor based IC design firms would be devastated. But with the rising trend of work from home and online education, the demand for notebooks and networking products surged causing IC design firms to see a spike in revenue last year.

According to a TrendForce report, the sudden rise of demand for laptops and other products drove manufacturers to significantly ramp up their ‘procurement activities for components.’ Thus, these fabless IC design companies that supply these crucial components had saw great benefits during this time, with these firms seeing notable growth last year. These companies includes major chip makers like Qualcomm, Broadcom, and Nvidia, which saw the highest revenue rise year on year among the top 10 firms.

In 2020, Qualcomm overtook Broadcom for the leading position in the top 10 list due to the sudden rise in demand for network devices, along with Apple’s decision to use Qualcomm’s baseband processors as well. Furthermore, the US sanctions against Huawei also prompted other smartphone makers to ramp up their handset production volumes to seize Huawei’s market share. Notably, the top three IC design firms also saw a whopping 52.2 percent increase in revenue year on year.

While Qualcomm, Broadcom, and Nvidia led the list, other major IC design firms include MediaTek, AMD, Xilinx, Marvell, Novatek, Realtek, and Dialog as well. Last year, MediaTek saw a revenue rise of 37.3 percent year on year, which was a considerable boost over its 1 percent rise back in 2019. Similarly, AMD also made headways in the notebook and desktop PC markets as well, marking a 45 percent rise in revenue year on year.

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A shortage of semiconductor have affected various industries across the globe. However, despite the issue of supply, the stock value of chip makers have reached a record high during this time.

According to a MarketWatch report, analysts expect that the chips will continue to be in short supply for at least the end of this year. A major reason being Coronavirus pandemic pushing the world further into the digital realm, causing the industry to struggle to keep up with the demand. An example of an industry struggling due to the current chip shortage is the automobile industry, with auto makers struggling to continue production due to lack of chip supply.

As per Maribel Lopez, principal analyst at Lopez Research, the semiconductor industry is facing a “perfect storm” of demand and supply at the moment, which is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. Lopez further added that “Unless we have a major economic meltdown, which is obviously possible, one of the things that’s happening right now is that almost anything you buy is going to have a chip in it. You can’t buy a dumb product.”

Furthermore, while the demand for mobile chipsets for smartphones were expected to rise last year, the surge in demand for PC based chips were not. In recent times, the semiconductor industry has been working to fit chips into areas they never fit before, so the manufacturing process became more complex over time. After which, the pandemic added new levels of volatility on the supply chains and even manufacturing practices while dealing with them.

An analyst stated that “We don’t see any major correction on the horizon, given ongoing supply constraints as well as continued optimism about improving demand in 2H21. We remain more concerned with continued supply disruptions, and increased materials costs, than we do an imminent multi-quarter inventory correction.”

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The global shipments of smartphones saw a noticeable decline of 8.8 percent in 2020 as per a new report. During this period, handset shipments only reached 1.24 billion units with the primary cause of the decline being the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to a DigiTimes report, the viral outbreak had seemingly crippled the market. Although, despite the overall decline of smartphone shipments, the 5G enabled handsets saw a significant rise, reaching 280 to 300 million units in shipments last year. This is up from just 20 million units from back in 2019, marking an upwards of ten fold growth in a single year.

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During the first quarter of 2020, smartphone shipments worldwide fell by over 20 percent year on year. The double digit decline fell rapidly by the second quarter and the market recovered further in the third, which only faced a single digit dip in shipments. Notably, the fourth and final quarter saw a single digit rise in shipments, marking the pent up demand for smartphones from consumers from across the globe.

The DigiTimes research report also added that in 2020, the top six major brands in the market included Samsung Electronics, Apple, Huawei Technologies, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo. Between all of these OEMs, Apple and Xiaomi managed to raise their respective shipments by over 10 percent on a year on year basis. On the other hand, brands like Samsung and Huawei faced a double digit decline in shipments during the same period.

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As the world got hit with the viral outbreak earlier this year, the demand for various electronic products like laptops and desktop PCs rose immensely. This apparently has left manufacturers still being months away to fulfill existing orders with the shortge possibly lasting till 2022, as per analysts and hardware industry executives.

According to a Reuters report, one of the primary reasons for this sudden rise in demand was caused by the growing remote working or work from home requirements in the professional sense; whilst education was also shifted to the online digital realms due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The outbreak saw smartphone sales decline while devices with larger displays saw an increase in popularity and demand.

Gregg Prendergast, Pan-America president at hardware maker Acer Inc stated that “The whole supply chain has been strained like never before.” Furthermore, the annual shipments of PCs, including desktops and laptops, had topped out at about 300 million in 2008 and has since been on a steady decline, with only a few predicting such a resurgence in demand. At the moment, projections from analysts note that shipments in 2020 could reach around 300 million as well, which would be up by 15 percent over last year.

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Another large screen gadget that has seen impressive sales are tablets. The report also adds that the number of installed tablets and PCs will reach about 1.77 billion. This is up from 1.64 billion in 2019. With various government enforcing local lockdowns, many families had looked to install at least one PC, for children and students in their homes. Notably, even the gaming industry grew as the number of gamers and related hardware also saw growth.

At the moment, many companies and manufacturers are struggling to stock up inventory to keep up with the high demand. A few brands had teased better models and supply through improved shipping, although, whether or not this is true remains to be seen. So stay tuned for more updates regarding the matter.

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Huawei has just announced that it will be launching a new specially designed promotional package on its mobile application platform, AppGallery. This promotion is to help bring the benefits of e-commerce and online retail to businesses and app developers during this time of crisis.

As per the company’s official notes, the campaign aims to boost and support brands and enterprises that are facing hurdles in operations due to the state of the market caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Thus, the Chinese tech giant is providing benefits to businesses by offering prominent positioning on its AppGallery’s ‘Collections’ tab, which highlights e-commerce brands.

This is a sliding banner on the home page of the platform and offers free advertising to brands worth up to 2,500 Euros (roughly 3,000 US Dollars). Any brand or content provider can sign up for this promotion anytime from now until the 31st of December 2020. In other words, Huawei is offerings brands advertising/exposure to its 36 million active monthly userbase of AppGallery in Europe for free.

At the moment, the Chinese smartphone maker is targeting three specific business groups with this offer, including businesses that currently have no presence on AppGallery; second, being businesses with apps already available on the platform but are also “willing to upgrade to Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) in order to gain from the platform’s additional advantages and increased audience”; and finally, the third being “e-commerce businesses whose apps already integrated with HMS.”

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According to Wang Heng, Vice President, Global Partnerships and Eco-Development at Huawei Consumer Business Group, “We want to galvanize businesses and app developers in the e-commerce retail industry to accelerate their listing on AppGallery before the end of the year. Huawei mobile users are looking for great ideas and inspiration while they are in or in-between lockdowns, and becoming part of AppGallery, particularly with the extra exposure and promotional boost we can deliver, will ensure these apps are positioned front and center of their search.”

The new AppGallery promotion can have businesses avail a number of benefits, which include:

• Top 5 inclusion in AppGallery’s ‘Collection’ tab which features on the Home Page and highlights themed or seasonal collections of apps.
• Sliding banner ad featuring the apps on the Home Page.
• Access to AppGallery’s ‘Gift’ tab, which allows businesses to make special offers to users.
• Access to Push notifications to make consumers aware of key messages and information.
• In-country technical support team for app integration and dedicated business support to optimise experience in Huawei ecosystem.
• 5 or 10 days-worth of free advertising on AppGallery worth €250 per day. 

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With demand for PCs and smartphones booming across the globe, the tech supply chain has been strained this year. Tech giants are struggling to keep up with demand as their supply chains are working around the clock to deliver.

According to a NikkeiAsia report, companies like Intel, MediaTek, and Realtek have all been asking UMC for more support. UMC is the one that supplies most WiFi and power chips to these chipmaking giants, and is being ‘squeezed’ by rising component demands, as per people close to the matter. As per one source, “Most of the time we are begging for more chip orders and chip developers are asking for price cuts. But this time even if they were willing to pay more, we do not have much additional capacity to support them.”

For those unaware, the boom in the PC market and smartphone industry arrives amid the coronavirus pandemic. The viral outbreak disrupted supply chain across the globe as demand for workstations grew worldwide due to shifting professional or even educational norms. Currently, work from home or remote working has become increasingly more common while education has shifted to the digital realm as well, which has caused a sudden rise in demand for laptops, PCs, and other large screened devices.

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Another source added that, “The PC industry has seen unprecedented demand this year, driving record demand for Intel Wi-Fi products. We’re constantly working with our supply chain to ensure that we can support our customers.” Furthermore, both MediaTek and Realtek stated that they were working with their respective production partners to help with the component shortages issues.

The surge in orders with UMC, which is the the world’s fourth largest contract chipmaker by revenue, includes major clients like Qualcomm and Sony. However, this is still not as notable as TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.), where most of the chipmakers go for a majority of their production. At the moment, TSMC is fully booked toward the third quarter of 2021, as per sources familiar with the matter.

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Uber, the known taxi service provider, is planning on selling its air taxi business, Uber Elevate. The company is already in advanced talks to sell the unit to Joby Aviation, an aerospace based firm, as per a new report.

For those unaware, the company had been working on its air taxi unit and had even announced a partnership with Hyundai Motor Co back at the start of this year. This partnership was to develop electric air taxis. At the moment, Uber has yet to comment on the matter when reached out by Reuters. Similarly, even Hyundai did not immediately offer a comment regarding this.

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Back in May, the company had to cut 23 percent of its workforce as a part of aggressive cost cutting after its operations were drastically hit by the Coronavirus outbreak. Since then, it has focused on its core ride hailing and food delivery businesses. Thus, selling the air taxi operations might be due to its inability to manage another project at the moment. Uber has been known to have already been working on other projects as well, including development of self-driving cars, the Elevate project, and even a freight logistics network.

However, these might soon also be being sold, as Uber is also in talks to sell its self driving business as well. Unfortunately, we currently do not have further details regarding the matter and will have to wait for more information or an announcement from the company itself to know more. So stay tuned for more updates.

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Dreamtech is set to begin production of an electronic nose solution that will be able to detect a Coronavirus infection in just 30 seconds next year. The company announced that it has just finished the trial phase earlier this month.

According to TheElec report, the electronic nose from Dreamtech has been co developed with an Israeli form called Nanoscent. This device can basically detect if a patient or subject has contracted COVID-19 by analyzing their breath. It is able to achieve this by detecting the volatile organic compound in their breath. Notably, this gadget can also be effective in detecting cases where the patients is asymptomatic.

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Dreamtech seeks to produce the solutions in South Korea within the first half of 2021. At the moment, the company is also preparing for approvals of authorities from various governments across multiple countries. The company also stated that even ordinary people, which could even be staff at companies, could be trained to perform the tests after using the electronic nose after just an hour of training.

Dreamtech said that trials have shown that tests showcase a similar result as PCR. Furthermore, the company with Nanoscent will also be testing solutions in four English football teams, including the Tottenham Hotspur. If this is approved in various nations, the time required for obtaining these results will be shortened by a large margin. Effectively, this could simply act as a device in place of thermal temperature mapping guns.

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Samsung Electronics announced earlier today (18th November 2020) that it would be temporarily shutting down one of its research centers after a positive case of the COVID-19 infection surfaced.

The South Korean tech giant is ordered all of its employees that worked in the facility to work from home till at least the end of this week. This move is done to prevent the further spread of the infection. Similarly, another South Korean company, LG, also reported a positive case of coronavirus at its own research facility in Seoul, as per a SamMobile report. The Samsung research center was located in Suwon, where one of the workers was tested positive for the virus earlier this week.

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The company has stated that it would follow all the procedures to curb the virus from spreading further. Samsung will sanitize the entire building and test every worker who were in contact with the employee that tested positive. Notably, this is the second case of the coronaviorus infection in the same facility, with the first case surfacing about five months ago. The quick and decisive move from the company is understandable as the virus is highly contagious. Samsung has been quick to adapt to COVID-19 situation and has even recovered well, with it reporting its highest ever quarterly earning in Q3 2020, despite the initial impacts of the virus on its operations.

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Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, work from home or remote working has increasingly become the norm. Similarly, demand for gaming has also grown significantly, which is what Foxconn Chairman, Young Liu believes is causing the IC (integrated circuit) shortages at the moment.

As per the senior official, the shortages for various components, especially IC fabricated at 8 inch fabs will last till the terminal market demand does not slow down for notebooks, gaming PCs, and other devices that are a part of the new work from home market. According to a DigiTimes report, the shortage of supply for IC components is also due to the partly insufficient wafer capacity for chip vendors.

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In other words, the shortages will effectively last till the time the consumer demand eases. Shortages for such components have been an issue ever since the onset of the pandemic, which first broke out in China back in 2019 end. These shortages have affected anywhere from LCD driver ICs, power management ICs, and other peripheral ICs as well. Furthermore, a recent surge in infected cases of the virus in regions like the US and Europe has also further fueled the demand for remote working months after the initial lockdowns had been implemented.

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The Thai smartphone market saw a slight decline in the second quarter of 2020. In Q2, the smartphone market saw a total of 4.3 million units being shipped, which is an increase of 21.2 percent quarter on quarter, but a drop of 8.8 percent year on year.

Generally, the second quarter is known to record an increase in shipments due to the season. However, this period was hampered by the Coronavirus pandemic that caused various governments to induce local lockdowns. Various OEMs had to quickly adapt to the new situation and focus more on online channels of distribution and ran multiple promotional campaigns as well.

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Since the outbreak caused the physical outlet and regular stores to shut down. Smartphone manufacturers had to take to online platforms and leverage social media for marketing along with promotions and sales. According to an IDC report, the smartphone market will make a recovery. However, the market in Thailand will face another decline in the third quarter of 2020 due to seasonally low demands during that period alongside other economic factors.

Although, the fourth and final quarter is expected to see a bump in shipments as the new iPhones start shipping, especially considering that Apple is opening a new store in the country, which is the second in Thailand. This would also help build the Cupertino based giant’s presence in the market while making retail activities reach regular levels again.

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Wacom is witnessing a record high sales after entering the South Korean market. The company’s tablet sales have risen by 100 percent in the second quarter of 2020, which was due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Wacom Korea announced earlier this month that its tablet sales for the second quarter grew by 100 percent year on year. The primary reason of the surge was the increase in demand for tablets for online lectures/classes and the increasing popularity of Webtoons or other Korean multimedia entertainment. This led to a growth of high end tablet products in the region.

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Furthermore, online lectures have become the norm along with work from home during this time of crisis. Thus, while various economies and industries have been suffering from the impacts of COVID-19, Wacom saw an earnings growth. At the moment, electronic gadgets with a big screen have become an essential commodity for online education and other professional areas as well.

One of the more popular tablets sizes in South Korea can vary from 13 inch to 32 inch displays, which are also in demand for professional content creators or others in the creative fields. Notably, gaming was also a notable reason for the hike in demand during this period. Although, Wacom is pushing to primarily support the professional market at the moment.

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Vivo has beaten Samsung to become the top selling smartphone brand in Indonesia. This arrives amid the Coronavirus pandemic that has the consumer market lean towards budget handset offering, which is in favor of the Chinese vendor.

Chinese brands currently account for over 73.3 percent of total smartphone shipments within the country in the second quarter of 2020, as per a KrAsia report. Vivo led the market with a 21.2 percent market share, surpassing the usual market leader Samsung, which came in third with a 19.6 percent market share. This figure showcases a near tripling of Vivo’s 7.8 percent market share from back in Q2 2019.

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Another Chinese brand, Oppo, came in second with a 20.6 percent market share, with Xiaomi and Realme coming in fourth and fifth respectively with 17.9 and 13.6 percent market shares. According to Counterpoint Research, Vivo’s success in the market is due to its successful aggressive pricing strategy within the entry to mid range segments. People are buying affordable handsets for various reasons, including work from home or distance learning during this time of crisis.

Furthermore, the crisis has also had an impact on the country’s economy. Thus, cheaper smartphones have become more popular, with the most devices being sold under IDR 2 million (roughly 136 US Dollars). Notably, smartphone sales in Indonesia have also declined by nearly 20 percent since last year with 50 percent of the online sales came from the country’s popular local e-commerce platform, Lazada.

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According to a new report from DigiTimes, android smartphone manufacturers are slowing down orders for UFS chips (universal flash storage) for their high end flagship offerings.

The reason for holding back on their demands is due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The report states various reasons like fall in consumer spending on non essential goods, along with an overall decline of the smartphone market. Industry sources claimed that the demand for UFS chips is not expected to pick up at least until the final quarter of 2020. This period is when OEMs will wor on launching their next iteration of flagship handsets for 2021.

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Back in July, a steep decline was observed in the Chinese 5G smartphone market. This was followed by a decrease in demand for UFS chips from vendors. In China, shipments dropped by 20.5 percent year on year falling to only 13.91 million units being shipped in July. Although, 5G smartphones accounted for 44.2 of the total sales since January.

During this period, only a total of nine 5G handsets were launched in China, which was all available for less than 2,000 Yuan (roughly 292 US Dollars) and targeted the mid to budget segments in the market. As an alternative to UFS chips, the Chinese market is now opting for eMMC chips for their mid range smartphones. Although, high end premium flagship from OEMs like Samsung, Xiaomi, others would still feature the UFS chips.

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While wearables market has come a long way to include more than just smartwatches, it has yet to stop growing. With the number of peripherals increasing and innovation guiding the industry, the wearables market is expected to see huge growth in the near future.

According to a Global Data report, the wearables market is heading into a boom, despite smartwatches seeing a decline in 2020. The report stated that by 2024, the wearables market will be doubled in comparison to 2019. In 2019, the wearable industry is said to have brought in 27 Billion US Dollars. Although, that high sum might not be reflected in 2020, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, which has caused the market to decline (especially for smartwatches).

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While 2020 has been harsh on various industries, it seems like there is a silver lining just around the corner. 2021 and beyond are expected to be a booming phase for the smartwatch segments, which will uplift the overall market as well. Global Data estimates that the market as a whole could be worth 64 Billion US Dollars by 2024. Furthermore, smartwatch sales are expected to recover in 2021. But keep in mind, that the industry also includes other peripherals like TWS earbuds, which have become very popular recently.

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A new report from IDC (International Data Corporation) has revealed that the Indian smartphone market has seen a sharp decline of 50.6 percent to 18.2 million units being shipped in the second quarter of 2020.

The primary reason for the sizeable decline was the Coronavirus pandemic and the government mandated lockdown that was in effect, majorly throughout the first half of 2020. Various smartphones OEMs had to shut down their local manufacturing/assembly lines in the region, while resumption occurred only in partial capacities as well. Furthermore, components from abroad were also stuck at the ports, waiting to be cleared, especially the ones from China.

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However, sales in June 2020 did rise but mainly due to the pent up demand that rose during the lockdown period. Although, purchases were found to be mainly driven by availability rather than choice. In this period, the online channels held a high market share of 44.8 percent but declined by 39.9 percent YoY. The average selling price of smartphones was around 161 US Dollars with Xiaomi leading the smartphone market, followed by Samsung and Vivo.

Even physical stores adapted as “Many offline channel partners adopted new ways of marketing by reaching out to consumers through social media platforms, WhatsApp, references, etc., for doorstep demos and deliveries, as well as accepting contactless payments. However, these initiatives were limited to big and medium-size retail outlets in metros and Tier 1/2 cities, and was not able to arrest the steep annual decline of -56.8% for the offline channel,” according to a researcher at IDC.

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Samsung Electronics has recently set up a new in house coronavirus check up center near its chip production plant in South Korea. The center is installed within the company’s campus in Hwaseong, according to a report from TheLec.

The new check up center comprises two containers, with one taking in samples while the other will run the diagnostics. This center is managed by six trained professionals, including a doctor. The South Korean tech giant has funded this through its own funds with the approval of the Hwaseong City Hall and the local public health center.

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With the installation of a check up center near its chip production plant, regular check ups will be faster and would lessen the burden on the local hospitals. According to Samsung, this is just the first center and it plans to install additional ones for its other facilities in the near future as well. In the past, Samsung had to shut a few of its production sites due to on site infections, so these centers will help ensure the maximum safety for the workers and efficiency for the company.

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WhatsApp is adding a new feature to its application, which will allow users to fact check and debunk frequently forwarded messages. This search option has been added earlier today (4th August 2020) and will appear in the form of a magnifying glass next to such viral messages.

Tapping on the icon will have WhatsApp prompt to pop up asking the user if they’d like to search the message on Google. This icon will pop up next to any message that has been forwarded to five or more people and is aimed at giving its users the ability to immediately fact check the possible conspiracy theory that is known to circulate group chats.

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WhatsApp shared an example of this feature through a screenshot, in which, a website claimed that drinking fresh boiled garlic water will cure COVID-19.” A quick web search through the new feature brings up three fact checking websites which flag this claim as false. During this time of crisis, the spread of false information is just as dangerous as the infection and deceitful viral messages have become increasingly more common.

Since Facebook can’t exactly peer into the messages directly due to end to end encryption, the company hopes that the new search feature will help give more information and make its users more proactive in fact checking information. This is a highly appreciated feature and, hopefully, it helps curb at least some of the many misinforming messages that run rampant on the social media platform.

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Apple has apparently asked various landlords in the UK to lower the rent by 50 percent for its multiple retail stores, according to The Sunday Times report. 

In exchange for the rent being lowered or being offered a “rent-free period,” the Cupertino based giant will possibly extend its lease considerably. The period of this rent slash or extension is currently unknown, although, it is understood that several stores in the region still have many years left on their leases. Thus, the landlords do not have to make a prompt decision regarding the matter.

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According to the report, the move has already agitated the numerous property owners in the UK, as despite Apple stores being closed during the initial outbreak of the Coronavirus, the company has still managed a record 59.7 billion US Dollars increase in sales in the second quarter of 2020, since the demand for its products online was relatively high.

This tactic of proposing lowered rent is in line with other businesses that had benefitted from this. Landlords had to lower rent to keep the property in shopping centers occupied. Apple currently runs 38 retail stores in the UK, all of which had to close doors for a few months earlier this year. At the moment, these stores have now reopened and are one of the most profitable outlets in the industry.

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A recent CINNO Research report has revealed important news regarding the Chinese smartphone market. In the first half of 2020, the smartphone shipments in the region fell by a sizeable 24.7 percent compared to 2019, with Huawei, including Honor, leading the market with a share of more than 40 percent.

According to the report, the top three players in China’s market for the first half included Huawei (and Honor), Vivo (and iQOO), and Oppo (and Realme). These three alone accounted for 71.9 percent of all domestic smartphone shipments. The primary reason for the sharp decline in the market was due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, which had first reported cases surface in China.

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The report revealed that Huawei and Honor sold about 58 million handset unit combined and held a market share of 40.2 percent with a year on year increase of 4.9 percent. Furthermore, Vivo and iQOO shipped over 23.2 million units and had a market share of 16.1 percent and a year on year growth of 2.1 percent. And lastly, Oppo and Realme sold approximately 22.6 million units and had a market share of 15.6 percent and saw a year on year decline of 2.6 percent.

Similarly, Apple and Xiaomi rounded up the top 5, with the former shipping 17 million units and held a market share of 11.8 percent and year on year increase of 3.4 percent. As for the latter, 15 million units were sold with a market share of 10.3 percent and a year on year decline of 1.7 percent. Notably, we had reported on a projection from TrendForce which expected Huawei and Apple to lead the 5G smartphone market in 2020; and with the launch of the 5G iPhone 12 series coming up, we may expect a shift in the ranking for the second half of 2020.

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The Coronavirus pandemic has been caused for major concerns across the globe and especially in Asia. The Southeast Asian region has one of the higher human population density, which has made combatting the viral outbreak difficult. However, Thailand has successfully managed to keep the virus at bay, with the help of Huawei as well.

Despite being one of the first countries to be affected by the COVID-19 back in January, the region only has 3,200 confirmed cases of infection with only 58 deaths. Although, the country is still remaining vigilant and is prepared for the second wave of infections. One entity that it is relying on is Huawei Technologies, which is supporting the nation with its 5G technology.

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The Chinese tech giant had recently worked with Thailand National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC). In the collaboration, unmanned vehicles were used at the Siriraj Hospital. These driverless vehicles had the primary task of offering contactless delivery of medical supplies around one of the country’s oldest and largest hospitals.

Siriraj Hospital stated that the pilot project’s goal is to enhance the logistics system within the hospital. The infrastructure in terms of transportation and medical supply distribution also helps reduce workloads and helps lower the risk of infection for frontline workers considerably. At the moment Thailand is the first country in the ASEAN to deploy commercial 5G services.

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(Via)

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With the calendar crossing the half yearly mark, Huawei has announced its financial report for the period. In the report, the Chinese tech giant has witnessed a positive trend with both its revenue and net profit increasing by 13.1 percent and 9.2 percent respectively year on year.

The financial report revealed that Huawei generated 454 billion Yuan (roughly 64 billion US Dollars) in revenue. Out of this, the carrier business brought in 159.6 billion yuan, while the enterprise business brought in 36.3 billion Yuan. The company’s consumer business, which includes smartphones, generated 255.8 billion Yuan in revenue.

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Looking at these figures, it is clear that more than of Huawei’s income is from its consumer business that has it sell tablets, smartphones, wearables, and many other products across the globe. Although, the networking gear and carrier provider aspect of its operations is brought the ban on the company, and accounts for just 35 percent of the total revenue.

Additional reports regarding financial figures of the first half and second quarter are expected to arrive later this month. These will hopefully provide a larger picture of its global smartphone market as well. The first half of 2020 suffered the brunt of the Coronavirus pandemic, so the figures will reveal how Huawei stands amongst its various other competitors.

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Samsung seems pretty positive regarding its TV sales target for this year. Apparently, the South Korean tech giant is still confident that it can hit its 45 million TV shipment mark by the end of 2020, despite the Coronavirus pandemic causing sales for the first half to fall by a sizeable 60 percent year on year.

The great deflation in expected sales figures occurred largely due to the COVID-19 outbreak which ravaged the world. After originating from China, the infection soon spread worldwide and has caused consumer spending to drop to an all time low in a very long time. This has affected various industries and economies, with a multinational corporation like Samsung being no exception.

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In other words, Samsung has to ship 35 million TVs in just 6 months. Needless to say, the target is nothing short of overly ambitious at the moment. Back in 2019, Samsung had shipped over 41 million TVs. However, given the situation of this year, it doesn’t seem that the company would even come up getting closer to the figures from last year.

Notably, the Samsung target was also set back when the Tokyo Summer Olympics was still planned and where the company hoped to make major sales. Although, with the delay of the event, it doesn’t seem likely that it can rely on it any longer. Maybe Samsung has a very aggressive strategy in mind, but unfortunately, it seems like blind optimism at best. So stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

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Samsung has trademarked ‘Antimicrobial Coating’ which will be applied on top of cases made by the company. This coating has been proven to be effective against the Coronavirus.

For those unaware, Antimicrobial coating is used to fight again virus strains or particles and bacteria on a given surface as well. At the moment, the world is facing a viral pandemic, with the Coronavirus strain being highly infectious and easy to pass on. Since it survives on certain surfaces, it can easily be transmitted through touch as well. This is where the new Samsung cases come in, as the antimicrobial coating would prevent such particles from staying on the surface of the case.

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With no vaccination being currently available, prevention and precaution is the best method against the virus. So, steps like these are also appreciated since smartphones are generally found to be filled with bacteria due to our constant interaction with that piece of technology. The new coating would ensure that even bacteria do not stick around.

The South Korean tech giant has submitted a patent for ‘Antimicrobial Coating’ on June 30 in several countries. Furthermore, the launch of its upcoming flagship Galaxy Note 20 series might be the perfect time for the launch of such protective cases. Although, it is still too soon to tell when they will come out, so stay tuned for more updates.

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A fresh report has revealed that one in every three smartphone users will be cutting down their spendings by up to 20 percent for the purchase of their next smartphone.

The report arrives from Counterpoint Research, a known analytical firm. According to their findings, the primary reason for the lowered spending is the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. At the moment, various industries and economies have taken a sizeable hit, with consumer expenditure seeing a significant decline during this time.

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This overall translates to a negative trend for the smartphone industry and its total annual sales figures for 2020. The study was conducted over the US, UK, India, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy and found a few interesting aspects. Countries like India, Spain, and Italy had a majority of people planning on waiting before purchasing a new handset. On the other hand, regions like the US had a minority of those that are planning on delaying buying a smartphone.

According to Pavel Naiya, a Senior Analyst, “The coronavirus outbreak and future income uncertainty has affected consumer behavior with many strictly limiting purchasing to only the essentials. Smartphone consumers from Spain and Italy are the most affected. Consumers intending to cut their future smartphone purchase budget by 20% or more are highest in Spain (27%) and Italy (25%), followed by the USA (24%). Looking at the current circumstances, we expect this trend will continue until mid-2021.”

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(Source)

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The Motorola Razr 2 may have been delayed. The second iteration of the foldable smartphone series from Motorola might not be seen until 2021. Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, shared this assessment on his Twitter handle. Ross is a known analyst who is well versed in the industry with his tips being accurate quite often.

We hearing that the Motorola Razr 2 is delayed a quarter due to COVID-19. Not likely available until 2021.

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) June 18, 2020

The primary reason for the delay of the Motorola Razr 2 has been attributed to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. According to Ross Young, COVID-19 has been an obstacle in Motorola’s plans and has forced the company to move its launch date into the near future. So, the Motorola Razr 2 may be launched in 2020, but won’t be available until 2021.

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Unfortunately, the exact launch date is not known, but he predicts that it will be some time at the start of the next year. This will likely give Motorola’s competitors enough time to fill in with their own offerings. Notable rivals include Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, which is expected in August 2020 along with the Galaxy Z Flip 5G. Furthermore, Ross also recently stated that the Motorola Razr 2 will not feature UTG or Ultra Thin Glass but will use a layer of plastic.

It is also expected that the second generation of the foldable handset will feature a larger display and will also likely feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 700 series processor, namely the Snapdragon 765G that is capable of 5G networking. Other improvements may be in the area of RAM memory, wireless charging, and more. Additional information should arrive in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more updates.

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The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted various economies and industries. The smartphone business is no exception with OEMs struggling to restart production in many parts of the globe, especially in India. Now, Xiaomi and Oppo are starting to import smartphones from their home country of China to meet the market demands as their Indian factories are still struggling to resume operations.

For those unaware, the Indian government had imposed a nationwide lockdown two months prior, which even saw factories being shut down due to the ongoing crisis. However, unlike with the case of China, smartphone vendors have been struggling with the resumption of operations in the region, with various resumed production sites being sites of confirmed COVID-19 infections, thus causing another closure.

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Two of the most popular brands in the Indian market, Xiaomi and Oppo are also suffering from this issue. The latter’s plant in Great Noida also closed down last month, only to recently open but with a 30 percent capacity. Similarly, other vendors like OnePlus and Realme are also considering importing as an option during this time. Although, this move would have the companies facing a 22 percent import duty, which will inevitably raise their handset offerings’ prices.

Xiaomi India officials have recently stated that the company is currently at a 40-45 percent production capacity, with Vivo being at a similar level. Notably, the Chinese tech giant has already raised the cost of a few of its affordable low end smartphones in the market, and this trend could soon be reflected in its other offerings as well. Although, we will have to wait and see as to how the situation plays out in the near future as the Indian government is slowly easing its restrictions within the country.

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The known wearables and smart products maker, Fitbit, has its upcoming ventilator receive an emergency approval from the FDA. The US government’s Food and Drug Administration has given Fitbit an Emergency Use Authorization for its Flow ventilators, which will be used to help patients with COVID-19 infection.

At the moment, the US government is reportedly “in talks” with Fitbit to supply its Flow ventilator units. For those unaware, Flow is a ventilator built with advanced sensors and alert systems that features a simple user interface and is easy to operate. This would eliminate the need for specialized training and is also built to target “lower price range” or cost effective emergency ventilators.

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Fitbit is confident in its production capabilities, stating that it will have an advantage in activity tracking since it is a known smart product manufacturer. However, the company still has a few hurdles to tackle, with the primary one being a customer base. It needs to find customers to sell to since its arrival to the market is relatively late. Furthermore, the demand for this ventilator is also uncertain as another wave of COVID-19 occurring is unknown as well. As it stands right now, the Flow could be crucial in key areas, but only if the situation demands it.

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TSMC was slated to start trial phases of the production for its latest 3nm fabrication process by the end of 2020. However, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the semiconductor giant has had to delay its plans until early 2021. This arrives as good news for Samsung as it hopes to catch up to the world’s largest contract chipmaker.

The Coronavirus outbreak has affected the entire world, its various economies, and industries. Supply chains have been disrupted as well, causing shortages as well. Now, the 3nm trial production line, which was expected to be fitted by the end of this year, will only be seen by Q1 of 2021 and mass production starting sometime in 2022. Similarly, Samsung had also announced a delay for its 3nm process’ mass production to 2022, with efforts being placed in the shift from 7nm fabs.

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According to an official TSMC spokesperson, the company is currently focusing on its 7nm and 5nm processes. It has various orders at the moment, with pressures and tight deadlines also being in the way, especially with Huawei in mind. While the delay isn’t by a very large margin, it should offer it’s South Korean rival an ample amount of time to hope and catch up to TSMC’s shift to the 3nm process.

The Taiwanese based semiconductor giant is investing heavily in the 3nm project. Similarly, Samsung has also been working hard on its shift towards 3nm processes, skipping the 5nm entirely while focusing on its current order on the 14nm, 10nm, and even 7nm fabs as well. At the moment, TSMC leads the semiconductor industry with its 5nm process that has clients from across the globe including giants like Apple, HiSilicon, AMD, Qualcomm, and many more.

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A new report from IDC and Counterpoint Research, two well known analytics firms, has revealed that the Indian smartphone market is witnessing a slump. The reports suggest that the sales will fall by 13 to 15 percent due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

India is the world’s second largest smartphone market. Various Chinese OEMs and other major brands in the industry consider it a key market and fight for a better foothold in the region. However, due to the viral outbreak, the local government had to employ a strict and mandatory lockdown that even caused smartphone manufacturing plants to shut down as well. At the moment, there is an economic crisis with salary deductions being a common measure being taken in both the private and government organizations.

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This translates to overall lower revenue being generated by working members of the family, and, by its extension, makes them less likely to purchase a new smartphone. Currently, various foreign smartphone vendors that have opened up manufacturing plants in the region have been facing difficulties in ramping up production to meet demands, making imports necessary. However, the customs duty and GST taxes of 12 to 18 percent have made certain smartphone pricing rise as a consequence.

The best example of this is Xiaomi raising the prices of certain budget Redmi smartphone twice in a single month. According to IDC, the Indian smartphone market may only sell 130 million handset units in 2020 (which is below its original projection of 140 million units), down from 158 million units from 2019. Similarly, Counterpoint Research also dropped its initial estimation down from 147 million units to just 137 million units being shipped this year.

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