IF / News

TSMC has reported consolidated revenues of NTD221.81bln for 2Q16; Samsung foundry business is forecast to have earned USD613mln in sales in 1Q16; A new Apple research center in the town of Grenoble, France focusing on improving imaging technology; LG Innotek is considering building a new camera module plant in Haiphong City, Vietnam; European Commission targets Google over further antitrust complaints; The VR Society is formed; etc.

Chipset

China’s overall foundry capacity will grow from 950,000 8”-equivalent wafers per month in 2015 to 1.2 million units by the end of 2017, SEMI said. China will account for almost 20% of worldwide foundry capacity in 2017. Taiwan is the largest foundry capacity region and accounts for over 55% of 300mm foundry capacity in the world, SEMI noted. (Digitimes, SEMI, press, EEPW)

According to IHS, Samsung foundry business is forecast to have earned USD613 million in sales in 1Q16, the largest among the global device manufacturers. The figure is 3 times more than that of runner-up Micron, which made USD198 million. Currently, TSMC rules the global foundry segment with its market share standing at 56.7% as of 1Q16. (Korea Herald, TechNews)

TSMC has reported consolidated revenues of NTD221.81 billion (USD6.91 billion) and net profits of NTD72.51 billion for 2Q16, up 9% on quarter and 8% on year. TSMC disclosed sales generated from the communication sector went flat sequentially in the second quarter, while the computer, consumer and industrial/standard segments increased 19%, 80% and 12%, respectively. (TechNews, CN Beta, Digitimes, press)

Camera

A new Apple research center in the town of Grenoble, France, will apparently focus on improving imaging technology, likely for better cameras in future iPhones and other devices from the company. (CN Beta, Apple Insider, Ledauphine)

LG Innotek is considering building a new camera module plant in Haiphong City, Vietnam. J.P Morgan’s analyst Jay Kwon indicates that this move would offer access to a lower cost base, one of the keys to camera module assembly. He forecasts dual-cam to generate KRW8 trillion sales in the next 3 years, with margin turnaround. Dual-camera carries 2-3 times higher ASP per device vs. single-lens camera. (TechNews, Barron’s, blog, Thanh Nien News, Korea Herald)

Sensory

Auto companies are racing to develop self-driving cars and Audi of America President Scott Keogh believes his company is in first place. Audi has created a self-driving car named Jack, which is equipped with 20 sensors that enable it to navigate on freeways and through traffic. (CN Beta, Yahoo)

ABI Research projects that the revenue generated by sensors behind gesture control and eye tracking technology will close in on USD5 billion in 2016. Although there is a fair amount of consumer electronics tech lumped into that figure, healthcare accounts for a substantial market segment. (ABI Research, Med City News, press, 36Kr)

Connectivity

Verizon intends to shut down the remaining vestiges of its 2G CDMA network by 2019. More than 92% of Verizon’s entire traffic is on its LTE network. (Digital Trends, Fierce Wireless, 163)

In 2016 China Telecom meeting, China Telecom has signed for 67 million devices with channels, o which 16 million with 12 device vendors, 12 million with  online and offline retails. In 1H16, China operators mobile sales reached 194 million units. China Telecom has achieved 51.3 million units sales. (CN Beta, Sohu)

Smartphones

European Commission targets Google over further antitrust complaints. This time Europe’s antitrust regulator is taking closer aim at Google’s search advertising business, which generated more than 90% of its revenue last year. Google could face fines as high as 10% of the company’s global revenue, which totaled USD75 billion last year. (Android Authority, Reuters, USA Today, MSN, CN Beta)

Google’s grand plans for a futuristic new campus in the North Bayshore district of Mountain View, CA may finally become a reality thanks to a new real estate deal struck with LinkedIn. (CN Beta, The Verge, Business Journal)

Lenovo SoftBank 503LV is the first Lenovo Windows 10 Mobile smartphone – 5” HD TFT LCD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, 8MP + 5MP cameras, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, 2250mAh battery. (CN Beta, Softpedia, WinBeta, Microsoft)

Huawei Maimang 5 is announced – 5.5” FHD 2.5D curved glass, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, 16MP PDAF + 8MP cameras, 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM / 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM, 3D fingerprint sensor, 3340mAh battery, from CNY2399. (CN Beta, Gizmo China, GSM Arena)

Ulefone Metal is official – 5” HD 2.5D curved glass display, MediaTek MT6753 processor, 8MP + 2MP cameras, 3GB RAM, 16GB storage, Android 6.0, LTE, dual-SIM, fingerprint sensor, 3050mAh battery. (Android Headlines, Android Geeks, Phones Review, Ulefone)

Keecoo K1 is a smartphone “designed for women” – 5” HD IPS LCD display, MediaTek MT6735P processor, 13MP + 8MP cameras, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, Android 5.1, LTE, dual-SIM, 2300mAh battery. (Engadget, Keeco, The Verge, Phone Radar)

Lenovo launches Moto E3 – 5” HD IPS LCD display, quad-core processor, 8MP + 5MP cameras, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, Android 6.0, 2800mAh battery, GBP99. (Ubergizmo, Android Central, BGR, Android and Me, Engadget)

Tablets

Chuwi Vi10 Plus is announced – 10.8” 1920×1280 display, Intel Atom Cherry Trail X5 processor, 2MP + 2MP cameras, 2GB RAM + 32GB ROM / 4GB + 64GB ROM, dual boot Windows 10 / Remix OS, USB Type-C, magnetic docking keyboard, HiPen H2 stylus, 8400mAh battery. (Gizmo China, GizChina)

Wearables

To accelerate the success of virtual reality content production, the Advanced Imaging Society (AIS) announced the formation of The VR Society. Society member companies include Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., AMD, The Virtual Reality Company, DreamWorks Animation, Sony, Deluxe, Nokia, Barco, Dolby, StereoD, Intel, Prime Focus World, Phillip, etc. (CN Beta, Yahoo, Business Wire)

According to Digi-Capital, early stage VCs and corporates invested a record USD2 billion into AR/VR startups in the last 12 months, despite the market still being in its earliest stages. Magic Leap’s USD794 million was only 40% of the total invested in the 12 months to June 2016. The remaining 60% went into AR/VR video, hardware, solutions and services, games, apps, advertising/marketing, tech, distribution and peripherals. (Digi-Capital, press, 199IT)

Internet of Things

Nest Cam Outdoor is in a “weatherproof” IP65 rated box, records 30fps 1080p video, a 130-degree field of view, eight infrared LEDs for night vision, and a speaker and microphone for audio communication. It is priced at USD199. (CN Beta, NY Times, Ars Technica)

Navigant Research expects the electric vehicle (EV) market to grow 62% YoY in 2016, which adds up to nearly 200,000 EVs being sold this year. Navigant points to long-range battery electric vehicles (BEVs) with price tags under USD40,000, like the Chevy Bolt (USD37,000 MSRP) that’s expected to hit dealerships in the fall, as being key to this growth. (Navigant Research, press, TechCrunch, TechNews)

LeEco reportedly is looking to make a strategic investment in US-based LCD TV vendor Vizio. LeEco reportedly aims to ship 6 million LCD TVs and 15 million smartphones globally in 2016. (Digitimes, press, Tech PP, 163, 19JQKA)