The annual production value of Taiwan’s flat-panel sector is expected to rise 7 percent this year, largely as a result of growing demand for handheld devices and the launch of Ultrabook computers, the Photonics Industry & Technology Development Association (PIDA, 光電協進會) said on Saturday.
Increased outsourcing by -Japan-based electronics manufacturers to local flat-screen makers is also expected to boost output, the association said.
In the large screens segment, which refers to 10 inch products or bigger, production value is expected to rise 3.7 percent from a year earlier to NT$783.2 billion (US$26.5 billion) with the growth of the Ultrabook market, the association said.
Meanwhile, the output of small and medium-sized panels is likely to increase 18 percent year-on-year to NT$294.7 billion with the rapid increase in demand for entry-level smartphones, the association added.
Meanwhile, market advisory firm DisplaySearch said global shipments of LCD TVs for the fourth quarter of last year rose 1 percent from a year earlier to 64.24 million units.
Although year-on-year growth was the lowest since 2004, shipments in the quarter represented a 24 percent increase from the third quarter, the firm said.
LCD TVs accounted for 86.5 percent of total TV shipments in the fourth quarter, compared with 83 percent in the third quarter and 82 percent in the same period of 2010, DisplaySearch said.
The increase in LCD TV shipments reflected the aggressive pricing strategy adopted by vendors to promote 40 inch models or larger, the advisory firm said.
During the last quarter, shipments of 40 inch LCD TVs or larger rose 20 percent from a year earlier, while shipments of screens below 40 inches fell 7 percent from a year ago, it said. Total global shipments of TVs, including LCD TVs, plasma TVs and cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs, fell 4 percent in the fourth quarter from a year earlier to 74.24 million units, DisplaySearch said.
Shipments of plasma TVs during the same period fell 8 percent from a year earlier, while shipments of CRT TVs dropped 43 percent year-on-year, it added.
The advisory firm said TV shipments to Japan, western Europe and North America for the fourth quarter fell 21 percent from a year earlier, while TV shipments to emerging markets rose 12 percent, with LCD TV shipments up 20 percent.
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
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Sales in the retail, and food and beverage sectors last month continued to rise, increasing 0.7 percent and 13.6 percent respectively from a year earlier, setting record highs for the month of March, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Sales in the wholesale sector also grew last month by 4.6 annually, mainly due to the business opportunities for emerging applications related to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing technologies, the ministry said in a report. The ministry forecast that retail, and food and beverage sales this month would retain their growth momentum as the former would benefit from Tomb Sweeping Day