Digital cameras sales slid by 16 percent in the first three quarters of last year to NT$10 billion (US$344.13 million) compared with the previous year, with shipment units hitting 820,000 on the back of decreased demand for the products and the economic slowdown, a report released by market researcher GfK Taiwan on Monday showed.
DSLR CAMERAS
Although general sales declined, sales of digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras grew by 5 percent, outperforming the general camera market as customers maintained buying habits while looking for high-end products with advanced features that meet their individual needs, GfK Taiwan analyst Ku Pei-yu (古佩玉) said.
Ku said that DSLR cameras differentiate themselves from entry-level models through more advanced features and upgraded specifications, such as higher pixels, higher optical zooms or larger aperture.
FLEXIBILITY
Not only can DSLR cameras shoot high-resolution pictures, but they give users more flexibility through manually adjustable settings, making such products attractive to consumers despite the higher price tag, she added.
In addition, the integration of DSLR cameras with Wi-Fi or GPS features also helped to sustain sales momentum through the fourth quarter of last year.
EVIL CAMERAS
Meanwhile, electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens (EVIL) cameras witnessed a 27 percent increase in sales in the first three quarters of last year compared with a year earlier, GfK Taiwan said.
For this year, sales of digital cameras are expected to continue to be affected by smartphones and other mobile devices, but specially designed new cameras equipped with unique features will remain attractive to consumers, Ku said.
STRONG INTEREST: Analysts have pointed to optimism in TSMC’s growth prospects in the artificial intelligence era as the cause of the rising number of shareholders The number of people holding shares of chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) hit a new high last week despite a decline in its stock price, the Taiwan Depository and Clearing Corp (TDCC, 台灣集保) said. The number of TSMC shareholders rose to 2.46 million as of Friday, up 75,536 from a week earlier, TDCC data showed. The stock price fell 1.34 percent during the same week to close at NT$1,840 (US$57.55). The decline in TSMC’s share price resulted from volatility in global tech stocks, driven by rising international crude oil prices as the war against Iran continues. Dealers said
PRICE HIKES: The war in the Middle East would not significantly disrupt supply in the short term, but semiconductor companies are facing price surges for materials Taiwan’s semiconductor companies are not facing imminent supply disruptions of essential chemicals or raw materials due to the war in the Middle East, but surges in material costs loom large, industry association SEMI Taiwan said yesterday. The association’s comments came amid growing concerns that supplies of helium and other key raw materials used in semiconductor production could become a choke point after Qatar shut down its liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and helium output earlier this month due to the conflict. Qatar is the second-largest LNG supplier in the world and accounts for about 33 percent of global helium output. Helium is
China is clamping down on fertilizer exports to protect its domestic market, industry sources said, putting an additional strain on global markets that were already grappling with shortages caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran. China is among the largest fertilizer exporters — shipping more than US$13 billion of it last year — and it has a history of controlling exports to keep prices low for farmers. Shipments through the war-blocked Strait of Hormuz account for about one-third of the sea-borne supply. This month, Beijing banned exports of nitrogen-potassium fertilizer blends and certain phosphate varieties, sources said. The ban, which has not
DOMESTIC COMPONENT: Huang identified several Taiwanese partners to be a key part of Nvidia’s Vera Rubin supply chain, including Asustek, Hon Hai and Wistron Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳), addressing crowds at the company’s biggest annual event, unveiled a variety of new products while predicting that its flagship artificial intelligence (AI) processors would help generate US$1 trillion in sales through next year. During a two-and-a-half-hour keynote address, Huang announced plans to push deeper into central processing units (CPUs) — Intel Corp’s home turf — and introduced semiconductors made with technology acquired from start-up Groq Inc. The company even said it was developing chips for data centers in outer space. At the heart of Huang’s speech was the message that demand for computing power
RSS