Shares of Taiwanese suppliers to Apple Inc generally moved lower yesterday as new iPhones failed to amaze investors, which raised concerns over shipments of the new devices, while some components suppliers hope to benefit from the new “3D Touch” technology.
On the local bourse, the electronics sub-index closed down 0.91 percent, as selling focused on local suppliers to Apple Inc, which unveiled the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6S and 5.5-inch iPhone 6S Plus in San Francisco on Wednesday.
“Apple has posted great revenues from the sales of previous iPhone models last year. Many investors have feared that the new iPhones will not be able to achieve such strong sales as their predecessors,” Concord Securities Co (康和證券) analyst Kerry Huang said.
Shares of smartphone camera lens supplier Largan Precision Co (大立光) fell 2.83 percent to close at NT$2,750.00, metal casing maker Catcher Technology Co (可成科技) shares lost 1.63 percent to close at NT$332.00 and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), an assembler of iPhones and iPads, lost 1.05 percent to close at NT$84.60.
Touch panel maker TPK Holding Co (宸鴻) saw its shares rise in the morning session due to the company being a major supplier of Apple’s “3D Touch” — or “Force Touch” — technology, which allows users to interact more intuitively with their devices via a pressure-sensitive screen that mimics the feel and tactile responses of physical buttons.
TPK provides touch sensors to LCD makers, which are installed inside the phone. Investors had hoped the Taiwanese firm would benefit from an increase of orders from Apple.
However, TPK gave up its earlier gains, falling 0.43 percent to end at NT$92.00.
The benchmark TAIEX was down 0.22 percent at 8,268.68 points yesterday.
After the launch of the new devices, Apple shares fell almost 2 percent on Wall Street on Wednesday.
“The fall in Apple’s shares showed cautious sentiment toward the sales of the new iPhones. The caution spread to Apple concept stocks in Taiwan,” MasterLink Securities Corp (元富證券) analyst Tom Tang (湯忠謙) said.
“For many investors, the new iPhones failed to go beyond market expectations. It seemed that investors wanted an iPhone with more innovations, but it is not easy at all,” he said.
However, Tang said that TPK would see its sales accelerate in the second half of this year due to the introduction of “Force Touch technology,” which has been seen as an attractive feature by consumers.
TPK chief financial executive Freddie Liu (劉詩亮) said that the new touch technology could trigger a demand in the supply chain as other manufacturers explore how to make touching a device more pleasant and more advanced.
“This is just the beginning for ‘Force Touch,’” he told Reuters.
TPK posted NT$11.82 billion (US$359.8 million) in consolidated sales last month, up 23.9 percent from July, while its shares have started to rebound from the latest sell-off.
According to a report publish by the Wall Street Journal yesterday, Zhen Ding Technology Holding Ltd (臻鼎) is among several Asian suppliers of boards for the new iPhones, as “3D Touch” technology requires flexible printed circuit boards to connect the processors to other electronic components
Zhen Ding shares were up 0.11 percent to close at NT$93.8 yesterday.
Separately, Far EasTone Telecommunications Co (遠傳電信), Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大), Taiwan Star Telecom Co Ltd (台灣之星) and Asia Pacific Telecom Co (亞太電信) yesterday started taking orders for the new iPhones through their Web sites and in stores.
Taiwan Star said more than half of the orders were for the rose-gold iPhone.
Apple is to launch the new iPhones in 12 countries on Sept. 25, but Taiwan is not among the countries that is to see the first wave of the launch.
Additional reporting by Lisa Wang
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