Contract electronics manufacturer Wistron Corp (緯創) has not been chosen to assemble the trio of new iPhones set to be launched later this year, Fubon Securities Co’s (富邦證券) survey of Apple Inc’s supply chain showed.
Following setbacks in production yield rates in March, the US technology giant has ruled out Wistron and tapped Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) and Pegatron Corp (和碩) to assemble the new models, the Chinese-language Apple Daily quoted Fubon Securities analyst Arthur Liao (廖顯毅) as saying.
Hon Hai has been selected to assemble the bulk of the new iPhones, including all of the premium 5.8-inch OLED model and 90 percent of the 6.5-inch OLED phones, as well as 75 percent of the 6.1-inch LCD model, with the remainder given to Pegatron, the report said.
The lower-priced LCD model is to be pivotal in determining market reception for Apple’s smartphone lineup, Liao said, adding that a total of about 83 million units are to be ordered.
While the US$999 starting price tag for last year’s iPhone X drew criticism, Liao said that the 6.1-inch LCD model would be priced at about US$799, lower than the NT$28,900 price for the 5.5-inch iPhone 8 Plus listed on Apple’s Web site.
The budget 6.1-inch model would have nearly all of the same materials as the iPhone 8 Plus, and would cost about US$275, Liao said.
While a 3D sensing module and a bigger display would add US$20 and US$5 to the production cost of the LCD model respectively, its main rear camera would be US$15 cheaper than that of the iPhone 8 Plus, Liao said.
In addition, the new model’s LCD display would not include pressure-sensitivity features, saving US$10 and canceling out the difference in cost, he said.
Meanwhile, local media have reported that Wistron has begun mass production of Apple’s older iPhone 6 series at one of its production plants in India to meet domestic demand there.
Mercuries Life Insurance Co (三商美邦人壽) shares surged to a seven-month high this week after local media reported that E.Sun Financial Holding Co (玉山金控) had outbid CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) in the financially strained insurer’s ongoing sale process. Shares of the mid-sized life insurer climbed 5.8 percent this week to NT$6.72, extending a nearly 18 percent rally over the past month, as investors bet on the likelihood of an impending takeover. The final round of bidding closed on Thursday, marking a critical step in the 32-year-old insurer’s search for a buyer after years of struggling to meet capital adequacy requirements. Local media reports
US sports leagues rushed to get in on the multi-billion US dollar bonanza of legalized betting, but the arrest of an National Basketball Association (NBA) coach and player in two sprawling US federal investigations show the potential cost of partnering with the gambling industry. Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, a former Detroit Pistons star and an NBA Hall of Famer, was arrested for his alleged role in rigged illegal poker games that prosecutors say were tied to Mafia crime families. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was charged with manipulating his play for the benefit of bettors and former NBA player and
The DBS Foundation yesterday announced the launch of two flagship programs, “Silver Motion” and “Happier Caregiver, Healthier Seniors,” in partnership with CCILU Ltd, Hondao Senior Citizens’ Welfare Foundation and the Garden of Hope Foundation to help Taiwan face the challenges of a rapidly aging population. The foundation said it would invest S$4.91 million (US$3.8 million) over three years to foster inclusion and resilience in an aging society. “Aging may bring challenges, but it also brings opportunities. With many Asian markets rapidly becoming super-aged, the DBS Foundation is working with a regional ecosystem of like-minded partners across the private, public and people sectors
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