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.
POWERING UP: PSUs for AI servers made up about 50% of Delta’s total server PSU revenue during the first three quarters of last year, the company said Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) reported record-high revenue of NT$161.61 billion (US$5.11 billion) for last quarter and said it remains positive about this quarter. Last quarter’s figure was up 7.6 percent from the previous quarter and 41.51 percent higher than a year earlier, and largely in line with Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co’s (元大投顧) forecast of NT$160 billion. Delta’s annual revenue last year rose 31.76 percent year-on-year to NT$554.89 billion, also a record high for the company. Its strong performance reflected continued demand for high-performance power solutions and advanced liquid-cooling products used in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers,
SIZE MATTERS: TSMC started phasing out 8-inch wafer production last year, while Samsung is more aggressively retiring 8-inch capacity, TrendForce said Chipmakers are expected to raise prices of 8-inch wafers by up to 20 percent this year on concern over supply constraints as major contract chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and Samsung Electronics Co gradually retire less advanced wafer capacity, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. It is the first significant across-the-board price hike since a global semiconductor correction in 2023, the Taipei-based market researcher said in a report. Global 8-inch wafer capacity slid 0.3 percent year-on-year last year, although 8-inch wafer prices still hovered at relatively stable levels throughout the year, TrendForce said. The downward trend is expected to continue this year,
Vincent Wei led fellow Singaporean farmers around an empty Malaysian plot, laying out plans for a greenhouse and rows of leafy vegetables. What he pitched was not just space for crops, but a lifeline for growers struggling to make ends meet in a city-state with high prices and little vacant land. The future agriculture hub is part of a joint special economic zone launched last year by the two neighbors, expected to cost US$123 million and produce 10,000 tonnes of fresh produce annually. It is attracting Singaporean farmers with promises of cheaper land, labor and energy just over the border.
US actor Matthew McConaughey has filed recordings of his image and voice with US patent authorities to protect them from unauthorized usage by artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, a representative said earlier this week. Several video clips and audio recordings were registered by the commercial arm of the Just Keep Livin’ Foundation, a non-profit created by the Oscar-winning actor and his wife, Camila, according to the US Patent and Trademark Office database. Many artists are increasingly concerned about the uncontrolled use of their image via generative AI since the rollout of ChatGPT and other AI-powered tools. Several US states have adopted
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