Preorders for Apple Inc's new iPhone 17 series began in Taiwan today through the nation's three major telecom providers, ahead of the official launch on Friday next week.
Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大) and Far EasTone Telecommunications Co (遠傳電信) said upgrades in specifications are expected to boost initial sales by 20 to 30 percent compared with the previous generation.
Photo from apple.com
Yesterday, Apple unveiled four new models: the entry-level iPhone 17, the ultra-thin iPhone Air and two flagship models: the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images via AFP
The devices feature new color options and would run on the latest A19 or A19 Pro chips.
In Taiwan, the iPhone 17 is to start at NT$29,900, the iPhone Air at NT$36,900, the iPhone 17 Pro at NT$39,900 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max at NT$44,900.
Photo: Godofredo A. Vasquez, AP
Taiwan Mobile opened preorders this morning, while Chunghwa Telecom opened preorders in the afternoon.
Photo: John G. Mabanglo, EPA
Far EasTone is to begin presales on Friday, the same day when Apple's global presales are to start, while also running a promotion that gives consumers a chance to win an iPhone Air.
Taiwan Mobile executive Tony Lin (林東閔) said that despite concerns over US tariffs, some of the new models are priced the same as or lower than their predecessors.
He added that use of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's (TSMC, 台積電) 3-nanometer process for the A19 Pro chip should further boost demand.
Far EasTone vice president Brian Chao (趙憶南) said the iPhone Air and upgraded Pro models are expected to drive strong replacement demand, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max likely to become the most popular choice.
AI BOOST: Although Taiwan’s reliance on Chinese rare earth elements is limited, it could face indirect impacts from supply issues and price volatility, an economist said DBS Bank Ltd (星展銀行) has sharply raised its forecast for Taiwan’s economic growth this year to 5.6 percent, citing stronger-than-expected exports and investment linked to artificial intelligence (AI), as it said that the current momentum could peak soon. The acceleration of the global AI race has fueled a surge in Taiwan’s AI-related capital spending and exports of information and communications technology (ICT) products, which have been key drivers of growth this year. “We have revised our GDP forecast for Taiwan upward to 5.6 percent from 4 percent, an upgrade that mainly reflects stronger-than-expected AI-related exports and investment in the third
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
TECHNOLOGICAL RIVALRY: The artificial intelligence chip competition among multiple players would likely intensify over the next two years, a Quanta official said Quanta Computer Inc (廣達), which makes servers and laptops on a contract basis, yesterday said its shipments of artificial intelligence (AI) servers powered by Nvidia Corp’s GB300 chips have increased steadily since last month, should surpass those of the GB200 models this quarter. The production of GB300 servers has gone much more smoothly than that of the GB200, with shipments projected to increase sharply next month, Quanta executive vice president Mike Yang (楊麒令) said on the sidelines of a technology forum in Taipei. While orders for GB200 servers gradually decrease, the production transition between the two server models has been
ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控), the world’s largest integrated circuit (IC) packaging and testing supplier, yesterday announced a strategic collaboration with Analog Devices Inc (ADI), coupled with the signing of a binding memorandum of understanding. Under the agreement, ASE intends to purchase 100 percent shares of Analog Devices Sdn Bhd and acquire its manufacturing facility in Penang, Malaysia, a press release showed. The ADI Penang facility is located in the prime industrial hub of Bayan Lepas, with an area of over 680,000 square feet, it said. In addition, the two sides intend to enter into a long-term supply agreement for ASE to
RSS