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Category: Electronics

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Electronics news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • SK-II brings Future X Smart Store to Singapore

    SK-II brings Future X Smart Store to Singapore

    Japanese beauty brand SK-II has partnered with The Shilla Duty-Free to bring Future X Smart Store to Changi airport. According to SK-II, the smart store merges the latest digital technology with in-store experience to deliver “a convenient and pressure-free shopping experience”.

    “Travellers from all over the world now have the chance to experience the brand’s unique physical retail concept, merging the latest digital technologies with in-store elements to provide travelers with a convenient and pressure-free way to shop for skincare,” the brand said in a statement.

    The store consists of physical features such as the Discovery Bar, smart product scan and ‘Skincare GPS’ that help time-conscious travelers locate, learn about and buy SK-II products in the shortest time possible.

    At the Discovery Bar, consumers will learn more about SK-II’s range of skincare products at the touch of a button.

    The smart product scan tool uses advanced image-recognition technology to help customers locate products quickly. By scanning the SK-II product images they download to their mobile devices, travelers will be directed to the location of their desired product.

    The Skincare GPS facility lights up the location of the product on the store shelf to make it quicker and easier for shoppers to find items.

    The smart store is a part of SK-II’s foray into retail innovation “and the start of a global transformation to connect with a new generation of consumers who are yearning for more meaningful experiences with the brands”, the company said.

    SK-II has launched Future X Smart Stores in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Singapore.

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  • Apple India shortlists first flagship store Presence

    Apple India shortlists first flagship store Presence

    Tech retailer Apple may be close to opening its first retail outlet in India. People familiar with the plans said Apple India will decide within weeks on a premium location in Mumbai from a shortlist it is examining now. The hardware manufacturer has previously been unable to open in the territory due to regulations governing local sourcing, which prompted Apple to shift some manufacturing to India. The move will also result in the removal of the 20 percent tariff currently placed on iPhones because they are imported.

    While local preferences are for cheaper Chinese handsets, India still represents a vast potential market for Apple as it loses ground in China.

    “India is a very important market in the long term,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “It’s a challenging market in the short term, but we’re learning a lot. We plan on going in there with sort of all of our might.”

    With India currently being the fastest-growing smartphone market in the world, Apple has placed greater emphasis on gaining market traction there in recent years. A new country chief was named last November after previous efforts yielded disappointing results. The firm now commands an estimated 1 percent of the country’s smartphone market.

    “Its own retail store might be just what Apple requires to reinforce its premium image,” said Rushabh Doshi, an analyst at global research firm Canalys. “A store just before the next launch will be the perfect timing for Apple to restart its Indian growth story.”

  • Apple looks to open its first store in India

    Apple looks to open its first store in India

    India is a great place for certain phone manufacturers to sell their products, and for others, it is a contradiction that is hard to figure out. With approximately 1.4 billion people in the country, it is the second largest smartphone market in the world after China. But with a per capita income in the country of $1,670 as of 2016, the consumers in the country usually favor lower priced handsets. That explains the success that Xiaomi, with its value for money policy, has had in the country.

    Apple’s business in India has been driven by demand for lower-priced models like the discontinued iPhone SE. To avoid a 20% tariff on imported phones, Apple had manufactured the iPhone SE in India and still produces older devices such as the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 in the country.  Starting this year, it will also manufacture some of its high-end handsets in the region. Contract manufacturer Foxconn is said to be running quality tests of the iPhone XR in India with mass production of the device expected to start soon.

    More than ever, Apple is looking toward India to generate sales in light of the troubles the company has had over the last year selling iPhones in China. But business now is not booming. Research firm Canalys recently reported that during the first quarter of 2019, iPhone shipments in India declined by 75% year-over-year leaving the firm with just 1% of the country’s smartphone market. But Apple CEO Tim Cook is optimistic. He said during last week’s earnings call that “We have made some adjustments in India and we’ve seen preliminarily some better results there.”

    To help generate sales in India, Apple is planning to open its very first retail store in the market. Expanding the local production of iPhone models in the country is expected to help pave the way for government approval of India’s first Apple Store. The green light could come at the end of this month or early next month when a new government takes over in the country. Canalys analyst Rushabh Doshi says that opening a store before the launch of the 2019 iPhone models later this year will help Apple “restart its Indian growth story.” Doshi says that Apple is caught in a bind in India. On one hand, it wants to lower its prices in order to compete with the likes of Xiaomi and Vivo, but it also wants to maintain its “premium” image.

    “India is a very important market in the long term. It’s a challenging market in the short term, but we’re learning a lot. We plan on going in there with sort of all of our might.”-Tim Cook, CEO, Apple

    Still, last month Apple cut the price of the “more affordable” iPhone XR in the country by 17,000 rupees (equivalent to $244 USD). That phone is now priced in India for 59,000 rupees ($846 at current exchange rates).

    Apple is apparently planning to open its first Apple Store in India at one of several upscale locations in Mumbai, according to anonymous sources cited in the report. Apple will decide on the exact location in the next few weeks. No matter which location it selects, the Indian Apple Store will be in a prestigious area of the country comparable with Apple’s Fifth Avenue store in New York City, the Regent Street location in London and the store on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. This might be part of the game plan designed to keep promoting the iPhone as a premium device in India. But again, for Apple to succeed in the country, it will have to be mindful of its pricing.

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  • Huawei’s first phone with a pop-out camera is Out

    Huawei’s first phone with a pop-out camera is Out

    Over the past year or so Huawei has welcomed the notch with open arms. Nowadays, though, most companies are looking for ways to remove it and, as it turns out, Huawei is no different

    Called the Huawei P Smart Z, the company’s latest smartphone represents both it’s newest offering in the budget segment and its first attempt at an all-screen device that includes no notch or cutout.

    Targeting fans of massive displays, the P Smart Z arrives equipped with a huge 6.6-inch LCD display that boasts a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and a Full-HD+ (2340 x 1080p) resolution. As you’d expect, the huge panel is paired with uniform bezels, the only exception being the chin which is slightly thicker. Also present is a pop-out camera, thus marking the first time Huawei has used such a feature.

    Hidden inside the mechanical module is a 16-megapixel selfie camera that offers an f/2.0 aperture. This is paired over on the rear with a vertically-aligned dual-camera setup. Speaking of which, this includes a 16-megapixel f/1.8 camera paired with a dedicated 2-megapixel depth sensor. Also present is an LED flash.

    While on the topic of the rear, it’s worth pointing out that the Huawei P Smart Z follows in the footsteps of Google’s Pixel devices by adopting a dual-tone rear. But rather than using different materials or textures, Huawei has simply opted for slightly different colors.

    Regarding the internal characteristics of this smartphone, the P Smart Z is equipped with a modified version of the Kirin 710 dubbed the Kirin 710F alongside a respectable 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Also present is Android 9 Pie straight out of the box along with the EMUI 9.0 overlay and a large 4,000mAh battery.

    The Huawei P Smart Z can be purchased right now in Italy or Spain for €279. Presumably, sales will eventually expand to other internal markets, but these details are yet to be confirmed.

  • Qualcomm shows how important Apple’s business is

    Qualcomm shows how important Apple’s business is

    Last month, just as Apple and Qualcomm were into the opening statements of their billion-dollar trial in San Diego, surprising news was released. Behind the scenes, Apple and Qualcomm had been negotiating a settlement and both companies finally shook hands on a deal. Apple paid the chip maker an undisclosed amount of money; in return, Apple received a 6-year licensing agreement (with a two-year option) and a multi-year chip supply deal.

    It was no secret that Apple was getting desperate for a company to supply it with 5G modem chips for the iPhone. Apple wasn’t totally convinced that Intel, whose 4G LTE modem chips are exclusively used on the 2018 iPhones, could deliver the 5G component in time. In fact, during the FTC v. Qualcomm non-jury trial in January, Apple supply chain executive Tony Blevins testified that the firm had spoken with Samsung and MediaTek about sourcing their 5G modem chips. And even though Intel said early last month that it would ship its chips starting in the second half of this year, Apple still felt compelled to shake hands with Qualcomm. Hours after the agreement was announced, Intel said that it was leaving the mobile 5G modem chip business.

    According to one analyst, Apple will pay Qualcomm as much as $9 for each iPhone it sells with a 5G Qualcomm modem chip. The terms of the settlement obviously benefit Qualcomm greatly, and the company has decided to reward its executives including CEO Steve Mollenkopf. The executive received a bonus consisting of 40,794 shares of Qualcomm stock. The shares are currently valued at over $3.5 million. Not that Mollenkopf was underpaid; last year he took home $20 million according to data from FactSet.

    Other Qualcomm executives received bonuses too, thanks to the settlement with Apple. Company president Cristiano Amon scored $2.14 million in Qualcomm stock and Chief Technical Officer James Thompson was given $1.65 million in company shares. Other beneficiaries included General Counsel Donald Rosenberg and interim CFO David Wise. The pair received $1.22 million and $254,000, respectively. Wise pointed out that other Qualcomm employees will receive higher bonuses too, thanks to the settlement. Investors also have benefited from the deal with Apple (assuming that they weren’t short the stock). The day before it was announced, Qualcomm’s shares closed at $57.18. Yesterday, the stock closed at $85.84, which means that it has soared 50% over the last three weeks.

    The bonuses and the stock surge are both an indication of how important Apple’s business is for Qualcomm. Apple only used Qualcomm’s modem chips on the iPhone from 2011-2015. As a result, Apple demanded and received a $1 billion incentive payment from the chip maker annually. But Apple CEO Tim Cook was upset that Qualcomm was receiving five times more in royalties than it was paying all of its other suppliers combined. Qualcomm’s royalty payments were based on the retail price of the iPhone, and that didn’t make Cook very happy either.

    Apple ended up testifying against Qualcomm at a hearing held by the South Korea Fair Trade Commission. That angered Qualcomm, as did a statement from Apple that it would have to add a second modem chip supplier due to “Qualcomm’s exclusionary conduct.” At the same time, Qualcomm learned that Apple was planning on using Intel modem chips on the iPhone 7 and it stopped sending Apple those $1 billion checks. In return, Apple told its contract manufacturers like Foxconn and Pegatron to stop paying royalties to Qualcomm. Apple sued Qualcomm in January 2017 leading to a number of suits filed by both companies against each other. All of those suits have been withdrawn by Apple and Qualcomm as part of the settlement.

    Now that Apple and Qualcomm are on speaking terms, a 5G iPhone seems a sure bet for 2020.

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  • Android Q may have a life-saving feature exclusive to Pixel phones

    Android Q may have a life-saving feature exclusive to Pixel phones

    At Google I/O this year, the company behind Android revealed many new and exciting things coming to the next iteration of the world’s most popular mobile OS. These include native support for foldable devices, system-wide Dark Mode, Smart Replies and Suggestions, and a handful of other features.

    But aside from those, savvy developers have uncovered something else that’s coming with Android Q, and it wasn’t mentioned at this year’s I/O. The folks over at XDA have found lines of code in the Android Q Beta 3, referencing a possible automatic car crash detection feature. The beta has an app called Safety Hub, and strings of code within the app suggest that automatic car crash detection is coming to Android Q, and that it may also be a Pixel-exclusive feature.

    Google is no stranger to introducing Pixel-exclusive features, though they’ve been more on the “bonus” side of things, so to speak. Two prominent examples are the excellent Night Sight mode, baked into the Google camera app, and unlimited Google Photos storage for original quality photo backups, available only to Pixel phone owners. However, more essential features have always managed to make their way into Android skins by other OEMs, so the upcoming car crash detection may start as a Pixel-exclusive thing and become more widely available thereafter.

    It’s currently unclear how Android Q will detect car crashes, though it’s likely going to happen by gathering data from various sensors on the phone. For example, Google could use GPS data to determine whether you’re driving, use the accelerometer to detect when a violent stop occurs, and even rely on the microphone to pick up the sound of the crash. After an accident has been detected, the Safety Hub app could automatically alert emergency services and/or select contacts.

    We have our fingers crossed that future Android Q betas will reveal more about this potentially life-saving feature, and that it won’t be Pixel-exclusive forever.

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  • Sonos to bring Google Assistant to its smart speakers

    Sonos to bring Google Assistant to its smart speakers

    The neverending saga regarding Sonos connected speakers and Google Assistant is about to end next week if the American company keeps its most recent promise. After a few years of uncertainty, the situation is about to get out of limbo with Sonos finally delivering Google Assistant support to its high-end speakers.

    As the company announced back in January, the Sonos One and Sonos Beam will receive an update that will make Google Assistant available to users. The information has been confirmed by Sonos in a shareholder letter released ahead of the company’s quarterly earnings call.

    The update that will add Google Assistant support will be available next week in the United States, but Sonos plans to bring it to other markets as well in the “next few months.” Although Sonos’ previous statement confirmed Google Assistant will be added to older speakers as well, the shareholder letter doesn’t include any mentions to these devices.

    We’ll update the story once Google Assistant support hits the Sonos One and Sonos Beam, but if what the US company says it’s true, you should be able to start using Google’s personal digital assistant no later than next week.

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  • Connected wearable shipments to hit 239m in 2023

    Connected wearable shipments to hit 239m in 2023

    Global shipments of connected wearables are forecast to grow from 116.8 million units in 2018 to reach 238.5 million units in 2023, representing a CAGR of 15.4%, according to research firm Berg Insights.

    Bluetooth will remain the primary connectivity option in the coming years.

    A total of 67.7 million of the wearables sold in 2023 are forecast to incorporate embedded cellular connectivity, mainly in the smartwatch and telecare and medical device categories.

    The connected fitness & activity tracker segment is led by China’s Xiaomi, which has been successful with its Mi Band fitness tracker. Fitbit, a pioneer in the segment, is still also among the largest vendors in the segment along with Huawei and Garmin.

    In 2018, shipments of connected fitness & activity tracker reached 65 million units.

    This product category is now facing fierce competition from smartwatches that in most cases include activity tracking features. Apple entered the connected wearables market in the second quarter of 2015 and quickly became the leading smartwatch vendor.

    In 2018, Apple accounted for almost half of the total 45.5 million smartwatches sold during the year.

    “Apple continues to hold a firm grip on the smartwatch market and is at the forefront of innovation in the industry,” says Martin Bäckman, IoT Analyst at Berg Insight. The competition has responded with increasingly capable and attractive devices from Wear OS vendors including Fossil, LG, and Huawei as well as from vendors betting on other platforms such as Fitbit and Samsung.

    The smartwatch segment is expected to surpass fitness & activity trackers and become the largest device category within wearable technology in terms of shipments in 2021.

    “Technology advancements, increased consumer awareness and wide availability of devices in different price segments will enable smartwatches to reach shipments of 117.7 million units in 2023,” concludes Bäckman.

    Sales of smart glasses and head-mounted displays have so far been modest, but promising use cases in professional markets as well as in niche consumer markets will enable it to become a sizeable connected wearable device category in the next five years.

    A number of vendors including Daqri, ODG, Epson, Google, Microsoft, Kopin and Vuzix are active in the segment. Standalone VR headsets from companies such as Oculus and HTC aimed for the consumer market are gaining traction and accounted for a large share of the total 1.5 million devices shipped in the segment during 2018.

    Berg Insight forecasts that shipments of smart glasses and head-mounted displays will reach 11.9 million units by 2023.

    Annual shipments of medical devices and mobile telecare/mPERS devices are forecast to grow from 1.8 million devices in 2018 to 6.9 million devices in 2023. The segment includes wearables such as cardiac rhythm management devices, ECG monitors and mobile telecare devices.

    Finally, annual shipments of wearables not covered by the above product categories such as authentication and gestures devices, smart rings, wrist-worn computers and scanners, smart jewelry and connected prosthetics are predicted to grow from 3.0 million units in 2018 to reach 13.0 million units in 2023.

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  • Motorola One Vision leak reveals new color option

    Motorola One Vision leak reveals new color option

    We’ve known for a while that Motorola is gearing to release another Android One phone under the name Motorola One Vision. Today, another leak gives us a glimpse at a new color option, which the One Vision will be available in at launch.

    As per earlier leaks, the Motorola One Vision will sport a sizable 6.2-inch display with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a small punch-hole selfie camera in the upper left corner. Around the back, the renders reveal, a dual-camera setup with a 48-megapixel sensor will be taking care of video and stills. There’s no word yet on what function the second camera will serve, though it could very well be used for depth sensing.

    Under the hood, the One Vision is set to be Motorola’s first smartphone that employs a Samsung processor. Specifically, the Exynos 9610, which was recently used in the Galaxy A50, and is about on par with the Snapdragon 660, performance-wise. The Samsung CPU is said to be accompanied by 3 or 4 GB of RAM and a 3,500 mAh battery.

    The newly-leaked renders also reveal a blue color option for the Motorola One Vision, in addition to the brown shade, which was shown in earlier leaks. The phone is slated to make its official debut at an event held in São Paulo, Brazil on May 15th.

  • HTC’s First Smartphone this Year Soon to Arrive

    HTC’s First Smartphone this Year Soon to Arrive

    Back in 2014, when the brand was riding high due to the success of the One (M8), HTC released a total of 30 smartphones. As its struggles began to sink in, this figure dropped and by 2016 HTC was launching just 16 devices per year. Throughout 2018, the company scaled back its business even further with just 7 releases and this year it’s nowhere to be seen, but that could soon change.

    A mysterious HTC smartphone was recently benchmarked under the name ‘HTC 2Q741.’ It’s unclear at this point what kind of features the device will offer, but the Geekbench listing does reveal the presence of MediaTek’s Helio P35 on the inside.

    Combined with 6GB of RAM, this chip scored 897 points on the single-core test and a respectable 4385 points on the multi-core assessment. These results put HTC’s offering on par with rival Snapdragon 630-powered devices such as the Xperia 10 or Nokia 6.1 but behind Snapdragon 632-powered models like the Moto G7 and Moto G7 Power.

    HTC is yet to confirm when this unnamed model will be released, but the Taiwan-based brand is reportedly developing two other models at the moment too. These include a 5G flagship for the second half of the year and an upper-midrange device powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 710.

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  • Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Supports 50W Charging

    Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Supports 50W Charging

    Samsung recently released two phones that support 25W fast charging, but you may have missed that because they are not available worldwide. Those are the 5G version of the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy A70. More Samsung phones may get super-fast charging in the future, starting with this year’s Galaxy Note 10.

    We’ve already heard rumors that the Galaxy Note 10 is likely to great battery life, and it seems like Samsung is also planning to introduce 25W fast charging alongside the increased battery capacity. It’s too early to tell whether the base Note 10 will get super-fast charging, or whether it will be reserved for the “Pro” version only, but prolific leaker Ice Universe claims that the charge speed may actually exceed 25W. We may be talking about 50W, which is the current bar set by the competition.

    OnePlus’s DASH Charge works at 30W, while Oppo’s SuperVOOC charge can hit around 50W, and both have been tested with great results. Similarly, Xiaomi has an insane 100W prototype charging solution that’s said to be able to fully juice up a 4000mAh battery in just 17 minutes. Over the last three years, Samsung has understandably been a bit more careful in regards to battery capacity and charging speeds, as the memory of the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 still lingers in the public mind.

    The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Pro are likely to launch in mid-August, and if recent rumors are to be believed, they won’t disappoint. The more expensive Pro variant is said to feature the same hexa-camera setup as the Galaxy 10 5G. That includes four cameras on the back (12MP primary with OIS + 12MP telephoto with 2x optical zoom + 16MP ultra-wide angle+ depth sensor) and two selfie snappers in front. The base Galaxy Note 10 will reportedly have a penta-camera setup that includes everything on the Note 10 Pro, except for the depth sensor. The U.S. version of all Note 10 units will be powered by the Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform, equipped with at least 8GB of memory.

  • Samsung’s Galaxy Home Finally to Arrive

    Samsung’s Galaxy Home Finally to Arrive

    In addition to being the world’s largest handset vendor, Samsung also continues to dominate the TV market while supplying the vast majority of smartphone displays out there and topping global chip sales. The tech giant is a major tablet and smartwatch manufacturer as well, but one industry the company hasn’t been able to crack just yet is ruled by arch-rivals Amazon and Google.

    We’re talking about digital assistants in general and AI-powered smart speakers in particular, like Bixby and the Galaxy Home aren’t exactly considered serious challengers for Google Assistant, Alexa, and their army of standalone devices designed for home use. Of course, a big reason why the Samsung Galaxy Home hasn’t managed to take off might be that it’s still not actually up for grabs anywhere around the world.

    First showcased a whopping nine months ago, the Google Home Max and Apple HomePod rival looked destined for an impending commercial debut several times since then, but unfortunately for Samsung, none of the optimistic rumors floating around materialized. At one point, the company’s own CEO was reportedly quoted as teasing this bad boy’s arrival “by April”, although subsequent statements brought back the vagueness, hinting at a launch in the “first half of 2019.”

    With the HomePod and Google Home Max out for a few years now, not to mention a flurry of lower-end, lower-cost models from both Google and Amazon, it felt late for the Samsung Galaxy Home to join the party even last fall. But while Bixby is still widely derided or, at best, ignored, its recent progress is also undeniable. Apart from handy voice assistance and smart home controls, Samsung’s first in-house smart speaker aims to shine in the audio quality department thanks to premium AKG enhancements. Perhaps that could be its saving grace.

  • iPhone sales declined in every part of the World

    iPhone sales declined in every part of the World

    As Apple confirmed in its two most recent earnings calls, iPhone sales have been consistently down year-on-year since October. The Cupertino giant blamed this primarily on weak demand in China, but recent SEC filings show this isn’t the full story.

    Apple’s recent Form 10-Q filing with the SEC (US Securities and Exchange Commission) contains a detailed breakdown of performance over the past six months by both product category and geographical region.

    iPhone sales, as mentioned above, have been down for the past six months. The Greater China region which includes China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan has undoubtedly impacted Apple’s total shipments the most, but in actual fact, the company has been experiencing “lower iPhone unit sales in all the reportable geographical segments” since October. This has resulted in year-on-year revenue declines for all regions except the Americas (North and South America), with Greater China being the most affected followed by Europe and Japan.

    In almost every geographical segment, Apple’s lower iPhone shipments were partially offset by improved performance in other product categories. For example, in Europe, the company’s Services and Wearables businesses grew significantly, while over in Japan Services and iPad were key. In the Americas, however, strong Services and Wearables performance managed to entirely offset weak iPhone shipments and push year-on-year growth to a decent 4%.

    Taking a look at the company’s performance over the past three months rather than six, it seems as though Apple’s efforts in certain regions are finally beginning to pay off. Other markets, however, seem to be in decline.

    As mentioned by Apple in its recent earnings call, the company noticed improved demand in Greater China towards the end of the quarter. It didn’t elaborate on the matter, but it seems to have translated into slightly better financial results for the brand as, for the three months ending March 31st, the year-on-year sales decline was 22%. This is still pretty major, but it represents an improvement over the -25% average Apple has experienced in the region since October.

    Another region that has improved in Japan. Over the past six months, Apple’s sales have dropped an average of 2%, but throughout the first three months of 2019 sales were actually up 1%. Similarly, the Americas continued to experience growth throughout the past quarter.

    Moving on to Europe and the Rest of Asia Pacific, these two geographical segments didn’t fare as well. Since October, Apple has experienced an average revenue decline in these regions of 4% and 2% respectively. But during the first quarter of the year, these numbers nosedived to 6% and 9% due primarily to even lower iPhone demand.

    Regarding Apple’s performance throughout the rest of 2019, the Cupertino giant now appears confident that it can improve the situation in Greater China and ultimately slow down its year-on-year decline. Nevertheless, it’s still forecasting a drop for this current quarter and, with business in Europe and the Rest of Asia Pacific seemingly struggling, it’ll remain to be seen how Apple handles the situation.

    Towards the end of 2019, Apple’s next-gen iPhones should provide a decent boost to demand. However, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently predicted almost no growth. Instead, Kuo expects iPhone sales to pick up towards the end of 2020 as a result of the first 5G models which should feature modems from both Samsung and Qualcomm.

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  • HTC’s April Revenue Figures Still Low Despite Efforts

    HTC’s April Revenue Figures Still Low Despite Efforts

    HTC had a pretty rough start to 2019 with record-low revenue numbers in both January and February. Nevertheless, things then started to look more positive in March as HTC’s sales increased dramatically thanks to the popularity of its VR headsets. But as revealed by the company’s latest figures, this resurgence was short-lived.

    Between April 1st and April 30th, HTC generated a total of NT$0.59 billion ($19.07 billion) in revenue. It’s unclear how this figure is split between smartphone and VR sales, but it, unfortunately, represents yet another record-low for the HTC One creators. Comparing the results to previous ones, April’s numbers translate into a big 54.85% month-on-month drop from the NT$1.31 billion ($42.46 billion) it generated in March and also amount to an even bigger 71.77% year-on-year decline.

    Way back in December, HTC stated that its focus for 2019 would be turning a profit and regaining its market share in the smartphone segment. So far, though, the Taiwan-based company has done little to achieve this with zero launches since December and no devices on the horizon. HTC has, however, released the Vive Focus Plus VR headset and launched its Viveport Infinity subscription service.

    Looking to the second half of 2019, HTC is largely expected to announce its first 5G flagship smartphone. Presumably, this will be available to purchase through multiple carriers and will provide a decent boost to the company’s finances. Additionally, rumor has it HTC is negotiating a brand licensing deal in India which could prove beneficial too.

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  • New iPhones to feature new antenna structure For Better Indoor Navigation

    New iPhones to feature new antenna structure For Better Indoor Navigation

    With just over four months to go until Apple’s next-gen iPhones are officially introduced, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is back today with his latest research note which focuses on the antenna technology Apple will use.

    Inside the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR there are currently two upper antennae and two lower ones, all of which are manufactured from Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP). According to Kuo, though, the 2019 iPhone series will introduce some major changes to this structure. Specifically, it’s predicted Apple will use a single LCP and modified polyamide (MPI) unit for the upper antenna and three MPI units for the lower ones.

    The reason for this sudden switch to MPI technology reportedly has something to do with production. In his research note, Kuo explains that the current-gen iPhones are being held back by LCP manufacturing issues which cause problems for high-frequency cellular transmission and ultimately affect yield.

    The focus on the modified-PI structure this year should result in similar 4G LTE performance and fewer production problems. Theoretically, the technology is also cheaper to produce, although Kuo believes the overall antenna production costs will rise between 10% and 20% due to new ultra-wideband upgrades that will improve indoor navigation performance. Speaking of which, recent Apple patents suggested the company was working on a feature that’d allow individual store and mall apps to integrate indoor mapping and location tracking.

    Another benefit that’ll come from the switch is a more diverse set of suppliers – Apple will apparently go from having just two suppliers to a total of five. Murata, who is already one of Apple’s suppliers, will continue to supply LCP for the upper antenna, while Flexium, Avary, and ZDT will split orders for the MPI part. Regarding the bottom MPI units, orders look set to be split between Avary, ZDT, and DSBJ. Current LCP supplier Career has been cut from Apple’s order list, according to Kuo, and will not receive new orders for the iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch this year.

    The focus on MPI this year is a pretty major move for Apple, but according to Ming-Chi Kuo, it’s only temporary. In fact, come next year the Cupertino giant will reportedly switch back to LCP once materials have been improved and production issues resolved. This technology will then be used inside the next-gen iPad Pro models that are due to arrive in Q1 2020 and Apple’s first 5G iPhones later on in the year.

    While on the topic of 5G iPhones, it’s worth pointing out that the modem situation for these has changed quite drastically over the past month. Following Apple’s legal battle with Qualcomm which resulted in the latter refusing to supply the former with modems for its 2018 iPhone series, the expectation was that the Silicon Valley-based company would continue to use Intel modems as it introduced support for the next-generation networks next year.

    Towards the middle of April, however, Apple and Qualcomm surprisingly announced that they had reached a six-year agreement for chips. This quickly led to Intel’s exit from the mobile 5G modem market and now, according to Kuo, Apple will use both Qualcomm and Samsung 5G modems next year.

    Eventually, support for the next-gen networks will also be expanded to the iPad Pro lineup. However, Kuo believes this won’t happen until the tablets are refreshed in 2021.

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