AI PC sales have so far failed to live up to the initial hype, but Acer chairman and CEO Jason Chen predicts that the devices will reach the pricing sweet spot next year to trigger replacement demand.
During a recent investor conference in New York, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon emphasized that since 2021, the company has been actively expanding beyond mobile phones. The company's aggressive execution over the past few years has yielded significant results, a strategy that will continue moving forward.
As India entered its annual festive season, PC shipments experienced slight growth despite a weak consumer market. Acer achieved double-digit growth, driven by strong demand from the education sector and other industries.
A series of meetings between Chinese officials and US tech executives signals potential warming ties, with senior representatives from Nvidia and Apple holding discussions in Beijing this month.
Following President-Elect Donald Trump's election victory, PC brands are intensifying their strategic shifts. Hewlett-Packard (HP), the world's second-largest PC maker, has reportedly moved to restructure its senior procurement and R&D operations. Industry sources suggest the company is preparing another round of R&D layoffs as it redirects focus toward North America.
In the third quarter of 2024, global notebook shipments (excluding detachable models) exceeded expectations, showing a 5.8% growth compared to the previous quarter, but the volumes are expected to slip in the fourth quarter, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest report covering the notebook industry in the second half of 2024.
Donald Trump's expected return to the White House on January 20, 2025, has intensified speculation over his trade policy plans. Liu, Director of the Regional Development Study Center at The Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER), emphasized that while tariffs have not yet been applied to foreign-made notebooks and smartphones, Trump's actions remain unpredictable. Known for his strong support of tariffs, calling them "the most beautiful word in the dictionary," Taiwanese supply chains must proceed with caution and develop contingency plans.
In September, Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced Orion, a highly anticipated prototype of augmented reality (AR) glasses, during a private event. Marketed as a potential smartphone replacement, Orion signifies a pivotal step in Meta's pursuit of next-generation computing technologies.
The newest round of subsidies for trade-in programs made by China's government targeting TVs and consumer electronics has effectively boosted LCD TV demand in the fourth quarter, stabilizing panel prices. The most notable growth was observed in the ultra-large TV segment, but concerns about the potential overdrawing of future demand remain.
The Chinese PC market is expected to experience particularly weak sales during the first quarter of 2025, following a surge in replacement demand driven by government trade-in subsidies, according to industry sources.
Xiaomi CEO Jun Lei recently announced the company's strongest-ever quarterly performance, a remarkable achievement given China's current economic climate. However, challenges are emerging for the tech giant.
Taiwanese IT product manufacturers expect AI server demand to drive their growth in the fourth quarter of 2024, as consumer electronics enters the traditional low season. Looking forward to 2025, the manufacturers expect even stronger orders, with AI servers showing the strongest momentum, followed by AI PCs, while automotive electronics will also be a major growth driver.
India, once the world's fastest-growing wearable market, saw a substantial fall in shipments for two quarters in a row as vendors reduced product launches and maintained cautious inventory policies.
Passive component distributor Nichidenbo held its earnings call on November 18, during which company president and spokesman Yao-kuo Yu forecasted steady growth in the PC and consumer product markets for 2025. However, the EV market is harder to predict, due to uncertainties stemming from US election results, as well as inventories currently remaining at a higher level.
Recently, Meta unveiled its new augmented reality (AR) glasses prototype, Orion, alongside the smart glasses, Ray-Ban Meta, which was developed in collaboration with Ray-Ban. This announcement is expected to reignite interest in the metaverse and AR/VR technologies.
Despite existing incentives for local IT hardware production, India is reportedly planning to introduce stricter policies requiring PC and notebook manufacturers to reduce imports and increase domestic manufacturing.
Apple Inc., aiming to catch up with rivals in the smart home market, is nearing the launch of a new product category: a wall-mounted display that can control appliances, handle videoconferencing, and use AI to navigate apps.
On November 12, Compal released its third-quarter financial report, showing revenue growth in PCs, wearables, and automotive electronics from the prior quarter, with other product lines remaining stable. The company's gross profit margin rose to 5.01%, reaching the 5% threshold for the first time in 13 years and increasing by 0.6 pp year over year, driven by an optimized product mix and a larger share of high-margin products.
Taiwanese hinge and precision components provider Jarllytech reported that its revenue performance in October remained flat, with a slight month-over-month decline primarily due to the postponement of mass production for new foldable devices from Chinese clients until late October, which resulted in lower-than-expected shipments for the company's mobile product line this month.
On November 8, 2024, Asus held its financial briefing for the third quarter, reporting a significant boost in gaming notebook sales in the Chinese market, driven by the popularity of Black Myth: Wukong.
Recently reports have emerged that the Biden administration has proposed a controversial plan to bolster Intel by merging its chip design division with AMD's corresponding departments. While both companies have established collaborative foundations, this speculation appears worrisome from both the market and technical perspectives.
According to sources at IC design houses, China's subsidies aimed at boosting replacement demand have managed to generate short lead-time orders for household appliance applications.
Global supply chains are transforming from lengthy, interconnected networks to shorter, regionalized structures, driven by the prolonged US-China trade and tech conflicts and pandemic disruptions. While this transition has placed substantial pressure on small and medium-sized suppliers, they are finding ways to adapt.
The Snapdragon Summit 2024, held October 21-23, placed Qualcomm's Oryon CPU and AI advancements at the center of its product showcase. Amid mixed reactions to Qualcomm's chip announcements, "Oryon CPU development" and "AI capabilities" have emerged as the foundation of the company's 2024 product portfolio, reflecting Qualcomm's strategic shift. In this article, DIGITIMES examines Qualcomm's recent advancements and strategies across semiconductors, AI, smartphones, PCs, and automotive platforms amid a flurry of market rumors.
