April 2018 Market Insights - Technology

Complimentary Content

Automotive

• Automotive sensors: the impact of new forces on vehicle sensor count and use (Part 1) - Richard Dixon, Ph.D.
  As the world moves toward harmonizing vehicle emission standards and new testing regulations, what do these developments mean for the automotive sensors market?

Displays

• 2017 automotive display panel market review and supplier outlook - Stacy Wu
  TFT LCD growth rate has slowed, and AMOLED finally debuts in the automotive market.
• Display fab construction faces financing challenges in China - Chase Li
  The Chinese government and state banks have started to deploy new regulations for land usage and loan applications.

Enterprise & IT

• Monthly LED lamp retail price declines widen in April - Paul Bremner
  Global LED lamp retail prices in April were 8.1% lower than in March 2018.
• Collaborative meeting services grew 10% in 2017 - Matthias Machowinski, Prachi Nema
  Worldwide revenue for collaborative meeting services in video and web conferencing reached $2.5 billion in 2017, up 10% from a year earlier.
• Upcoming Report - Data center power distribution - Maggie Shillington
  While colocation providers in the past cited space as the primary limiting factor in a data center, the primary limitation in recent years is power.
• IoT platforms will enable new industrial services and partner relationships - Sam Lucero
  IHS Markit illustrates how an automaker might make use of various types of IoT platforms to offer enhanced services to its customers, enable closer collaboration with its suppliers, and develop new partnerships with other industry stakeholders.
• Ethernet access device market up 8 percent year over year in 2017 - Richard Webb
  Worldwide Ethernet access device (EAD) revenue totaled $987 million in 2017, increasing 8% over 2016.
• Quarter-on-quarter LED lamp retail price stabilizes at $14.44 - Paul Bremner
  Global LED lamp retail prices in March were 4.2% lower than in February 2018, leaving global ASPs still 1.1% higher than October 2017 prices.

Healthcare Technology

• More than 900,000 smart speakers to be used in healthcare facilities by 2021 - Bryan Montany
  Over the next five years most smart speakers will be sold to residential end-users, and penetration rates of smart speakers in commercial buildings are not anticipated to match rates in homes.

Manufacturing Technology

• New era for artificial intelligence in industrial machine vision - Shirly Zhu
  Laser World of Photonics China 2018, the largest exhibition for the laser and photonics industries in Asia, set a record with nearly 56,000 visitors this year in Shanghai.

Media & Advertising

• Cineworld flexes its new found global status with slew of equipment deals - Charlotte Jones
  Cineworld has flexed its new-found global muscle with a slew of equipment deals in keeping with its strategy to increase investment in premium cinema formats.
• Comcast makes its offer for Sky official - Tim Westcott, Erik Brannon
  Comcast has made a formal offer for Sky, valuing the UK-based satellite operator at £22 billion ($30.7 billion).
• Greek telco WIND makes long-anticipated move into online subscription video - Constantinos Papavassilopoulos
  Greek telecom operator WIND Hellas is to launch a new online subscription video service, WIND Vision. The operator is the first telco in Greece to launch such a service
• Online subscription video market in MENA grew six times faster than pay TV in 2017, as political shockwaves reversed pay-TV growth - Constantinos Papavassilopoulos
  Political shockwaves have reversed pay-TV growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as pay-TV subscriptions fell 21% to 4.2 million in 2017.
• Singapore moves closer to analog switch-off with household incentive scheme - David Scott
  Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has added further incentives to its Digital TV Assistance Scheme (DTVAS) to assist Singapore's 400,000 Housing Development Board (HDB) homes' transition from analog to digital television broadcasting.
• Disney launches ESPN's long-awaited direct-to-consumer offer - Erik Brannon, Dan Cryan
  Disney has launched online subscription service ESPN+, which will feature 10,000 live MLB, NHL, and other live events.
• Vodafone enters the Australian streaming market - David Scott
  Vodafone has entered the Australian streaming market with the launch of its Vodafone TV device.
• AMC to open the first commercial cinema in Saudi Arabia in April after an almost 38-year ban - Pablo Carrera
  US Cinema exhibitor AMC, owned by Chinese conglomerate Wanda, has been the first operator to announce the opening of a cinema in the Kingdom since the ban on commercial cinemas was lifted in December last year.
• Fox proposes sale of Sky News to Disney - Tim Westcott
  The Walt Disney Company could acquire Sky News to enable the full takeover of Sky by 21st Century Fox.
• Sky Italia and Mediaset sign content-sharing agreement - Matteo Marchello
  Sky Italia and Mediaset have reached an agreement that could prove pivotal for the future Italian television landscape.

Mobile & Telecom

• Third time lucky? Sprint and T-Mobile strike merger deal - Seth Wallis-Jones
  Sprint (Softbank) and T-Mobile (Deutsche Telekom) have announced a new plan to merge the two US businesses in an all stock merger that will leave Deutsche Telekom with a 42% stake to Softbank's 27%.
• Singapore moves closer to analog switch-off with household incentive scheme - David Scott
  Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has added further incentives to its Digital TV Assistance Scheme (DTVAS) to assist Singapore's 400,000 Housing Development Board (HDB) homes' transition from analog to digital television broadcasting.
• Collaborative meeting services grew 10% in 2017 - Matthias Machowinski, Prachi Nema
  Worldwide revenue for collaborative meeting services in video and web conferencing reached $2.5 billion in 2017, up 10% from a year earlier.
• Vodafone enters the Australian streaming market - David Scott
  Vodafone has entered the Australian streaming market with the launch of its Vodafone TV device.
• Ethernet access device market up 8 percent year over year in 2017 - Richard Webb
  Worldwide Ethernet access device (EAD) revenue totaled $987 million in 2017, increasing 8% over 2016.
• Vodafone and O2 are the biggest spenders in UK spectrum auction - James Joiner
  UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has announced the results of the principal stage of its recent spectrum auction in the 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz spectrum bands.

Mobile, Consumer & Connected Devices

• New IKEA smart lighting challenges Philips Hue - Paul Bremner
  IKEA has added a color-changing bulb to its smart lighting line, Tradfri.
• Amazon is mobilizing against the security industry - Blake Kozak
  Amazon has been offering security packages to select cities and states in the United States since around December 2017, albeit somewhat under the radar.
• More than 900,000 smart speakers to be used in healthcare facilities by 2021 - Bryan Montany
  Over the next five years, most smart speakers will be sold to residential end-users, and penetration rates of smart speakers in commercial buildings are not anticipated to match rates in homes.
• Global battery energy storage pipeline reaches record 10.4 GW in the first quarter of 2018 - Julian Jansen
  2017 was a record year for deployment of grid-connected battery energy storage.
• Smart home: lessons learned - Blake Kozak
  In the North American region, the smart home market continues to disrupt major service providers and tech giants.

Power & Energy Technology

• Global battery energy storage pipeline reaches record 10.4 GW in the first quarter of 2018 - Julian Jansen
  2017 was a record year for deployment of grid-connected battery energy storage.
• The tipping point approaches for SaaS in electric smart metering - David Green
  Electric utilities are one of the leading industries in the adoption of IoT, a trend set to only increase as the power of "Software as a Service" offerings is on the rise.
• Highlights from Energy Thought Summit 2018 - Michael Markides
  Energy and utility thought leaders come to the Energy Thought Summit in Austin every March to share fresh stories, discuss successful technology deployments, and work together to reimagine the future of the utility industry.

Security Technology

• Amazon is mobilizing against the security industry - Blake Kozak
  Amazon has been offering security packages to select cities and states in the United States since around December 2017, albeit somewhat under the radar.
• More than 900,000 smart speakers to be used in healthcare facilities by 2021 - Bryan Montany
  Over the next five years, most smart speakers will be sold to residential end-users, and penetration rates of smart speakers in commercial buildings are not anticipated to match rates in homes.
• Access control as a service invigorates traditional security providers - Anna Sliwon
  Revenue for the access control as a service (ACaaS) market is forecast to grow at nearly triple the rate of the traditional access control equipment market over the next five years.

Semiconductors

• Market for GaN and SiC power semiconductors to top $10 billion in 2027 - Richard Eden
  The emerging market for silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors is expected to reach nearly $1 billion in 2020, energized by demand from hybrid and electric vehicles, power supplies, and photovoltaic (PV) inverters.
• Semiconductors used in electronics post solid growth in Q1 - Myson Robles-Bruce
  Global semiconductor revenue derived from chip usage in electronic equipment and devices amounted to $111.4 billion at the end of Q1 2018, up a significant 17% from $95.2 billion during the same quarter a year ago, according to data from a new IHS Markit report.
• Automotive sensors: the impact of new forces on vehicle sensor count and use - Richard Dixon, Ph.D.
  Part 1: What the increasing standardization of emissions testing and regulations mean for automotive sensors
  As the world moves toward harmonizing vehicle emission standards and new testing regulations, what do these developments mean for the automotive sensors market?

Subscriber Content

Displays

• Guangdong Juhua developing high-PPI RGB printing for small/medium displays - Chase Li
  Using RGB printing technology, Guangdong Juhua recently showed a 400 PPI AMOLED cell phone display. The interesting part of the demo is its potential for small/medium display production.
• Mobile phone handset demand and display shipment forecasts revised down after Q4-17 actuals - Hiroshi Hayase
  AMOLED shipments are expected to outpace LTPS LCD after 2020.
• OGM improves OGS by replacing ITO with metal - Calvin Hsieh
  Touch-module makers are proposing the use of OGM technology, which boasts improved sheet resistance, to better support active pens for displays and notebook PCs.
• 65-inch LCD TV price war started before Gen 10.5 ramp-up - Deborah Yang
  TV makers have begun to bargain with panel makers for panel allocation and pricing, even though BOE has not proven that it can smoothly ramp up its Gen 10.5 fab.
• Displays at China Information Technology Exhibition (CITE) Report - Shenzhen, 2018 - Robin Wu
  The CITE (China Information Technology Exhibition) is one of China's largest shows and one of the most critical events for observing trends in electronics and display technology.
• Polarizer investment trend in China - Irene Heo
  China is using enormous capital to focus on the ultra-wide polarizer line.
• Smartphone display trends in 2018 - Joy Guo
  New projects being designed-in have almost completely shifted to full-screen models with an 18:9 aspect ratio.
• Chinese low-tier TV makers continue to grow their LCD TV business - David Hsieh
  BOE VT plans to expand LCD TV and desktop monitor manufacturing capacity via a target of 34 million sets by 2020.
• Panel makers to reduce capacity utilization as oversupply of LCD TV open cells continues in Q2 2018 - David Hsieh
  Panel makers will start to reduce capacity utilization in Q2 2018 to manage the price reduction of open cells.
• Huawei announces Porsche Design Mate RS with LG Display flexible OLED - David Hsieh
  The new Huawei Mate RS will feature OLED screens made by LG Display and BOE that will also include an under-display fingerprint sensor.
• LCD TV manufacturing outsourcing percentage expected to rise to 48% in 2018 - David Hsieh
  The proportion of LCD TVs being outsourced for manufacturing will rise slightly in 2018 from year-ago levels.
• AR coating enhancement in notebook applications - Kimi Lin
  For a better visual experience, brands such as HP, Dell, and Lenovo apply anti-reflection (AR) coating on touch-screen notebooks.
• Chinese TV makers may increase promotions, expand Q2 shipments - Nick Jiang
  Chinese LCD TV cost continues decline, but ASP reduction is limited for some sizes.
• Chinese TV makers may increase purchases in Q2, possibly increasing inventory - Nick Jiang
  A spike in Q1 panel purchases will likely end with a March decrease, before panel-maker promotions and low prices increase panel purchasing in Q2 among TV manufacturers.
• Full-screen displays to penetrate low-end smartphone segment - Brian Huh
  A spike in Q1 panel purchases will likely end with a March decrease, before panel maker promotions and low prices increase TV maker panel purchasing in Q2.
• Large-area panel shipments decrease 9% M/M in February - David Hsieh
  Combined, large-area and small/medium TFT LCD panel shipments decreased 18% month over month.
• Sharp plans to expand oxide and OLED capacity in 2018 - Linda Lin
  Sharp plans to reallocate capacity, increasing the share of oxide and OLED production, but demand may affect the plans.
• Four HDR specifications develop in market, each with different performance and cost - Peter Su
  Based on a recent survey, IHS Markit determined that there are four different HDR display specifications.
• Four-mask process to enable BOE B9 Gen 10.5/11 to reach capacity of 120,000 substrates per month - Charles Annis
  Higher productivity provided by the four-mask process could lead to yield trade-offs.
• Japan Display's business outlook in H1 2018 - Linda Lin
  Japan Display's utilization rate is up due to a recovery in demand from Apple in H1 2018. However, risks related to its customer structure remain a problem.
• Nikon announces two new FPD exposure systems for Gen 10.5/11 - Charles Annis
  The machines are the first to support 2940 × 3370 mm substrates and offer substantial performance and productivity enhancements over the company's Gen 10 tool.

Media & Advertising

• IHS Markit has added new totals for digital and 3D screens in Q1 2018 - Charlotte Jones
  IHS Markit has just published digital cinema data for Q1 2018. This includes digital cinema screens, 3D totals, as well as equipment manufacturers and market share comparisons.
• PLF screens exceed 3,000 for the first time in 2017 - Charlotte Jones
  The number of Premium Large Format (PLF) screens rose by 21.3% in 2017 to 3,191-a new high that for the first time eclipses the 3,000-screen milestone, based on the count for both exhibitor and global-branded screens.

Mobile & Telecom

• Reevaluating satellite for mobile backhaul in the LTE era - Abel Nevarez, Richard Webb
  There have historically been challenges for satellite as an access and transport technology, owing mainly to cost, latency, and availability.
• ZTE faces significant challenges in smartphone business after US Department of Commerce action - Wayne Lam, Jusy Hong, Gerrit Schneemann
  The US Department of Commerce has activated a Denial Order against ZTE Corporation.

Mobile, Consumer & Connected Devices

• Fire TV returns to the battle - Paul Gagnon, Paul Gray
  After a weak launch in 2017, Amazon has struck a deal with Best Buy to relaunch the Fire TV platform.
• ZTE faces significant challenges in smartphone business after US Department of Commerce action - Wayne Lam, Jusy Hong, Gerrit Schneemann
  The US Department of Commerce has activated a Denial Order against ZTE Corporation.
• ISC West 2018: Smart home - Blake Kozak
  This year's conference did not disappoint. The floor was very busy the first two days and the connected home section seemed to be much larger than in 2017.
• Impact of proposed China tariffs on US TV market - Deborah Yang, Paul Gagnon
  On 4 April, the US Office of the Trade Representative published a list of 1,300 products that could be subjected to an additional 25% import tariff if coming from China.
• Into the fray: Verimatrix sustains its diversification effort - Merrick Kingston
  Verimatrix continues to enhance its analytics portfolio by imbuing the Verspective Intelligence product with a broader set of business intelligence functions as well as standardized, off-the-shelf reporting dashboards.

Power & Energy Technology

• Solar tenders gaining pace in India in 2018 - Dharmendra Kumar
  In Q1 2018, the pace of tender announcements in India picked up after a slow end in 2017.
• Changes to the Solar Market Tracker North America - Camron Barati, Maria Chea
  For Q1 2018, IHS Markit has made important changes to the Solar Market Tracker North America.

Security Technology

• ISC West 2018: Smart home - Blake Kozak
  This year's conference did not disappoint. The floor was very busy the first two days and the connected home section seemed to be much larger than in 2017.