With the domestic market approaching saturation, branded Chinese LCD TV vendors see overseas expansion as the only means to grow their market shares and raise their brand recognition. The latest example of this approach is the acquisition of the U.S.-based consumer electronics maker VIZIO by LeEco, a rising Internet brand in the Chinese LCD TV market. Reports of VIZIO being up for sale gained traction after Foxconn’s acquisition of Sharp, and the $2 billion deal with LeEco was finally announced on July 27.
With download and active user numbers far exceeding other popular apps, Nintendo’s Pokémon GO has generated an enormous wave of enthusiasm for mobile gaming and augmented reality (AR) technology worldwide. According to the latest analysis from the global market research firm TrendForce, the revenue from Pokémon GO is forecast to top US$800 million in 2017. The game is set to become a significant contributor to the expansion of the global AR software market, which will reach US$30 billion in scale by 2020.
Worldwide smartphone production volume totaled around 315 million units in the second quarter, representing an 8.9% increase over the previous quarter and a marginal year-on-year increase of 3.2%, according to the latest report from the global market research firm TrendForce. Sales gradually recovered after the market endured the off season of the first quarter.
Demand for AMOLED panels has taken off as there are strong indications that Apple will introduce AMOLED display to the iPhone series in 2017. The latest research from WitsView, a division of TrendForce, anticipates that the AMOLED penetration rate in the global smartphone market will surpass 20% by the end of this year and reach 40% in 2019.
Shipments of LCD TV sets worldwide are projected to reach 219 million units in 2016, representing a year-on-year growth of about 1.5%, according to the latest report from WitsView, a division of TrendForce. Combined shipments from South Korean brands will be around the same level as last year’s at 77 million units, while the combined shipments from the top six Chinese brands will register a year-on-year growth rate of 6.2%.