The global production volume of smartphones worldwide is expected to peak in the third quarter on account of effects from the peak shipment season, subsidies from Chinese telecom operators and back-to-school sales. This demand surge will also drive the smartphone component markets, and supply will become tight for memory, panels, application processors and other key parts. The latest report from the global market research firm TrendForce finds that Chinese smartphone brands will continue to witness substantial increase in their production volumes through 2016, with their average year-on-year growth rate reaching 11%.
Sony made its widely anticipated PlayStation VR (PS VR) available for pre-order this month following the releases of HTC’s Vive and Oculus’s Rift. So far, the market reception towards PS VR has been very good as Japan and several other regions have reported that their pre-order shipments were sold out immediately after the announcement. Global market research firm TrendForce expects PS VR to generate another huge wave of VR device shipments this year. If the branded vendors are able to ensure sufficient supply,
Apple enjoyed strong iPhone sales through 2015 as iPhone 6 and 6 Plus filled in the gap for large-screen models in the iPhone series. However, the global smartphone market has reached a high level of saturation, and the sales of the follow-up model, iPhone 6s, have been weak. With replacement demand falling, Apple in the first quarter of this year posted its first quarterly drop in iPhone production volume since this smartphone series was introduced in 2007, totaling at 42 million units.
The combined shipments of smartwatches and smart bands will reach 7.5 million units this year, and 90% of which will be equipped with optical sensor components used for pulse rate monitoring, according to the 2016 UV LED and IR LED Application Markets Report by LEDinside, a division of TrendForce. Shipments of smartwatches and smart bands together will total 170 million units by 2020, and all of them are expected to incorporate optical sensor components.
Worldwide notebook shipments in the first quarter of 2016 arrived at 35.62 million units, according to the global market research firm TrendForce. The first quarter was the traditional off season for the notebook market and retailers still needed time to clear out their existing inventories. Hence, total shipments fell 19% from the prior quarter and also declined 7.3% year on year.