DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia

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DIGITIMES English version providing daily news about Asia's IT industry

Taiwan WiMAX operators can be in parallel operation of LTE, says Rohde & Schwarz Taiwan

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 08:56:35 GMT - As several WiMAX operators and developers of WiMAX chip solutions have stepped into LTE, it has increasing potential to become a dominant global 4G standard and therefore WiMAX operators are recommended to venture into LTE for dual-mode business operations, according to Rohde & Schwarz Taiwan at a forum in Taipei.

Forcecon sees revenues up, gross margins down in 1H10

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 08:49:00 GMT - Forcecon Technology, a Taiwan-based maker of notebook cooling modules, saw consolidated revenues of NT$1.82 billion (US$55.5 million) for the first half of 2010, rising 24.95% on year, but the corresponding gross margin of 17.57% dropped 10.05pp due to falling prices and increased production costs, according to the company.

VIA Technologies posts net loss for 1H10

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 08:29:01 GMT - VIA Technologies has reported a net loss of NT$1.44 billion (US$45.011 million) or NT$1.89 per share for the first half of 2010, versus NT$786 million in losses a year ago. Revenues for the period were NT$2.55 billion and gross profit came to NT$1.04 billion on 40.67% gross margin. Operating loss was NT$135 million.

HP aims for second place in netbook market in 2011

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 08:19:30 GMT - As Intel has recently supplied Hewlett-Packard (HP) a large volume of its dual-core Atom N550 processor with a price of only US$65, 25% lower than Intel's official quote of US$86. HP is set to start pushing netbooks strongly and plans to become the second-largest netbook brand in 2011, surpassing Samsung Electronics and Asustek Computer, according to sources from netbook players.

AUO, CMI, CPT seeking other business to ease oversupply of small- to medium-size panels

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 07:56:21 GMT - Panel makers AU Optronics (AUO), Chimei Innolux (CMI) and Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) are transferring their small- to medium-size production capacity to other production such as OLED, e-paper or touch panels to ease the oversupply of small- to medium-size panels, according to market sources.

Wintek reports 17% sequential growth in August revenues

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 07:48:37 GMT - Wintek has announced consolidated revenues of NT$6.17 billion (US$192.87 million) for August, up 17% sequentially and 150% on year. Consolidated revenues for January-August totaled NT$32.14 billion, up 96% on year.

Foxconn provides flexible quotes to clients

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 07:42:53 GMT - Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) is providing flexible quotes to clients based on where production takes place amid increasing quotes and production costs due to surging labor costs in China, according to sources from PC players.

Inventory dumping among traders in Taiwan, says inSpectrum

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 07:37:04 GMT - The DRAM spot market saw some traders dumping more inventory to channels during the week (August 30-September 3), resulting in sharper price drops in the white-brand DDR3 segment, according to inSpectrum.

Apacer reports 1H10 EPS of NT$1.90

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 07:31:19 GMT - Taiwan-based Apacer Technology, a supplier of memory modules and other storage solutions, saw net profits grow 40.3% on year to NT$209 million (US$6 million) in the first half of 2010. The earnings translated into an EPS of NT$1.90, the second highest among publicly-listed DRAM module companies in Taiwan, behind only Transcend Information's NT$2.15.

ITO film/glass makers post mixed 1H10 net profits

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 07:30:42 GMT - ITO glass supplier Applied Vacuum Coating Technology (AVCT) and ITO film supplier Ushine Photonics have posted net loss of NT$133.56 (US$4.18 million) and NT$8.13 million, respectively, for the first half of 2010, while fellow film supplier Join Well Technology posted a net profit of NT$854,000 for the period.

Acer adopts Nvidia 3D solution for latest 3D notebook

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 07:15:34 GMT - Acer has adopted Nvidia's shutter glass solution for its latest 3D notebook, the Aspire 5745DG, which features a 15.6-inch panel and GeForce GT 425M GPU, and is manufactured by Quanta Computer, targeting mainly the entry-level gaming market, according to sources from notebook players.

Arcadyan to start production of LTE routers/IADs in 2H11

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 06:40:38 GMT - Arcadyan Technology, a Taiwan-based maker of broadband networking/communication equipment, plans to begin volume production of LTE routers and IADs (integrated access devices) in the second half of 2011, said company president HY Lee at an investors conference on September 2.

Win Semi, Presto sign contract for GaAs testing

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 06:39:20 GMT - Taiwan-based GaAs foundry Win Semiconductors and Presto Engineering, a semiconductor product engineering company, have announced a strategic collaboration to deliver characterization and testing services for companies developing products utilizing GaAs technology from Win Semi.

Micron likely to buy SMIC Wuhan plant, says paper

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 06:25:17 GMT - Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) is in talks with Micron Technology about taking over the operation of a 12-inch fab in Wuhan, China, according to a

Nvidia expects to take top position with new Fermi-based graphics cards, says notebook GM

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 04:25:29 GMT - Nvidia expects to gain back its leading position in the graphics card market in the second half of 2010 with its new Fermi-based notebook graphics cards, the GeForce 400M series, according to company general manager of notebook product business, Rene Haas.

Asia Optical, Genius Electronic may land lens module orders for new iPod touch, say sources

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 04:20:30 GMT - As Taiwan-based Asia Optical is a supplier of VGA lens modules used in iPhone 4 and fellow maker Genius Electronic Optical supplies VGA and 5-megapixel lens modules for iPhone 4, the two companies are likely to obtain orders for VGA and 691,200-pixel lens modules for the new version of iPod touch, according to industry sources.

Taiwan market: Vibo to add 3,576 HSPA+ base stations within one year

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 04:14:16 GMT - Vibo Telecom, a 3G mobile telecom carrier in Taiwan, will invest NT$2.0 billion (US$62 million) to procure 3,576 HSPA+ (3.75G) base stations from China-based ZTE and install the equipment to reinforce its existing 3G network of about 6,000 base stations around Taiwan within one year, according to the company.

DRAM makers Powerchip and ProMOS August revenues up on month

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 04:12:14 GMT - Powerchip Technology and ProMOS Technologies have both posted sequential revenue gains in August 2010, despite recent reductions in DRAM prices. Powerchip's revenues were up 3.2% from July to NT$8.89 billion (US$277.68 million), while ProMOS saw August revenues grow 9.8% on month to NT$2.41 billion.

Solid capacitor maker Feei Cherng enters HP notebook component supply chain

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 04:08:10 GMT - Solid capacitor maker Feei Cherng has reportedly entered the component supply chain for Hewlett-Packard (HP) notebooks, which will increase the company's shipments in the second half of 2010, according to industry sources.

Taiwan makers expect shipment growth in 4Q10 from latest Apple products

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 03:42:16 GMT - Apple's iPod touch manufacturer Quanta Computer, iPod nano manufacturer Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) and iPod shuffle manufacturer Inventec Appliances are expected to benefit from the latest announced Apple products and see shipment growth in the fourth quarter, according to market watchers.

Ceramic substrate vendor Leatec looks to improved gross margin in 3Q10

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 03:39:50 GMT - Aluminum ceramic substrate supplier Leatec Fine Ceramic is expected to see it gross margin improve to 30-33% in the third quarter from 23.6% in the second thanks to price hikes of substrate products.

Asia solar cell prices unlikely to fall in September

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 03:23:52 GMT - Prices for Asia-made solar cells are showing no signs of decrease in September, and some Taiwan-based solar cell makers have even modestly raised quotes by an average of US$0.01, according to sources from solar module companies.

Taiwan solar cell makers Neo Solar and Solartech report strong August sales

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 03:23:50 GMT - Neo Solar Power's August 2010 revenues increased 13.65% sequentially and 82.3% on year to NT$2.01 billion (US$62.78 million), exceeding the NT$2 billion mark for the first time and setting a new monthly sales record for the fifth consecutive month, according to the company. Revenues from January through August totaled NT$11.25 billion, up 89.3% from a year earlier.

Samsung to launch LTE-enabled smartphone in the US in September, sources say

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 03:22:03 GMT - Samsung Electronics plans to launch its first LTE-enabled smartphone, the Samsung Craft (SCH-R900), in the US market in September as well as its first LTE/HSPA+ dual-mode netbook, the N350, in the IFA trade show, according to industry sources.

Taiwan market: Hitachi GST to launch LifeStudio series HDDs

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 03:19:47 GMT - Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (GST) has unveiled its LifeStudio series All-in-One external HDD series for launch in the Taiwan market in late September 2010.

PCB makers lower notebook PCB shipment outlook for 3Q10

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 03:15:42 GMT - PCB maker HannStar Board has revised its shipment guidance for notebook PCBs from growth to decline for the third quarter of 2010, while peer companies including Gold Circuit Electronics, Tripod Technology and Dynamic Electronics also expressed conservative views over their third-quarter shipment outlooks.

Taiwan equipment makers venturing into green energy industry

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 03:11:36 GMT - More Taiwan-based equipment suppliers, which used to see sales contributed by their panel customers account for 70-80% of their total revenues, are venturing into the production of equipment for the green energy industry as a number of industry giants such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) and AU Optronics (AUO) have moved into the sector, an official from the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has commented.

LCD driver IC vendor Sitronix set to see revenues decline in 3Q10

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 02:59:01 GMT - LCD driver IC vendor Sitronix Technology has indicated that shipments of its large-size LCD panel driver ICs have been lower than expected so far in the third quarter of 2010 which may affect its revenues for the quarter.

IC distributors snap up handsome gains in 1H10

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 02:53:53 GMT - Most Taiwan-based IC distributors have posted handsome gains for the first half of 2010, with WPG Holdings, WT Microelectronics, and Yosun Industrial each recording an EPS of over NT$2.50, while fellow companies Alltek Technology and Maxtek Technology posted an EPS higher than NT$2.

Tatung reports net loss for 1H10

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 09:07:57 GMT - The Tatung Group has posted net loss of NT$721 million (US$22.53 million) for the first half of 2010 with an EPS of negative NT$0.13.

TW-Airnet to launch 5TV Chinese-language video/audio services at App Store

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 09:06:40 GMT - Chunghwa Wideband Best Network (TW-Airnet), a Taiwan-based ISP and IPTV operator, has filed an application with App Store for launch of its 5TV Chinese-language integrated video/audio services including TV content, movies, music and TV shopping, at the online store for iPhone and iPad users at US$9.99, according to the company.

HP may not see 2010 notebook shipments surpass 40 million units, says Digitimes Research

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 09:03:00 GMT - Due to a strong nosedive in global consumer notebook demand, all the first-tier notebook vendors except Apple, reduced their notebook orders significantly in July with Hewlett-Packard's (HP's) volume dropping back to the levels of April and May, a monthly low for HP in 2010, while Acer also saw its shipments drop to less than two million units, the company's lowest monthly volume in 2010, according Digitimes Research senior analyst Joanne Chien.

TI expects shipments of DLP 3D Ready chips to reach 2-3 million units in 2011

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 09:01:36 GMT - Texas Instruments (TI) vice president of DLP business Kent Novak at a conference has commented that the company's shipments of DLP 3D Ready chips will increase to 2-3 million units in 2011, and the company already shipped over 300,000 from the fourth quarter of 2009 to the first quarter of 2010.

PC replacement trend for enterprise market to appear in 1Q11, says Asustek

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 08:59:20 GMT - Asustek Computer vice president Kevin Lin has commented that most enterprises recently started to finish their budget planning for PC replacements, and are expected to start in the first quarter of 2011.

III signs cooperation MOU with India CEWiT to develop relay stations

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 08:52:36 GMT - The Taiwan government-backed Institute for Information Industry (III) on September 1 signed a cooperation MOU with the Center of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT) of India for the Networks and Multimedia Institute under III to undertake joint development of 802.16j-enabled relay stations, according to III.