Apple Watch Delayed by ‘Development Issues’
According to The Information, citing a source close to Apple, the Apple Watch is unlikely to arrive by mid-February. ‘Development issues’ could delay the early 2015 launch date.
Intel Peaks Interest With Smartwatch
After purchasing fitness tracker firm Basis in March (Display Monitor Vol 21 No 10), Intel is preparing to deliver its first smartwatch: the Basis Peak. The name was announced at the Intel Developer Forum last week, but now the chipmaker has shared more details. The watch will have an aluminium body and a ‘low power’ … Read more
Nanomarkets: LCoS May Overtake LCD as Common Mobile Display
Nanomarkets has published a new report on the components and subsystems markets for smartglasses (http://tinyurl.com/p9gy3kg). The firm estimates that there is an opportunity in the market worth $3.2 billion, for makers of sensors, lightguides, microdisplays and micromirrors. According to Nanomarkets, the ‘average’ mobile display – if smartglasses take off – will become more likely to … Read more
Apple Emphasises Quality – And Pays For it
The cost of manufacturing the display for the Apple Watch (Display Monitor Vol 21 No 36) is ‘several times’ higher than equivalent LCD or glass-based AMOLED screens, says NPD DisplaySearch. The screen is a plastic-based 1.5″ OLED from LG Display (Display Monitor Vol 21 No 37). Apple seems to have ensured that its product uses … Read more
End of Subsidies Spurs Panel Price Hike
The end of smartphone subsidies in China will affect the wider market, says NPD DisplaySearch. Direct subsidies are to end, being replaced with consumer call charge subsidies. The inventory of name brands is expected to be affected, as are upstream industries. Declining smartphone ASPs will be hastened by the move, says DisplaySearch. The average price … Read more
ITRI and Heraeus Scale Non-ITO Touch
Heraeus and Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) have demonstrated the possibility of scaling non-metallic touch panels to production volume. A joint project used Heraeus’ Clevios-branded PEDOT: PSS films (Display Monitor Vol 20 No 19) to build a set of 3.5″ GF1-type touch sensors. They were based on a Clevios-coated transparent conductive PET layer, with … Read more
Phablet Cannibalise Tablets, Which Take on Notebooks
Tablet PC demand is slowing, market observers agree (Display Monitor Vol 21 No 22), with competition from smaller display products rising. According to NPD DisplaySearch, tablet demand will only rise 2% this year, to 254 million units; significantly lower than the previous expectation of 14% YoY growth. Demand will continue to rise in single digits, … Read more
Safety Demand Brings Forward Automotive Display Milestone
Automotive monitor shipments will rise 30% this year, says NPD DisplaySearch, led by Japan Display, Sharp and AUO. 85 million automotive displays will be shipped in 2014, as demand is growing quickly. Car manufacturers are adding multiple monitors to the driver’s console, as consumers increasingly look to save energy and drive safely. The trend is … Read more
LG’s Entry-Level Phone Boasts 4G, Dual-SIM
LG’s F60 is the company’s newest entry-level offering – with 4G connectivity. Powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm quad-core processor, running Android 4.4, the phone shares many functions with the LG G3. These include Knock Code (a pattern of knocks on the screen to unlock the phone); Gesture Shot (triggering a three-second countdown to taking a … Read more
Motion’s CL920 Charges in 90 Minutes
The CL920 rugged tablet, from UK-based Motion Computing, will run for eight hours on battery and fully charge in 90 minutes. Built around an internal magnesium frame, the tablet is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. It meets the MIL-STD-810G and IP52 ratings and uses a chemical-resistant chassis, for easy cleaning. An optical enhancement film, called … Read more
Vivo IV Recognised as World’s Thinnest Phone…
The Vivo IV, by Blu, was temporarily the world’s thinnest phone, certified by the Guiness Book of Records. Measuring just 5.5mm, it is on sale in the USA now. It was not developed solely by Blu, but is actually a repackaged version of Gionee’s S5.5 smartphone for the US market. Protected on the front and … Read more
Vivo…Until Gionee Revamped its Own Product
China’s Gionee has gone and outdone itself, beating its previous S5.5 smartphone (holding the record for the world’s thinnest model) with the 5.1mm-thick ELife S5.1 (thinner than my mousemat! – TA). Like the S5.5, the S5.1 has been recognised by Guiness World Records. The handset features slimmer bezels than its predecessor, but shares the magnesium … Read more
