The next major iPhone release will certainly be one of the most anticipated events in the global consumer electronics market in the second half of 2017. TrendForce’s recent findings on the 10th anniversary iPhone release reveal that Apple’s latest refresh of the device series will include three new models, with one of them having significant hardware and design upgrades such as an AMOLED display.

Apple’s next-generation iPhone is not the only thing that the market is excited about. The Apple Watch 3 is reportedly coming out later this year and is expected to have major upgrades.

2016 was a record year for materials manufacturer Covestro. Driven by demand for innovative materials, the Group’s core volumes increased by 7.5%. With greater capacity utilization across its plants, adjusted EBITDA surged by 22.7% above the 2015 figure to EUR 2.0 billion. Net income more than doubled from EUR 343 million to EUR 795 million. On this basis, Covestro plans to pay its shareholders a dividend of EUR 1.35 per share.

While InGaN-based LEDs (normal LEDs for Lighting and backlight) continue to face oversupply, IR LEDs have been in the limelight in 2017 with various applications boosting demands. 

Apple is apparently going all out for its next-generation iPhone. Latest reports suggest Apple has bought Israeli startup RealFace who specializes in facial recognition technology, adding weight to recent rumors claiming that the new iPhone will boast facial recognition.

Global demand for LED chips has been picking up strongly, and is expected to finally exceed supply in 2017. In addition, Apple has recently patented a new smartphone solution that would use a range of Micro LEDs for fingerprint recognition. As a result, prices of LED products have been on the rise.

While the public fixed their eyes on Osram’s deal with the Chinese consortium, another acquisition secretly took place in Europe. Philips, the Dutch lighting giant recently focusing on healthcare technology, last year privately bought Luciom and relocated it from France to Eindhoven, Netherland, reported LEDs Magazine.

Crossing the road safely is an important rule that everyone should bear in mind. There are also signs everywhere to remind us of road safety. However, smartphone zombies, namely pedestrians who are obsessed with their phones and do not pay attention to their surroundings while walking, have taken over the world. They even cross the roads with their eyes glued to their phones, to the extent that they become a hazard to themselves and others.

Japanese Nobel Laureate Shuji Nakamura, known for his invention of blue LED manufacturing technology and several subsequent LED innovations, disclose the history of blue LED and shared with the public his insights concerning the future of the LED industry on 8th Feb. at Academia Sinica. As general lighting has lately come to the stage of maturity, which hindered the LED industry, LED manufacturers are now seeking potential markets where they could recuperate and thrive. In his speech, Nakamura 'illuminated the industry’ by unveiling three future LED applications: Micro-LED, laser lighting, and the Li-fi technology.

Apple’s 10th anniversary iPhone has already caused quite a stir. There have been rumors that the company will roll out three new phones this year, including one with an OLED display. With this huge market opportunity, companies are now striving to join Apple’s supply chain.

Philips Lighting, with sales of EUR 7.1 billion in 2016 and 34,000 employees worldwide, has been focusing on developing new smart lighting solutions to cater to smart city trends around the world.

LEDs have become mainstream lighting applications. In recent years, market penetration rate of LED lighting has increased rapidly, and in 2016 the downtrend in prices became less noticeable. However, market growth has slowed, suggesting that global demand has become uneven.   

Veeco Instruments today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.

Cree today announced that it will terminate the definitive agreement to sell its Wolfspeed Power and RF division (“Wolfspeed”), which includes the silicon carbide substrate business for power, RF and gemstone applications, to Infineon Technologies AG.

The 2017 presentation of InfoComm China, to be held on 12 – 14 April 2017, will set yet another record for being the largest ever to take place, occupying all nine halls covering 55,000 sqm of the China National Convention Centre. Building on the success of previous editions, InfoComm China 2017 will see more than 300 local and overseas exhibitors as well as the convergence of record number of visitors and Summit delegates, further enhancing its position as the biggest, most vibrant and not-to-be-missed showcase of professional AudioVisual (pro-AV) and Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Asia Pacific.

HexaTech Inc. announced today the signing of two strategic agreements with OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH, of Regensburg, Germany. 

Seoul Semiconductor announced the immediate start of the mass production of its LED Chip-On-Board Package for use in LED filament bulbs, a market currently estimated to be USD 1.3 billion globally.

There have been rumors that Apple will switch to OLED screen for its iPhone 8. Those rumors seem to carry more weight after Apple reportedly ordered an additional 60 million OLED panels from Samsung, bring the total number to 160 million. This means that Samsung may become the main supplier for iPhone 8 displays.

Market research firm TrendForce reports annual tablet shipments worldwide posted a decline for 2016, dropping 6.6% to 157.4 million units. However, total shipments from branded tablet vendors surpassed expectations because of the robust year-end holiday sales.

First revealed by AppleInsider, Apple has been awarded a US patent on Tuesday, suggesting that the company is exploring display technology that embeds Micro LEDs and an IR diode to read users’ fingerprints without a dedicated Touch ID sensor. This new design feature may shed lights on its iPhone 8.

Apple is said to release a low-priced iPad and will partner with Chinese players to reduce production costs, boosting this new product’s competitive edge.

Due to recent pollution crackdown by Chinese authorities, the steel industry in China has halt production and undergone consolidation, leading to a dramatic price surge in steel products. As a result, prices of LED chip and packages have also increased, further resulting in a price hike in LED end products.

Osram’s spokeman told Reuters it foresees a rapid increase in demand for its infrared components in the light of the introduction of the state-of-the-art iris-scanning identification in mobile devices. Osram plans to recruit around 1,000 new talents at its factory in Regensburg, Germany.

Another bitter litigation between two noted LED manufacturers has come to an end. The Intellectual Property High Court of Japan (IPHC) announced on 18th of Jan, 2017 a dismissal of the lawsuit Everlight filed to call for injunctions against Nichia based on the Japanese Unfair Competition Act.

It is reported by Reuters on 30th of Jan that a spokesman of lighting manufacturer Osram announced the company has been approved by the German government to sell its Lamps unit to an association of Chinese bidders for 400 million euros (USD 425 million).

Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that Apple intends to introduce a new 3D Touch thin film sensor to the new iPhone to be released this year to replace current 3D Touch technology, reported Appleinsider.

Elemental LED announced today that Matt John, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of Business & Product Development, has been recognized by the National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors (NAILD) with the Forces Under 40 award. The program is aimed at rewarding the achievements of young and dynamic leaders in the lighting industry.  Those recognized will be publicly honored at the 2017 NAILD Conference on February 19-22, 2017 in Orlando, Florida, as well as featured in Today’s Lighting Distributor magazine.

Combining a compact form factor with the latest platform features, the LuxiTune 2.3 tunable white light engine announced by LED Engin, Inc., a leader in high flux density LED products, targets the same track-lighting and small down-lighting applications as its Gen 2.0 products, while delivering the added performance and controllability benefits that were introduced with Gen 3.0. These advances, which include smooth deep dimming to 0.5%, no e-flicker and no visible flicker, also extend to additional control interfaces for DALI, DMX-RDM and Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) through daughter cards, that customers can chose to wire into their fixtures.

LED Linear luminaires normally fascinate due to their formal reductionism but they make it also possible to form completely new design elements. Liz West worked with our luminaires and created a colorful light installation which was recently revealed.

For the long-awaited inauguration of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall located on the harbour-side in Hamburg, a massive light and video setup was installed. It all culminated with a spectacular show in the evening of January 11. As a crucial part of this show, no less than 500 pcs. of P-5 and P-2 wash lights from SGM were applied.