Two U.S. cities Detroit and Philadelphia have recently announced plans of upgrading to LED streetlights, according to recent U.S. media reports.

Rubicon Technology, Inc., a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, semiconductor, and optical markets, announced that it will showcase large-diameter patterned sapphire substrates (PSS) as well as its line of 6”polished sapphire wafers for the LED industry at LED Korea 2014 at COEX, Seoul, Korea, February 12-14, 2014. Rubicon will exhibit its line of sapphire products in Booth #4707.

CIMCON Lighting, Inc., a provider of intelligent, centralized Wireless Outdoor Lighting Management Systems, today announced its immediate support for the NEMA's recently published "ANSI C136.41-2013" standard for external locking type dimming and management controllers into its iSLC series of Street and Roadway Lighting product line.

Tanlong Photoelectronics will benefit from Apple’s push in the sapphire substrate market, Aastocks.com cited a member from the Chinese company’s security department saying. Although, there has been no growth in the company’s sapphire growth furnace orders, increased downstream demands are expected to spur the company’s furnace sales.

Mexico’s Secretariat of Energy has announced the effective date for 40W and 60W incandescent phase out will be extended to Dec. 31, 2014, according to an article by Chinese-language media CAIT. The effective date of the phase out was first announced in Dec. 2010 and originally scheduled for Dec. 31, 2013. 

Certain events beneficial to the LED industry have occurred in the past few weeks. UBS Analyst Fredric Stahl noted Philips LED lighting business 4Q13 revenue has soared 48 percent compared to the same period in 2012. Osram also reported the company’s LED lighting business had grown 28 percent in 4Q13 compared to 4Q12,

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) published white paper NEMA LSD 68 Remote Phosphor Devices Used in LED Lamps, Engines and Luminaires.

The Art & Culture Program at Denver International Airport (DIA) is pleased to present a light art exhibition for passengers and airport visitors to experience at the Art Gallery on level 5 of Jeppesen Terminal beginning in February and concluding in early May. The exhibition titled, A Light Journey, features works by local artists Dorothy Tanner and the late Mel Tanner of Denver-based Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery.

As the market continues to speculate iPhone 6 specs and release dates, industry insiders have revealed iPhone 6 monitor size will be expanded to 4.7 inches. Besides larger sizes, the new generation iPhone will maintain its advantages in lightness. As a result industry rumors have surfaced that the new generation iPhone LED backlight specs will also become much lighter.

GE Lighting today announced the settlement of a patent infringement lawsuit filed in December 2012 against CRS Electronics Inc.

ElectroniCast Consultants, a leading market/technology consultancy, today announced the release of a new market study of the global consumption of packaged light emitting diodes (LEDs) used in Biophotonic and Medical Science devices.  

Revolution Lighting Technologies (“Revolution Lighting”), a leader in advanced LED lighting technology, provided a business update prior to announcing financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2013 on March 13, 2014.

For those that miss the old fashioned 2D pixel graphics seen in old video arcade machines, a collaborated project Pixel LED art project allows collectors to keep their favorite video game characters, such as Pacman animated and alive on wall hangings. The display is interactive and can be programmed with smartphones.

Epileds consolidated revenue in dropped by an incremental 1.82 percent in Jan. 2014 to NT$ 108 million (US$ 3.56 million) compared to the previous month. However, the company revenue increased incrementally on a YoY basis to 2.87 percent.

Taiwanese LED package manufacturer Edison Opto consolidated revenue for last month increased 9.51 percent to NT$ 229 million (US$7.56 million) or YoY of 52.22 percent. 

Taiwanese LED package manufacturer Unity Opto announced consolidated revenue for Jan. 2014 increased 23 percent to NT$ 560 million (US$ 18.49 million), compared to Dec. 2013 or 9 percent YoY. According to the company, as impact from 4Q13 low season is lifted, 1Q14 will reinitiate positive revenue growth cycle.

Vertically integrated LED manufacturer Lextar announced revenue for Jan. 2014 was up 11 percent to NT$ 1.22 billion (US$ 40 million) compared to the previous month, or 28 percent YoY.

Qatar Intermediate Industries Company (Alwaseeta)  signed a joint venture agreement with Qatar Korea LED Consortium (QKLC) to set up a LED lighting system manufacturing facility in Qatar, according to a Gulf News report. 

LED streetlights will be changing how Los Angeles (L.A.) appears on camera, according to a Gizmodo article. As the city decides to replace warm colored high-pressure sodium streetlights with new blue-tinted LEDs, ‘Hollywood will never look the same,’ the article quoted No Film School article by Dave Kendricken.

This week new rumors surrounding Apple’s latest sapphire substrate applications emerge on the market. The company is rumored to launch its sapphire factory sometime this month to make critical components for the upcoming iPhone 6. Taiwanese sapphire substrate manufacturers are also scrambling to file patents as Apple aggressively acquires sapphire substrate materials. In addition, Osram Opto has expanded InGaAlP LED capacity to meet rising demands. For more details please see below:

San’an Opto has raised about RMB 3.24 billion (US$ 530 million) by privately issuing a total of 151 million stocks to eight specific investors, according to a recent report by Chinese-language Aastocks.com. The funding raised is equivalent to building a new San’an Opto enterprise. 

Another wave of industry restructuring is expected to occur in Taiwan and China as LED lighting penetration rates continue to rise, according to Chinese-language Apple Daily report. LEDinside and Photonics Industry and Technology Development Association (PIDA) both projected the large enterprises expansion trends is well established. Second tier LED die manufacturers are an important observation index in Taiwan, while in China it is LED package manufacturers.

Under the influence of Apple, manufacturers have maintained a positive outlook for sapphire substrate applications in consumer electronics, according to a Chinese-language CNA report. Aside from Apple, Taiwanese manufacturers are also quickening sapphire substrate patent applications.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a new report that documents early challenges and lessons learned in the development of the SSL market. Entitled Solid-State Lighting: Early Lessons Learned on the Way to Market, it summarizes early actions taken by DOE and others to avoid potential problems that were anticipated based on lessons learned from the market introduction of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). The report also identifies issues, challenges, and new lessons that have been learned in the early stages of SSL market introduction.

LightLab has signed an agreement with Osram Fluorescent Materials to co-develop a luminescent powder for general lighting. The two parties will jointly invest resources to develop a new powder optimized for LightLab’s EEE Light™ Technology.

Viper Networks, an intelligent LED lighting solutions provider, is pleased to announce that in partnership with Apollo Metro Solutions, Inc., the Company has concluded its preliminary pilot in the city of Doha, Qatar. There is a secondary pilot already approved and set for shipment in four weeks.

Plastic Logic, the leader in the development and industrialisation of flexible organic electronics, and Novaled, a leading company in organic electronic materials and technology for OLED applications, announce a partnership which will transform and accelerate the market for flexible and wearable displays. The companies demonstrate today at the Flextech Conference in Phoenix, AZ a truly flexible, plastic, fully organic AMOLED display.

LED industry will be able to overcome the oversupply glut over the last few years in 2014, as it hops onto lighting’s growing trend, according to estimations by Veeco. Epistar Chairman B.J. Lee projected earlier the LED supply and demand situation will gradually ease in 2014, and LED manufacturers are also optimistic about lighting developments in 2014. Large MOCVD manufacturers such as Veeco are also optimistic about a new generation of MOCVD equipment demands spurred by LED lighting growth.

Observance of an International Year of Light in 2015 will help raise awareness of the important role of photonics in solving challenges in healthcare, communications, food supply, and other important issues for people everywhere, say leaders of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. SPIE is among scientific organizations around the world that have championed proclamation by the United Nations of the observance, and whose members are planning outreach activities and celebrations.

As the Chinese Lunar New Year comes to an end this week, Scotland capital Edinburgh, U.K, has been immersed in f the festive atmosphere with the display of Lanterns of Terracotta Army at the Old College Qaud, South Bridge from Jan. 31-Feb. 7, 2014.