Apple has done it again. In 2013, the company drove up sapphire substrate smartphone demands with the adoption of the material in iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S home buttons and camera lens covers. It does not stop there, though. The company’s recent patent applications reveal intentions of introducing sapphire substrate onto flexible wearable OLED device covers, which is likely to ignite new sapphire demands in 2014.

Looking back in 2013, the LED industry has finally rebounded after years of depression. Large manufacturers are taking advantage of other companies during their weak moments, burying the hatchet with well matched companies, or joining hands to defeat competitors. Many less competitive weaker companies  receded from the market this year. The survival of the fittest is anticipated to continue well into 2014. Restructuring of LED chip and package manufacturers will continue until 2015-2016, remarked Epistar chairman B.J. Lee.

Following U.S. phase out announcement of incandescent bulbs, northern neighbor Canada  phase out of 75-100 watt incandescent bulbs will be effective as of Jan.1 , 2013, according to several Canadian media reports. 

NEMA’s Lighting Systems Index subsided from a five year high posted in the previous quarter, decreasing by 1.6 percent on a quarter-to-quarter (q/q) basis during 2013Q3. However, demand remains robust compared to a year ago. On a year-over-year basis, lighting equipment shipments improved for the fourth consecutive quarter, increasing by 4.7 percent. Miniature lamps were the only component of the index in positive territory, while fixtures, emergency lighting, large lamps and ballasts declined q/q.

History was made this New Year's Eve in Bangkok as the world's highest ball drop took place on the rooftop of the Tower Club at lebua hotel. Perched 872 feet high (64 stories tall), the brightly lit, rainbow colored ball was visible across the city for over 1.8 km (1 mile). This was the inaugural year of the Bangkok Ball Drop at lebua, which is to become an annual New Year's Eve tradition for Thailand.

Lighting Science is debuting new lighting products that can be controlled via Bluetooth-powered mobile apps to optimize healthy living and efficient illumination. The Rhythm Downlight fits in any standard recessed lighting housing and provides dynamic circadian lighting capabilities that automatically adjust the light’s properties to optimize sleep or wakefulness, depending on the users’ needs and schedule. Lighting Science is introducing the Rhythm Downlight and two other new products – an adaptable spot light and an intelligent commercial troffer – along with its Good Night™ sleep enhancing bulb and Awake & Alert™ energy enhancing light at the LVCC South Hall - Booth #26428, part of the Digital Health Summit Pavilion.

EPISTAR LAB has released a infrared (850nm) product with high photoelectric efficiency.

With 40 and 60-watt bulbs effectively banned on January 1st, consumers are left with two choices: LED (light emitting diodes) and CFL (compact fluorescent lamps).

Tech Armor introduces a groundbreaking line of RetinaShield Blue Light Filter screen protectors. The newly developed RetinaShield Blue Light screen protector safeguards consumers’ eyes against damaging blue light released from LED screens.

Initial public offerings (IPOs) have reopened after a more than one year temporary break. China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has approved five companies on December 30th which include one company to be listed on Shanghai’s main board, one listed on Shenzhen SME board, and three GEB companies.

Optimistic about LED lighting long term developments , Taiwanese secondary optical lens manufacturer LedLink purchased a new factory in Yangzhou at the end of 2012 and expanded production capacity in 2013 which is to continue on into 2014.

With LED lighting demands rapidly growing, questions regarding safety and whether blue light found in LEDs can affect health are being discussed now more than ever. Affects on health that are the heart of discussion within the industry include whether long term exposure can affect the release of melatonin and if looking directly at blue light can lead to degeneration of retinal tissue.

The National Lighting Bureau’s Board of Directors give an interview on topics including the role of market channels, the role of education, photopic/scotopic effect, perception of brightness and more.

For most of us, light isn’t a luxury. It’s a basic need that, with the exception of planned power outages or a blown fuse, is very rarely unavailable.  At the flick of a switch, light illuminates our offices, classrooms, hospitals and homes, enabling us to carry out essential everyday tasks without worry. We dictate its start, intensity and end; we’re in control.

Strawberry lovers will rejoice as strawberry fields can now yield fruit all season round. Starting this year, strawberry fields will be bursting with fruit all four seasons in Briton with the use of LED lighting technology.

Glo-Blades are a new skating accessory that easily attach to both inline and ice skates and brightly illuminate the surface beneath the skaters’ feet, providing for a unique, new effect of “Skating on Light !”™ The product utilizes super bright LED lights and patented wireless technology, with easy mounting that allows the skater to readily swap them back and forth between skates.

Torafu Architects, a Japanese architect firm has created a bubbly LED bulb resembling a water balloon, according to a Spoon and Tamago report. The glass bulb which uses LEDs for lighting and is made from recycled fluorescent bulbs. The lights are diffused from the bubble structures within the bulb.

With the LED industry rebounding in 2013 due to developments in LED lighting, patent disputes between LED manufactures continue to rage on with no end in sight. The most notable has been the long fought out dispute between Japanese LED package manufacturer Nichia and Taiwanese package manufacturer Everlight, dragging their patent war through courts in Japan, China, the U.S., Germany, and more. Lawsuits between Nichia and Taiwanese LED package manufactures Unity Opto and Harvatek have also garnered a lot of news coverage. Aside from package manufactures, Korean TV manufacturer heavy weights Samsung and LG also drew a lot of attention during their patent dispute over OLED technology.

Global market research firm TrendForce's Green Energy Division LEDinside said that, with the decrease in LED price and the gradual improvement in LED efficacy, the cost recovery period has been shortened remarkably, greatly improving the intention of commercial and public departments worldwide to replace lights, formally launching the global replacement tide with LED lamps, and retrofit lamps like bulb and tube are most welcomed by market. LEDinside estimates that the global demand for LED bulb and LED tube will increase by 86% and 89% in 2014 respectively o...

In the previous article we highlighted how China’s LED industry faces serious over subsidy situation due to overlapping funds issued by local and central governments. Compared to the Chinese government’s generous LED subsidy programs to manufacturers, the EU and U.S. are more focused on establishing new energy efficiency standards Some Chinese media outlets have interpreted this as setting up technical barriers. In this article we take a look at whether these claims are true.

Forepi’s LED business hit rock bottom in 2013, said Jian Fengren, Chairman of Taiwanese LED chip manufacturer Forepi. However, the company will benefit from the gradual development of flip chip, HV LED, and package free products in 2014. The addition of injections from rebounding industrial demands will help the company reach its goal of turning the year’s loss into profit. With 10 consecutive quarters of loss, gross profit margin for the first three quarters is still -14.32 percent and legal persons believe improvements of gross profit margin in 2014  will be the key to turning loss into profit.

It's lights out for the common household incandescent bulb come Jan. 1, 2014, as the final step of the Energy Independence and Security Act takes effect phasing out 40- and 60-watt bulbs.

Radlicht has designed a unique way to keep bikers visible at night with an eye-catching LED light design. Based in Boston and Germany, the company had already exceeded their intended goal with 17 days left to go in their Kickstarter campaign.

When the glittering Times Square New Year's Eve Ball descends to mark the beginning of 2014, the "1" and "4" will be illuminated for the first time in ever- changing colors using 207 of the revolutionary and programmable hue bulbs from Philips. A global TV audience of over one billion viewers will see the LED bulbs, with more than 16 million color options each, colorfully ring in the new year as people tune in for the iconic celebration.

BigBright Malaysia, the sole distributor for Rishang LED lighting products in Malaysia, will be moving into a major expansion for 2014. BigBright is among the leading companies in Malaysia with a strong focus in LED lighting modules and components which are known to be very energy efficient and cost-effective.

Belvedere Vodka announces the launch of its first ever laser cut bottle with LED technology, the Belvedere Silver Saber. Just in time for New Year’s Eve festivities, the Silver Saber will feature a special lighting element that will completely illuminate the Belvedere bottle. It will be showcased during a New Years Eve party with musician Robin Thicke at the SLS Hotel South Beach and at selected top nightlife venues in NYC and LA with a nationwide rollout planned for key nightlife venues in 2014.

Evluma is taking orders for the latest release in its expanding line of utility-grade LED area and security lights, the 70W AreaMax. With twice the LEDs and a higher lumen output than the existing 40W models, the 70W AreaMax is designed to replace up to 200W HID lights. The AreaMax delivers more than light; it maximizes energy savings with controls and minimizes maintenance costs with built-in Photocontrol Failsafe Mode (PCFM) and new FaultCast BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) broadcasting.

Good government policies can help propel an industry forward but bad ones can hinder development. Although China’s policies are aimed at developing the LED industry, the subsidies have gotten out of control recently, said LEDinside Director Roger Chu. These policies can pose long term issues for the LED industry, as the government continues to issue subsidies despite  oversupply situations.

Global 40W equiv. LED bulb ASP decreased 2.7 percent to US $15.4 (NT $462), with price decline most evident in the China region, according to market intelligence organization Trendforce’s LEDinside division’s latest LED bulb retail price findings for Nov. 2013. Global 60W equiv. LED bulb ASP slightly dipped 0.7 percent to US $21.5. Short term year-end sale promotions will be a driving role towards increasing consumer acceptability and market share, said LEDinside. LED bulbs will become the representatives of the global LED replaceme...

Tsinghua Unigroup and Lipu County government signed an agreement on December 25th for an investment of RMB 1.2 billion in construction of Tsinghua’s Lipu technology park.