Apple Inc. has purchased a New Zealand-based company PowerbyProxi which specializes in designing wireless power products for consumers and industry. Apple’s recently announced iPhone X and iPhone 8 feature wireless charging technology.
Industry News
Nokia’s new FTTx solutions give operators greater flexibility
Nokia is bringing several new products to its extensive FTTx portfolio so operators can accelerate ultra-broadband deployments and deliver more bandwidth to more people sooner. Nokia's enhanced FTTx portfolio includes fiber and high-speed DSL deployment options including a mini outdoor fiber node, a 212Mhz reverse-power G.fast solution and DSL backhaul remote nodes.
Huawei exec touts cloud services as growth area
Chinese telecom equipment provider and smartphone maker Huawei aims to take on Amazon and Alibaba as a global provider of public cloud services, the company said in April. Edward Zhou, Huawei’s VP of Global Public Affairs, reiterated this to Telecom Review recently, saying Huawei can provide more trustworthy cloud services based on its legacy telecom experience.
ASUS CEO says ‘always-connected PCs’ are coming
ASUS chief executive, Jerry Shen, said “always-connected PC” will soon be a reality at Qualcomm’s 4G/5G Summit in Hong Kong on October 17. He said the company is always in search of new ideas and user experiences, and is currently looking to attract customers to the new category of always-connected personal computers.
China Unicom announces cooperation with Tencent and Alibaba following mixed-ownership reform
China Unicom’s mixed-ownership reform has leapt forward in business cooperation with Chinese internet company Tencent and e-commerce platform Alibaba Group. This represents the first major business cooperation with strategic investors after China Unicom’s mixed-ownership reform plan was approved.
Samsung Electronics CEO announces resignation
Samsung Electronics announced that Vice Chairman Oh-Hyun Kwon plans to resign as the company’s head of the Device Solutions Business and will not seek re-election as a member of the Board of Directors and the Chairman of the Board when his term ends in March, 2018. Vice Chairman Kwon will also resign as the Chief Executive Officer of Samsung Display.
Japanese firm suing Apple over ‘animoji’ feature
iPhone-maker Apple is being sued by a Japanese software company over its ‘animoji’ feature in its latest iPhone X smartphone. The Tokyo-based company Emonster took Apple to a federal court in San Francisco, saying it holds the US trademark on the term ‘animoji’ and that Apple’s use of the word is a blatant infringement.
PCCW Global and DHQ Tech to explore multi-currency ‘Tap & Go’ mobile payment technology
PCCW Global, the international operating division of HKT, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider, and Zhuhai Da Hengqin Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. (DHQ Tech) will together explore the technological and regulatory viability of promoting multi-currency ‘Tap & Go’ mobile payment in the Greater Bay Area of Zhuhai, Hong Kong and Macau, in order to boost e-commerce, business trade and tourism in the region.
Premium smartphones generate 80 percent of profit worldwide
Premium segment smartphones (US$400 wholesale price) generated almost 80 percent of the global handset profit during Q2 2017, according to Counterpoint Research. Apple dominated the premium segment where profit margins are high as most of its profits come from above US$400 models.
Qualcomm disagrees with Taiwan anti-competition fine
Qualcomm announced that the Taiwan Fair Trade Commission (TFTC) has reached a decision in a TFTC investigation, stating in a press release that certain of the company’s business practices are in violation of Taiwanese competition law and imposing a fine of approximately $23.4 billion Taiwan dollars (approximately $773 million US dollars at current exchange rates).