Apple saw disappointing iPhone sales during its fiscal third quarter 2019, and its component suppliers see weak order visibility for the vendor's upcoming iPhones. And things seem to be heading for the worse for Apple following US President Donald Trump's latest move to impose tariffs on more China-made goods, further damaging confidence across many industries. In the display panel industry, falling prices and weakening demand are sending suppliers reducing output. There are still some market segments where makers still have high hope, such as 5G. Now notebook makers are eager to roll out 5G notebook models by the end of this year.
Components suppliers see low order visibility for new iPhones: Apple has started making preparations since July ahead of the launch of new iPhones in September, but order momentum for touch panels and other components has been weak, according to industry sources.
AUO, Innolux likely to reduce output to shore up panel prices: Taiwan's top-two flat panel makers, AU Optronics (AUO) and Innolux, are expected to follow in the steps of their rivals in China and Korea to cut back their output in order to prevent panel prices from falling further, particularly for large-size TV applications, according to industry sources.
Notebook vendors gearing up to launch 5G models: The world's top-3 notebook vendors Lenovo, HP and Dell are set to introduce their first 5G models in the second half of 2019, and Apple is also expected to roll out its 5G MacBook series in the second half of 2020, according to industry sources.
