NEWS IN BRIEF
Digi-Key sells Interlink products
Digi-Key Corp.will distribute Interlink Electronics' products under a global distribution agreement.
Interlink Electronics is the
innovator of thin-filmForce Sensing Resistor (FSR) technology,whichmeasures the force in applications such as robotics, smart phone user interfaces, andmachine control. Initially used inmusical instruments, FSR technology is nowused in devices such as handheld gaming devices, portablemedia players,mobile phones, digital cameras, navigation devices, and other portable electronics.
www.digikey.com www.interlinkelectronics.com
Dialog acquires SiTel for $86.5M
Dialog Semiconductor plc, a provider of highly integrated powermanagement semiconductor solutions for portable devices, has acquired SiTel Semiconductor B.V. (SiTel) for $86.5million. SiTel is a provider of short-range wireless, digital cordless and VoIP technology. The deal is expected to significantly expand Dialog's growth in the wireless personal portable devicesmarket.
www.dialog-
semiconductor.com
Isocomproducts available from America II
America II Electronics, Inc. has entered into a global distribution agreementwith IsocomComponents. Under the agreement, America IIwill distribute Isocom's full line of RoHS-compliant optoelectronic devices including optocouplers, optoswitches,MOSFET drivers andMOSFET relays. Typical lead times for Isocom's products are twoweeks.
www.americaii.com Cornell Dubilier sellsmica cap line
Cornell DubilierMarketing, Inc. has sold its KVXmica capacitor line to CustomElectronics, Inc. Cornell Dubilier, based in Liberty, S.C., does not expect any delays in customer orders due to the change in ownership.
Based in Oneonta, N.Y., CustomElectronics
will support all Cornell Dubilier customers for this capacitor line. The companymanufactures bus bars, high-voltage assemblies andmica-
LG tops LCD panel shipments in 2010
paper capacitors. It offersmore than 18,000 product designs in a variety of packaging styles and construction options to deliver tailored solutions.
www.cde.com www.customelec.com
Apple to prepay $3.9B to ensure display supply
Apple Inc. is spending $3.9 billion to guarantee availability of advanced LCD panels for its iPad and iPhone lines, reported IHS iSuppli in El Segundo, Calif. TomCook, chief operating officer at Apple,
The global large-area TFT LCD panel industry achieved record shipments of 665million units in 2010 thanks to strong growth in TV, notebook PC, tablet, and public display applications, reportedmarket research firm DisplaySearch in Santa Clara, Calif. The fourth quarter was the strongest quarter with 176.5 million units shipped, up 9 percent fromthe previous quarter. DisplaySearch's Quarterly Large-Area TFT
LCD Shipment Report also reveals that LG Display led 2010 unit shipments with a 25.9 percent share, followed by Samsung with 22.9 percent. Rounding out the top four are AUO with a 16.8 percent share and Chimei Innolux (including CMO) with a 16.5 percent share. LG Display also led in shipment area, while Samsungmaintained its leadership in revenues, said DisplaySearch. At the end of the second quarter of 2010,
the entire supply chain adjusted its inventory levels, which resulted in a drop in large-area TFT-LCD panel prices, reported DisplaySearch. As a result, third quarter panel shipments fell to 162million units as panelmakers cut capacity utilization. The panel industry recovered in the fourth quarter reaching 176 million units, although LCD-TV panel shipments remained flat at 57.5million units. This indicates that the supply chain is still
adjusting inventories and brands are not aggressively refilling their pipelines, said DisplaySearch. Themarket researcher forecasts that panel shipments in the first quarter of 2011 will decline 2 percent quarter-to-quarter due to seasonal trends. In addition, TV panel shipments are
expected to fall to 55.6 million units, based on panel makers' shipment targets, likely resulting in low panel inventories by the end of the first quarter of 2011, said DisplaySearch.
www.displaysearch.com 8 |March 2011
stated during Apple's first-quarter financial call that the company had executed long- termsupply agreements with three vendors, according to IHS iSuppli. These agreements entailed about $3.9 billion in inventory component prepayments and capital expenditures during a two-year period. IHS iSuppli believes the vendors are likely
to be LG Display, Sharp Corp. and Toshiba Mobile Display, and the agreements would involve the supply of Apple's retina display used in the iPhone and iPad. "With sales of smart phones booming, and
a flood of new entrants into the tablet market this year, competition among OEMs for available supplies of high-end small and mediumdisplays has reached a fever pitch, straining availability of critical types of displays," stated Vinita Jakhanwal, director for small andmediumdisplays at IHS. "Because of this, Apple hasmoved to invest some its enormous cash reserve in securing the supply of advanced displays," he added. In 2010, Apple spent nearly $2 billion on
displays for its iPad and iPhone lines, sourcing LCD panels fromLG Display, Samsung Electronics, Sharp and Toshiba Mobile Display, said IHS iSuppli. However, Apple's latestmove indicates that itmay providemoney that the display manufacturers can use to invest in the production of IPS and LTPS LCD panels instead of simply purchasing displays from suppliers, said Jakhanwal. This alsomeans Apple has amajor claimto
the global output of IPS LCD and LTPS LCD panels, which could "havemajor implications for all competitors participating in the smart phone and tabletmarket," said Jakhanwal. Contributing to the potential supply/demand scenario is limited production capacity for both technologies.
www.isuppli.com www.electronics-sourcing.com
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