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IHS: iPhone 5s component tally reaches $199, iPhone 5c costs $173
Though it has a new camera module, faster processor and fingerprint sensor, the components in the new iPhone 5s are only slightly less expensive than those in the iPhone 5, says IHS. Not surprisingly, the iPhone 5c is cheaper than either the iPhone 5 or the iPhone 5s. According to AllThingsD, which got an advanced look at the IHS report, the iPhone 5s costs US$199 to build, as compared to $205 for last year's iPhone 5. Components for the 16 GB iPhone 5s cost Apple $191, with another $8 tacked on for assembly. The jump to 64 GB of storage in the 5s bumps up the price by $11, bringing the final cost to $218 for the model. By using a colorful polycarbonate shell instead of aluminum, Apple is able to trim the cost of the iPhone 5c to $173 for the 16 GB model and $183 for the 64 GB model. These prices include $7 for assembly. Echoing what was said by iFixit, IHS says the new iPhone models are very similar. "I would say that they're almost the same phone, except that the 5s has the fingerprint sensor, the A7 processor and some newer memory chips that consume less power. Beyond that, they're basically the same," said IHS analyst Andrew Rassweiler.
Hard drive shipments recover from floods in Thailand, expected to reach record high
Last year's floods in Thailand caused hard drive shortages after wreaking havoc on a number of electronics manufacturers, but new stats from IHS iSuppli indicate that the HDD market for PCs has fully recovered and is poised to hit an all time high. The firm expects 524 million units for internal use in PCs to ship this year, besting the previous record by 4.3 percent. What's giving the recovery an added boost? According to the analytics group, the extra demand comes courtesy of Windows 8 and Ultrabooks. Unfortunately for deal hounds, the company noted in a report earlier this year that prices aren't expected to dip below the pre-flood range until 2014. If IHS iSuppli projections hold true, total annual hard drive shipments could reach 575.1 million by 2016.
IHS iSuppli: Apple iPad takes 69.6 percent of tablet brand market share in Q2, reader tablets take a bruising
An earlier portrait of the second quarter's tablet market share made it quite clear that the iPad was on a rebound, if it was ever in a slump to start with. All those numbers focused on platforms and not brands, however -- we didn't know how the individual makers were doing. If IHS iSuppli's figures are on the ball, there's even more of a discrepancy if you break down the period's results by manufacturer. The iPad staked out 69.6 percent of tablet shipments in the spring. That wasn't just an 11-point jump over a year earlier; it was a level of share Apple hasn't had since the Motorola Xoom was just cutting its teeth early in 2011. As for the rest? Transformer Pads kept ASUS growing, but it's not a pretty sight if you're making an Android reader tablet; both Amazon and Barnes & Noble shed roughly a point and a half each, which is no small amount relative to their size. Samsung also lost share by this after its deliveries of Galaxy Tabs mostly stayed flat. We'd add that there's some wiggle room as to real performance knowing that units shipped and sold aren't always one and the same. Most of these companies are leaving clues regarding upcoming tablet refreshes that might level the playing field, some not so subtle, but it's currently Apple's game to win.
Gyroscope manufacturers benefit as iPhone, iPad sales soar
Apple isn't the only company reaping the benefits of increased sales of the iPhone and iPad. IHS iSuppli is reporting that sales of MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) gyroscopes have skyrocketed as well thanks to use of the devices in Apple's mobile line. (Photo above is of an iPhone 4 MEMS gyro -- not this kind of gyro -- component.) MEMS gyroscopes accounted for US$665.4 million in revenues in 2011, compared with only $394.5 million in 2010 -- a 66% rise in revenues in just one year. IHS iSuppli explains the popularity of MEMS gyroscopes in today's mobile electronic devices: "The rise of gyroscopes to the top was in large part due to the boom in 3-axis versions of the device, used mostly in tandem with 3-axis accelerometers for more accurate motion sensing. While accelerometers are responsible for correctly orienting phones and tablets to the viewer's perspective whether the devices are held vertically or horizontally, gyroscopes improve the motion-based interface, especially for gaming. Emerging applications for gyroscopes in smartphones also include optical image stabilization and navigation-related functions." In Apple's iPad and iPhone, the MEMS gyroscopes come from one supplier: STMicroelectronics. Half of the company's 2011 MEMS revenues came from sales to Apple. In the near future, it's expected that companies like Apple will switch to what are called 6-axis inertial measurement units, which combine the 3-axis gyros and 3-axis accelerometers onto one chip. [via GigaOM]
OEMs to spend more on semiconductors for wireless devices than computers in 2011
Well, if you didn't believe that we live in a post-PC world before, the latest report from IHS iSuppli should help persuade you. According to its research, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will have spent $55.4 billion on semiconductors for phones and tablets in 2011, as compared to just $53.1 billion on PC silicon. Of course, as the chart above shows, OEMs spent more money on wireless devices in 2008 and 2009. But, after an interlude of PC primacy in 2010, it looks like mobile's where the money's at for the foreseeable future -- can't say we didn't warn you.
iSuppli: Apple bucks decline in smartphone market, edges closer to Nokia
Apple is edging closer to Nokia and poised to assume the leadership position in the smartphone market, according to IHS iSuppli. In the first three months of 2011, Apple shipped 18.6 million iPhones globally, a 14.9 percent jump from the previous quarter. While Apple showed impressive gains, Nokia posted a significant decline. Q1 2011 shipments from the Finnish handset maker declined 14.5 percent from the 28.3 million handsets shipped in Q4 2010 to 24.2 million in Q1 of this year. At the end of last quarter, a mere 5.6 million handsets separated the two companies. This gap could be narrowed in the current quarter by continued strong sales of the black iPhone 4 and the launch of the white iPhone 4. The long-awaited white handset sold out quickly in Asia and is expected to give iPhone sales a moderate boost. Nokia, on the other hand, is in a holding pattern while it sunsets its Symbian OS and preps for the debut of Windows Phone later this year. [Via Digitimes]
