Intel’s Mobileye chose Orange Business Services' IoT connectivity for the U.S., Europe, and Asia, it said Wednesday. Mobileye 8 Connect is said to “see” the road ahead through a camera lens and can be retrofitted into most vehicles. It includes collision avoidance technology based on driver behavior, environmental data and advanced real-time alert data such as recognizing pedestrians in low light, which can help drivers lower accident rates and insurance premiums, said the company. Mobileye 8 Connect will provide municipalities and utilities with data to monitor infrastructure and plan for smarter cities, it said. Orange Business Services has over 500 roaming agreements with local providers for connectivity within and between countries.
Universal Electronics handily exceeded expectations in Q2, despite the “background noise of accelerated cord-cutting,” emailed Dougherty & Co. analyst Steven Frankel to investors Wednesday. He cited improved gross margins following UEI’s shift of “substantial manufacturing capacity” from China to Mexico. In June, CEO Paul Arling said (see 1906040032) he was “unpleasantly surprised” to learn of President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on Mexican imports just as the company was shifting production from China to Monterrey, Mexico, to escape tariffs on Chinese goods.
The Wireless Power Consortium revealed its wireless charging standard for small kitchen appliances, Ki Cordless Kitchen. Philips will demonstrate at IFA this week a blender/food processor, juicer and air fryer, emailed Hans Kablau, chairman-WPC Kitchen Work Group. The Ki logo indicates safety and interoperability for wireless power for cordless kitchen devices up to 2,200 watts, said WPC. The standard allows Ki transmitters to be placed beneath countertops and in new induction cooktops, it said. The Ki standard draft specification is available to Wireless Power Consortium members; they'll determine their commercialization timetable, a WPC spokesperson emailed. Communication between the appliance and transmitter is handled by near-field communication, said Kablau. NFC controls the amount of power transferred and enables smart features. It prevents a smartphone from inadvertently overheating when placed on a coil, the spokesperson said. Ki's “essentially the same technology” as the magnetic induction wireless charging method used by Qi, she said, though Ki coils are much larger. Another difference is that Ki only transmits energy that’s consumed as power vs. Qi technology, which transmits energy that’s stored by the receiver so it can power a phone on the go. Since a Ki receiver doesn’t store power, when appliances are removed from the transmitter, power transfer ceases and the appliance shuts off, she said.
The biggest opportunity for categories in the “mature” CE industry is in “underserved niches,” blogged NPD analyst Stephen Baker Wednesday. Despite a market where “consumers are not replacing or repurchasing tech items at the same rate they did in prior years,” NPD is forecasting 3 percent growth through 2021, with growth leaders including smart locks and video doorbells, true wireless headphones, gaming PCs, Chromebooks and 75-inch and larger TVs. NPD doesn’t project for tariffs, Baker emailed: “Our forecasts are based on our [point-of-sale] data so any impacts to prior volumes would be automatically included in our go forward forecasts.” Baker identified “surprise segments” that could emerge to fill consumer needs, including charging cables, tablets and accessories and “even a return of the digital picture frame.” Core growth areas -- wireless headphones, smart home products, smart speakers, smartwatches, and gaming accessories and hardware (including desktop and notebook PCs and monitors) -- are expected to triple in revenue from 2016 to 2021, while tech’s top three categories -- nongaming notebooks, TVs and tablets -- will grow about 5 percent, said the analyst. The revenue total for the top three sellers is $10 billion more than core growth areas, making success of the trio “especially critical to the industry.” New and emerging technologies with limited availability today will begin to have an impact by the end of 2021: next-generation foldable screens, 5G and augmented reality. Post-2021, technology will undergo a “radical change,” Baker said, when foldable or transparent screens “will be everywhere,” intelligent assistants will drive tech purchases, intelligent products that can “do things for me” will generate interest, “everything will be connected” inside the home, and connectivity to devices, the cloud and “the edge” will be key.
Movado Group downgraded its forecast Wednesday in virtually all financial metrics for fiscal 2020 ending Jan. 31, blaming market volatility it sees worsening with the 15 percent List 4A Section 301 tariffs taking effect Sunday on fashion watches and smartwatches imported from China. Movado also faces “currency headwinds” from sharp fluctuations in the euro and the British pound, said Chief Financial Officer Sallie DeMarsilis on a fiscal Q2 call. It now expects sales for the year to be $725 million-$740 million, down from $750 million-$765 million in its May 30 forecast, she said. Gross margin will be flat to “slightly down” from last year, compared with flat to “slightly improved” in the previous forecast, she said. It projects operating income of $67 million-$70 million compared with $82 million-$85 million in the previous guidance, she said. The outlook “assumes no further changes in prevailing tariff rates,” she said. Shares closed 0.2 percent lower Thursday at $21.17. It's “very early on in the process” to forecast with any precision the impact of the List 4A tariffs taking effect in a few days, said CEO Efraim Grinberg. The tariffs will “definitely have an impact, I believe, on U.S. business,” he said. “We will take certain actions in terms of pricing initiatives, in terms of working with our suppliers,” to mitigate the fallout, he said. “Some will have an effect to gross profits.” Due for fall introduction is the new Movado Connect 2.0 powered by Google's OS Wear, said Grinberg. It’s “our first smartwatch available in two sizes for men and women,” he said.
A “pessimistic outlook” on the world economy from the U.S.-China trade war led to a 3.5 percent production drop in global worldwide smartphone assembly shipments in June, reported IDC Wednesday. More of the same is forecast for July and August: IDC expects smartphone original device manufacturer and electronics manufacturing services' assembly volume to shrink due to Samsung and Huawei lowering regional market targets, high inventory and the U.S.-China trade war, said analyst Sean Kao. Overall in Q2, worldwide smartphone assembly shipment volume grew 12 percent year on year to 332.6 million due largely to lower inventories in Q1 and increased competition, IDC said. Assembly shipment volume from Chinese smartphone ODMs and EMSes rose to 51.3 percent in Q2 from 40.7 percent in Q1, said Kao.
A possible burn hazard prompted Happy Plugs to recall wireless Bluetooth headphones for kids because the packaged micro-USB charging cable can cause the headphones to overheat, said a Consumer Product Safety Commission notice Tuesday. The recall affects about 6,900 headphones sourced from China and sold January through May at Macy’s stores nationally and online at HappyPlugs.com for $10 to $40 a set, said CPSC.
The sluggish smart augmented reality glasses market is “picking up pace” in industrial and enterprise segments, but mass consumer adoption is “elusive, if not years away," reported Tractica Monday. It cited “growing pains,” as the technology has fallen short of end-user expectations, but projects the market will grow from 101,000 units in 2018 to 19.7 million units annually by 2025. The form factor could replace tablets and other handheld devices on the manufacturing floor, said analyst Sherril Hanson. Compelling mixed reality glass technology, compact form factors, wider field of view and immersive capabilities will help smart glasses break through across multiple segments, including consumer, said Hanson.
Zens announced a wireless charger with 16 overlapping charging coils, which it said gives owners of Qi-based devices “complete freedom of placement.” Users can position two Qi-based devices anywhere on a charging pad, it said.
State Farm is doing a trial using an Alexa skill for Echo Show that’s designed to let seniors live independently longer in their homes by connecting with family and friends, it said Thursday. The Alexa skill connects seniors to their care circle via a State Farm app. An interactive dashboard on Echo Show scrolls through a list of daily activities; tools in the mobile app coordinate tasks for members of the care circle; app suggestions are shared to the Echo Show for activities; music and photos can be sent from a mobile device to the Show; and social features help care group members stay connected, it said. The insurer plans to launch the voice-enabled skill nationally next year.