According to industry insiders, as analysts and other sources show that iPhone XR sales will be less than expected, as the two major touch panel suppliers of Apple's iPhone device, TPKun Technology (TPK) and Intertek Technology (GIS), in the first quarter of 2019 Shipments will be frustrated.
According to sources, in October of this year, the increase in demand for touch solutions by the iPhone XR drove the growth of TPK and GIS sales, followed by the above situation.
Sources from the two companies also insisted that they did not see any change in orders from November to December, while sales forecasts for peaks in the fourth quarter remained unchanged. In fact, two companies have invested heavily in equipment upgrades in 2018 to cope with Apple's lamination requirements for iPhone XR plug-in touch modules.
According to sources, in the first half of 2018, GIS's capital expenditure budget was NT$7.5 billion (US$24.302 million), of which 50% was used to increase its lamination capacity. At the same time, TPK also invested nearly 2.62 billion NT dollars in the third quarter of 2018, mainly for the production of new products in the second half of the year.
According to the latest report of the Nikkei Chinese website, the demand for Apple's iPhone XR products is worrying, and it has stopped two production lines from Foxconn and Heshuo dedicated to the iPhone XR.
Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst from Hong Kong-based TF International Securities, recently also forecast iPhone XR shipments from 100 million units in its new product cycle (4th quarter of 2018 to third quarter of 2019). Reduced to 70 million.
According to sources, the report also indicates that the iPhone XR shipment momentum may have begun to slow down, even in the traditional peak season of the fourth quarter. In the face of this situation, how will panel manufacturers respond, we still have to wait and see!
