According to TrendForce, the iPhone’s annual production volume is expected to increase by 6% because of improved specs of new iPhones and Apple’s expansion in Indian market.
Apple remained the second place in the ranking of smartphone production for 2017. TrendForce says that, for this year, Apple is set to launch three new flagship models in 3Q18, and will expand the adoption of Face ID and all-screen technology in these new iPhones, along with upgrading their existing functions and increasing the memory content, as well.
Competition will intensify in the global smartphone market this year. Apple and Nokia are the only international brands with a clear future of growth in 2018, says TrendForce. The growth momentum in global smartphone market will remain weak in 2018 due to lower demand and less replacement purchases, adds the research group.
Faced with continuous rise in the costs of upstream components, downstream mobile phone vendors have to re-consider the pricing or adjust the specification of end-products to cope with the cost pressures. The distribution of market share among the major players is expected to remain generally the same as last year. Therefore, TrendForce estimates the global smartphone production for 2018 at around 1.5 billion units, a 2.8% annual growth only, down from previously expected 5%.
