iPhone 3G, HTC Touch Diamond spur Taiwanese production

06.11.2008
Apple's iPhone 3G and High Tech Computer's (HTC) Touch Diamond sent Taiwanese smartphone manufacturing soaring in the third quarter, a market researcher said Thursday.

Along with those strong sales, Google's new Android software promises to reshape the licensing landscape on the island.

Taiwanese companies shipped 11.02 million [M] smartphones in the July through September period, up 125 percent compared to the same time last year, and up 54 percent compared to the second quarter, according to Taiwan's Market Intelligence Center, a publicly-funded industry researcher.

The big year-on-year production increase indicates that some hot technology products may be able to weather the global financial crisis. However, the Market Intelligence Center said shipment volumes among less well-known smartphone makers in Taiwan saw significant declines during the quarter due to the challenging economic climate and a lack of unique features.

Apple reported selling 6.89 million iPhones during its fourth quarter, which ended Sep. 27, a figure nearly 1 million units higher than most analysts had predicted. The company also sold 11.05 million iPods, up 8 percent compared to the same time last year.

Smartphones have been a boon to Taiwanese contract manufacturers due to their higher profit margins compared to other products such as desktop PCs and game consoles.