The semiconductor industry in 2015: New nodes and upstart companies fuel a dynamic market

2015 is likely to be a particularly critical year on multiple fronts, for multiple semiconductor companies. There’s a great deal of potential disruption and meaningful product improvements coming down the pipe. Let’s take this time to look at the big semiconductor trends we expect to see over the next 12 months.
The glorious mobile mess

 The mobile market has changed a great deal in the past 12 months, and the shifts aren’t over. From inside the United States, it’s been largely business-as-usual in the smartphone and tablet business. Worldwide, it’s a different story. New players are rising to the forefront, established companies are
snapping up market share, and the end result is a reshuffling of vendor share — and vendor profits. 




Source: 
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/196666-the-semiconductor-industry-in-2015-new-nodes-upstart-companies-fuel-dynamic-market

Lenovo’s Motorola Being Groomed To Kick Apple, Samsung Butt in China

Lenovo knows a thing or two about rising to the top. Just ask every other PC maker on the planet -- by volume, Lenovo is the top supplier of PCs around the world, sitting on top of HP, Dell, and every other player. Samsung and Apple should take note of this, as Lenovo is turning its attention to the mobile market and has its sights set on China.

The company already has a mobile presence in China with its own branded devices, though with the $2.9 billion Motorola Mobility acquisition now complete, Lenovo is setting itself up to be a major force in the high-end handset market. Up to this point, Samsung and Apple have owned this territory.






Motorola Mobility boss Rick Osterloh told Reuters that it has high hopes of being success in China, which he noted is a big market.

"We believe that what we're really going to succeed in doing is hopefully take some share from other people in the [Chinese] market," Osterloh added.

Source:
http://hothardware.com/News/lenovos-motorola-being-groomed-to-kick-apple-samsung-butt-in-china

Samsung Smartphones Lose Ground In 2014

Samsung's smartphone marketshare retreats as Chinese vendors turn up the heat.

Samsung's galaxy of smartphones contracted sharply during 2014. The company may still own the market, but the decline is notable after Samsung enjoyed several years of strong growth. Apple and several other competitors maintained their positions in the market, but Chinese handset makers are nipping at their heels.






Worldwide smartphone shipments reached 1.17 billion units during 2014, according to data from TrendForce. Of those, 453.4 million -- 40% of the total -- came from Chinese vendors, which represented six of the top ten phone makers. Samsung shipped about 326.4 million units, giving it 28% of the global market. That represents an annual growth rate of only 8.4% and a drop from its 2013 market share of 32.5%.

Competitors pummeled Samsung from every direction. Apple challenged Samsung's leading Galaxy Note phablets with the iPhone 6 Plus, while Samsung's entry-level and mid-range devices were sidelined by low-cost Chinese brands. Samsung reduced smartphone shipment forecasts several times during 2014, recorded a 60% drop in profits during the third quarter, and warned of a similar drop for the fourth quarter. The turn of fortune has caused some soul-searching in Seoul. The company rearranged its electronics business units late last year, folding its mobile software unit into the phone business and shuffling dozens of executives.


Source:
http://www.informationweek.com/mobile/mobile-business/samsung-smartphones-lose-ground-in-2014/d/d-id/1318664?itc=edit_in_body_cross