Apple’s Tile-like tracking devices could come in the March quarter, he says. Or maybe June.
From MacRumors:
Shanghai-based manufacturing company Universal Scientific Industrial will begin supplying the system-in-package for Apple’s upcoming Ultra Wideband item tracking tagsin the second to third quarter of 2020, with shipments to reach tens of millions of units by the end of the year, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a research note with TF International Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said Universal Scientific Industrial will be the primary supplier of the system-in-package for the tags, fulfilling around 60 percent of orders. Similar to the one inside AirPods, the system-in-package would be a densely packed circuit board, and it would likely include the Apple-designed U1 chip for Ultra Wideband support.
“We believe that the ultra-wideband (UWB) tag will enhance the user experience of iOS’s ‘find’ and augment reality (AR) applications by offering measurement functions in the short distance,” wrote Kuo.
Last month, Kuo said the Ultra Wideband tag would be one of Apple’s major new hardware products in the first half of 2020, but he has yet to provide a more specific release date for the accessory.
My take: I carry Tiles in my billfold, my wallet and my backpack. I’d switch to AirTags in a Bloomberg minute.
See also: How reliable is Ming-Chi Kuo?
I remain skeptical of Kuo’s product forecast abilities.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Apple-s-iPhone-supply-woes-to-continue-into-April-sources
The article does have an interesting TrendForce estimate on how much of a hit the Coronavirus will affect Huawei, Apple and Samsung:
“Samsung has also largely ceded the China market to its rivals in recent years, meaning it won’t suffer from the store closings and drop in demand that is hitting Apple and others.“
“TrendForce recently cut its first-quarter production forecasts for Huawei by 15% and Apple by 10%. It cut projections for Samsung Electronics by a smaller 3%. Samsung ended its own smartphone production in China last year as its market share plunged to nearly zero.“
https://apple.news/AkqkHPbYGSze1xj1L0X63pQ
Meanwhile Kuo suggests the new Samsung Galaxy S20 could be “duds” and sell well below the somewhat popular S10 series, especially without a lower priced S10e replacement.
https://apple.news/AoAkHgUkjP3W03emVq6MsoQ
To me, this suggests Apple has a window to take back the smartphone narrative in late March-April but could see that window slip with production delays and constrained inventory. Letting the SE2/9 introduction slide into May-June might cannibalize Fall Flagship purchases although the two series are far apart price and demographic wise.
Here is where we will see how Tim and his team and supply chain responsibly manage employee health with business interests. I expect a delay of 4-8 weeks predicated on a rise-peak-decline of new cases and then subsequent similar pattern for lagging indicators of deaths vs. recovered patients. There has been a push for more chloroquine treatment and antibody plasma treatments as donor supply allows.
The corner turn is out there somewhere.