Smart lighting
LED Lighting is quickly moving to the next level with some companies connecting lighting capabilities with other functionalities, like security and light balancing. But what some lighting companies are finding out is that it takes expertise in areas that are not their core competencies and so it becomes expensive, time-consuming and too complex for them to go it alone. For example, a recent indication that lighting is getting connected is the news that Ayla Networks and Innr Lighting are combining. Ayla Networks offers an Internet of Things (IoT) platform that provides comprehensive connectivity such as its Agile Mobile Application Platform (AMAP) technology, which is a smart home lighting solution. Innr Lighting from The Netherlands (founded by former Philips execs) develops and markets smart home lighting solutions with the goal of bringing better home lighting within reach of everyone. The company uses knowledge of light placement and light intensity to allow users to create room- and activity-specific lighting scenes that affect users’ moods in advantageous ways. Innr’s online Light Advisor lets users quickly design a professional lighting plan, including the products needed, to create scenes for each user’s individual home layout and needs. Ayla’s Agile IoT platform provides the flexibility and modularity to enable rapid changes to practically any type of device, cloud or app environment.
Forecast for TFT LCDs
Large-area thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD) profit margins reached 10 percent in the first quarter of 2015, their highest level since the first half of 2010. However high factory utilization rates at leading panel makers, and swelling inventories at set makers, are now pressuring prices and margins downward. According to the IHS report: Display Supply Demand & Equipment Tracker, large-area TFT LCD profit margins are forecast to fall to zero percent in the fourth quarter of this year. This year, end-market demand for TVs, monitors, notebooks and tablets has weakened significantly. The demand outlook has deteriorated, due to a variety of product and economic reasons. In particular the rise of the U.S. dollar against most other global currencies has caused local prices for a variety of consumer electronics products in many countries to rise, stifling demand in those regions.
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