[Asia Economy Reporter Joeslgina] Ahead of the year-end shopping boom including the US Black Friday, Apple, Google, Samsung Electronics, and Huawei are unusually holding new product events consecutively this week. Following the Galaxy Z series and iPhone 13, which have been driving the sales frenzy in the second half of the year, additional releases such as laptops, wireless earphones, and smartphone editions are expected. Amid the prolonged parts shortage caused by semiconductor supply issues, competition among smartphone manufacturers for the year-end market is expected to heat up further.
According to industry sources on the 18th, Apple will hold an online special event called 'Unleashed' at 2 a.m. Korean time on the 19th, showcasing premium laptops like the MacBook Pro and the third-generation wireless earphones AirPods.
The MacBook Pro expected to be unveiled this time is the top-tier model among Apple laptops, with the new release coming five years after 2016. The industry anticipates that the new product will be equipped with Apple's in-house M1X AP. Greg Joswiak, Apple's Vice President in charge, hinted on Twitter that the new MacBook Pro will feature mini LED technology.
The third-generation AirPods, which have been rumored since early this year, will also be revealed. They are characterized by a shorter stem compared to the previous model and are expected to have a design similar to the AirPods Pro. As a budget-friendly line, it is known that they will not support Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) functionality.
Google will hold the 'PIXEL FALL LAUNCH' event the day after Apple, at 10 a.m. local time in the US on the 19th, which is 2 a.m. Korean time on the 20th. Google will unveil its own smartphones, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. There is also a high possibility that the first foldable smartphone, tentatively named Pixel Fold, will be revealed. Developed under the codename Passport for the past two years, the Pixel Fold is likely to be released by the end of the year.
Samsung Electronics will take the stage on the night of the 20th. Samsung will hold the 'Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Part 2' event starting at 11 p.m. on the 20th and is expected to unveil a new Galaxy Z Flip3 edition applying the bespoke method, a customized premium home appliance design. This strategy is interpreted as an effort to accelerate the popularization of foldable smartphones by transplanting the bespoke design, which has proven competitive in the home appliance sector, to foldable smartphones.
Huawei, which has been hit hard in its smartphone business due to US government sanctions, will also hold a new product launch event in Vienna, Austria, on the 21st. Huawei has not hinted at what will be unveiled at this event. Speculations include the European release of the Huawei P50 series, which was recently launched only in China, and the unveiling of new Nova series products. Additionally, Microsoft (MS) will officially release the dual-screen smartphone 'Surface Duo 2,' which was unveiled last month, this week, and Japan's Sony has also announced a new product launch event scheduled for the 26th.
Inside and outside the industry, it is considered unusual for major smartphone manufacturers to hold new product launch events consecutively in the same week. Attention is also drawn to Apple choosing Monday for its event, whereas it usually holds events on Tuesdays. Considering the relationship between the two companies, which once sparked jokes about merging and being called 'Applegoo' (a combination of Apple and Google, as joked by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt), some analysts suggest that Apple may have scheduled its event to avoid overlapping with Google's.
Especially with the US Black Friday, China's Singles' Day, and Christmas approaching, competition among smartphone manufacturers for the year-end shopping boom is intensifying. The demand for form factors confirmed by the foldable smartphone craze, including the Z Flip3, LG Electronics' withdrawal from the smartphone business, and Huawei's business downsizing are rapidly changing the global smartphone market landscape.
However, the prolonged semiconductor supply shortage is deepening concerns for these companies. Despite Samsung Electronics and Apple leading the market with the Z series and iPhone 13 series released in the second half of this year, they are facing situations where they must reduce production. Some models are out of stock. Bloomberg reported that "Apple is considering reducing iPhone 13 series production by 10 million units." Samsung Electronics has not even finalized the release schedule for the new product 'Galaxy S21 Fan Edition (FE),' which was originally planned for the end of this month. Other companies preparing new product launches, such as Google, Huawei, and Sony, are also not free from this semiconductor shortage crisis.
Market research firm Canalys announced that global smartphone shipments in the third quarter of this year decreased by 6% compared to the previous year due to parts shortages. Another market research firm, Counterpoint Research, also recently lowered its global smartphone shipment forecast for this year from 1.45 billion units to 1.41 billion units, a 3% decrease. It is expected that most smartphone companies will face difficulties in launching products in the second half of the year due to parts shortages.
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