Foxconn coming to America

Foxconn, through Sharp, has a known tie to Microvision. (Foxconn did highlight the RoBoHon) It is the largest contract electronic manufacturing companies in the world, assembles the iPhone, and is set to produce its own cellphones. 

Interesting developments here, and given the relationships this company has this deserves to be watched closely.

Times of Oman

"We are planning a number of investments in America,” Gou said. "This project will include both capital-intensive and skilled labor-intensive and high-tech investment."

Gou said in January that Foxconn was mulling setting up a display-making plant in the United States with an investment that would exceed $7 billion.



Focus Taiwan

Taipei, April 29 (CNA) Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (鴻海, better known as Foxconn outside Taiwan ), the world's largest contract electronics maker, said Saturday that it was in talks with the U.S. government for possible investments in the United States.

In a statement, Hon Hai, an assembler of iPhones and iPads for Apple Inc., said that the company is earnestly seeking investment opportunities in the U.S. market and is evaluating the possibility of pouring capital there for expansion.

Hon Hai, which has built a broad production site in China with a workforce of about 1 million, expressed gratitude to the White House Office of American Innovation for its efforts to pave the path for the Taiwanese firm's negotiations with the U.S. government for possible investments.

The White House Office of American Innovation, created by President Donald Trump and led by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, aims to reform the federal government through private-sector solutions.

ppp focus

But with Trump’s persistent pledge to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US, and Gou’s dogged determination to acquire the memory chip business of embattled Japanese conglomerate Toshiba, the two will likely exchange their views on related issues.

“We are made in America”, Gou said in response to the Post reporter’s question about what he discussed at the White House.

Why has Foxconn been pushing Sharp?

This is a great summary of questions.

It does make me wonder if Foxconn is going to do to Apple what Apple has done to some of its suppliers. If that's the case, the next iPhone could experience a very significant delay.

+ Softbank + Toshiba. (Was the effort to buy Toshiba an effort not so much to gain something for themselves, but to deny Apple?)

I highly recommend reading and re-reading this particular article. 

Patently Apple

Like a good tension-filled TV series like 24, the story is one of the most fascinating in the tech sector to date with each episode building towards an end that we yet don't understand. The pieces of the story are purposely scrambled to keep us guessing.

Yet the one nagging question that keeps popping up is why has Foxconn pushing Sharp back into the smartphone business so aggressively?

Toshiba -- interesting acquisition: UPDATED

UPDATE: Offer for Toshiba likely to be rejected

The Toshiba acquisition story is about where people see value. 

I do not know any details of the Toshiba offer, except that Foxconn thinks that one division of the company is worth three times entire market price of the company. 

Either they are stupid, or they see value where others do not.

Seeing value is why I own shares in this company. "The market" -- the allegedly all-knowing market, often has things wildly mis-priced. 

Many people do quite well by staying with the herd. Herd followers rarely do exceptionally well. There is more risk outside the herd - unless there is good reason to be sure of yourself. When the herd starts moving current shareholders in this company are going to do really well. The predators will get trampled.

MicroVision is a very small company (so far) that has survived many setbacks. There is an inherent strength that comes from surviving adversity. 

The tech is better now, the ecosystem is completely ready for mass adoption, and new markets are available to them.

Some would try to convince you that "The market" knows all, which is why the price is as low as it is today.

I know, that the value of this company FAR EXCEEDS what the market currently prices it.

The reason is simple. They have what people want. A way to interact with the little computers they carry -- a way to share images with others easily. A way to pull people out of their own little world and share what they see on their tiny screens. 

... and an awesome, highly recognized patent portfolio. PatentVue

I had help taking the picture below, that was my Samsung S4 at the bottom of the screen, and the same image from a PicoPro, using Microvision's PicoP. Now MicroVision can give you a touch-screen as large as that, from your phone. That thing in your pocket. Why Microvision?

Laser Scanning & Near-eye displays? -- could be every bit as big as pico projection.


Foxconn offering 27 Billion Dollars for Toshiba Storage Business
Toshiba sale in Australian Dollars

Yahoo Quote -- 7.8 Billion (As of this morning)
Bloomberg Quote (Japanese Yen) 

Wolfram Alpha Conversion (From Bloomberg Quote) 8.54 Billion (What's half a billion or so?)




Toshiba and the Japanese government want to sell the company’s semiconductor business to a domestic buyer, but foreign bidders are proving determined and aggressive as the auction heads to a decision. University of Shizuoka Professor Seijiro Takeshita speaks on "Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia." (Source: Bloomberg)

Vuzix Development Agreement with Toshiba

From a press release, so I've just copied most of it.

Vuzix claims Microvision as a supplier, so this is an interesting development in the space.



StreetInsider

Under the terms of this agreement, Vuzix and Toshiba have embarked on a rapid development program with milestone payments totaling over one million US dollars. With development efforts well under way, Toshiba, subject to a final manufacturing agreement, expects to place additional purchase orders from Vuzix for production deliveries in the 4th quarter of 2017. Further details on the new smart glasses product will be released soon after public marketing of the product commences.

"We are excited to enter into this partnership with Toshiba and believe it represents a strong vote of confidence in our capabilities and recognition of our leading position within the wearable technology space," said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix. "Additionally, the agreement demonstrates how we are leveraging and partnering our industry leading technology with top tier global partners. We trust that this will be the first of many ongoing collaborations between the firms."

"We have selected Vuzix as our new smart glasses development and manufacturing partner because we are very impressed with Vuzix' current line of smart glasses and other technology that the Company has in development. We believe that Toshiba can leapfrog other wearable technology products with Vuzix' support and look forward to a very successful collaboration between the companies," said Carl Pinto, vice president of marketing and product development for Toshiba Client Solutions Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.

Components for Project Ara

When mainstream companies are starting to produce components for a budding product that's a good sign. I'm hoping we see more of this, including picop powered projector modules.

As some of us have now seen through Celluon PicoAir projectors... the Microvision PicoP technology is clearly superior to other projecting technologies currently available.

From Tech Radar

Toshiba has shown two camera modules that it's making for Google's unique Project Ara modular smartphone.

The modules can be swapped in and out of an Ara handset, allowing you to easily upgrade the snapper on your smartphone. The two modules that were shown off by Toshiba were 5MP and 13MP snappers, both of which can be quickly installed into a Project Ara handset as the main rear cameras.

Toshiba's Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Shardul Kazi has indicated that the company's modules will range in price from $50 (around £32, AU$65) to a quite staggering $500 (£325, AU$650), so we should see non-camera modules from Toshiba in the future as well.

The ability to simply swap out and upgrade parts of the smartphone makes Project Ara an incredibly exciting device, and it's encouraging to see big names like Toshiba supporting the project.