NEEDHAM, MA – Shipments of smartphones will decline 1.1% in 2023 to 1.19 billion units, down from the previous forecast of 2.8% growth as the market continues to suffer from weak demand and ongoing macroeconomic challenges, according to the International Data Corporation's latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker forecast.

We headed to IPC Apex Expo in late January not certain of what to expect. The backdrop, of course, was one of job upheaval. Blue chip tech companies were announcing large-scale layoffs, and the “disengagement” counts were starting to accumulate in striking fashion. To wit:

• HP: 4,000 to 6,000
• Dell: 6,650
• Google: 12,000
• IBM: 3,900
• Meta: 11,000
• Microsoft: 10,000
• Twitter: Everyone except Elon Musk and a couple of engineers brought over from Tesla*

HONG KONG – ASMPT reported revenue of HK$4.33 billion ($553.1 million) for the fourth quarter, a decline of 5.1% from the previous quarter.

TAIPEI – Foxconn Technology Group has leased a 293-acre plot of land to build new smart warehouses in Zhengzhou, the same Chinese city where the company operates the world's largest iPhone plant.