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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ukraine said it found Western-made parts in the wreckage of a new Russian drone.</li><li>Russia's S-70 Okhotnik-B "Hunter" crashed in eastern Ukraine last month.</li></ul><p>Ukraine said on Friday that it found Western-made parts inside the wreckage of a new heavy Russian combat drone that crashed last month.</p><p>Ukraine's military intelligence agency <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://t.me/DIUkraine/4800">said</a> that an analysis of the S-70 Okhotnik, or "Hunter," drone that was downed over eastern Ukraine in early October, revealed components made by companies in the US and Europe.</p><p>Officials said they found microelectronics and other technological components inside the wrecked drone made by US-based companies Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, and Xilinx-AMD, as well as Infineon Technologies in Germany and STMicroelectronics in Switzerland. Ukraine uploaded purported evidence of the Western-made parts to a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://war-sanctions.gur.gov.ua/en/components?page=3&amp;per-page=12">government portal</a>, where several other companies were listed.</p><p>Business Insider reached out to the companies mentioned in the HUR's statement for comment on Ukraine's findings and received a response from two of them.</p><div type="image" title="A blurry image of a fixed-wing drone taking off from a runway, with the logo of Russia's defense ministry in the top-left corner." height="2156" width="3600" msid="115094901" hostid="261" sizebytes="74046"></div><p>Infineon and ST said that since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, they have taken steps to prevent their technologies from falling into Russia's hands in violations of sanctions and export control measures.</p><p>Achieving airtight compliance can be tough, though. The recent find marks the latest discovery of Western-made components inside Russian weapons, despite <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/west-needs-break-industries-keeping-russias-deadliest-guns-firing-analysts-2024-10">widespread international sanctions</a> aimed at curbing Moscow's war efforts.</p><p>Ukraine has previously <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/02/22/russia-sanctions-weapons-ukraine-war-military-semiconductors/">found Western components</a> inside Russian missiles, and analysts at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute think tank have reported that a range of Moscow's weapons and military systems <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/exclusive-russian-weapons-ukraine-powered-by-hundreds-western-parts-rusi-2022-08-08/">contain parts</a> made in the US, Europe, and other parts of the world.</p><div type="image" title="Ukrainian service members standing around and bending down to look at the wreckage of a drone." height="3769" width="5653" msid="115094899" hostid="261" sizebytes="2603090"></div><p>The Ukrainian military intelligence agency, also known simply as the HUR, said that the S-70 was shot down on October 5 near Kostyantynivka, a city in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. Western intelligence said in the aftermath that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-downed-s70-drone-ukraine-still-got-it-uk-intel-2024-10">Russia likely lost control</a> of the drone and decided to destroy it to avoid it falling into Kyiv's hands, something that happened anyway.</p><p>Russia only has four prototypes of the $15 million S-70, according to the HUR. The jet-powered drone, a product of Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi, weighs some 20 tons and has a 65-foot wingspan. It also has a similar shape to the US military's RQ-170 Sentinel built by Lockheed Martin.</p><p>The S-70 has been <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-testing-loyal-wingman-drone-for-su57-stealth-fighter-2020-12"><u>under development</u></a> since the early 2010s and took its first flight in 2019 before making its combat debut during the Ukraine war. According to Britain's defense ministry, the drone has a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/DefenceHQ/status/1846151483055644855">reduced radar cross section</a> that's intended to give it stealth capabilities for deep-strike missions.</p><p>Russia's Okhotnik was built to operate alongside the fifth-generation Su-57, but the latter <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fifth-generation-jets-made-ukraine-war-russia-su-57-missing-2023-10">hasn't played much of a role</a> in the war in Ukraine, assuming it's played any at all.</p><p>Analysts have said that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-lost-new-heavy-drone-over-ukraine-intelligence-win-west-2024-10">the loss of an S-70</a> would be a major blow for Russia and provide Ukraine and its Western partners, including the US, with a significant intelligence win.</p>

Ukraine keeps finding Western parts in Russia's weapons, this time in the wreckage of its new heavy Hunter drone

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Benedetto Vigna has been Ferrari's CEO since 2021, overseeing the company's transition to EVs.</li><li>His background is in tech, with previous experience as an executive at a semiconductor company.</li></ul><p>Ferrari's CEO would prefer if the company moved fast like its cars.</p><p>Since he assumed his chief executive role in 2021, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ferrari-ceo-tesla-wake-up-call-electric-cars-elon-musk-2023-2">Benedetto Vigna</a> introduced changes to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ferraris-history-2016-2">Ferrari</a> so the more than 80-year-old company could move with the speed of a tech startup as it ventured into the competitive space of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-byd-tesla-electric-car-ev-race-2023-11">electric vehicles</a>.</p><p>To do so, Vigna stripped away layers of bureaucracy, creating a flatter hierarchy inside the company, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/ferrari-cars-ceo-benedetto-vigna-416e76d9?mod=wknd_pos1">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported — a move <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/ferrari-cars-ceo-benedetto-vigna-416e76d9?mod=wknd_pos1">other CEOs</a> have been exploring to<strong> </strong>improve a company's performance or ability to innovate.</p><p>Previously, there were six levels of employees between the CEO and test drivers, for example. Now, there are three.</p><p>"When the environmental condition is changing at high speed, you need to have a team that is able to adapt at high speed," Vigna told the Journal.</p><p>Vigna's leadership approach stems from his long background in tech, according to the outlet.</p><p>A trained physicist, Vigna previously spent about 25 years at STMicroelectronics, a semiconductor company, where he started as an engineer and later became an executive, according to a press release from Ferrari.</p><p>At Ferrari, Vigna saw what he called a high "bureaucratic mass index," where employees were too far removed from the CEO, the Journal reported.</p><p>Vigna has previously expressed his desire for Ferrari to work faster and with less corporate bloat.</p><p>In a 2023 interview with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-24/how-ferrari-s-ceo-benedetto-vigna-stays-ahead-of-his-competition?embedded-checkout=true">Bloomberg</a>, Vigna said he believed that companies work more efficiently through smaller teams.</p><p>"In a big team you feel like a number," he told Bloomberg. "In a small team, you are a person that's contributing one way or another. Also, the speed of learning from mistakes is much faster."</p><p>So far, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-does-not-understand-ferrari-business-2017-10">Wall Street</a> has responded well to Vigna's arrival.</p><p>According to the Journal, the company stock price has nearly doubled since Vigna took control of the company.</p><p>Ferrari also plans to roll out its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ferrari-ceo-ev-wont-be-silent-like-tesla-car-2024-3">first electric car</a> by the end of 2025.</p><p>A spokesperson for Ferrari did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent during the weekend.</p>

Ferrari's CEO likes to run the luxury car company like a tech startup

<ul><li><strong>Tesla's plan to cut its use of silicon carbide sent some semiconductor stocks falling on Thursday.</strong></li><li><strong>Wolfspeed, ON Semiconductor, and STMicroelectronics use the rare earth metal to produce semiconductors.</strong></li><li><strong> Tesla said its next generation powertrain will use a magnet motor that uses 75% less silicon carbide.</strong></li></ul><p><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/tsla-stock">Tesla's</a> recent <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-master-plan-part-three-investor-day-elon-musk-2023-3">investor day revealed plans for the company</a> to significantly reduce its use of rare earth metals in its next generation vehicles, and that's dragging down a lot of stocks related to the sector.</p><p>Tesla said its next-gen powertrain will use a permanent magnet motor that will reduce its use of silicon carbide by 75%, enabling it to scale its vehicle production more efficiently. </p><p>"Silicon carbide is an amazing semiconductor, but it's also expensive and it's really hard to scale. So using less of it is a big win for us," Tesla's VP for powertrain engineering Colin Campbell said.</p><p>That development was digested as bad news by investors of <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/wolf-stock">Wolfspeed</a>, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/on-stock">ON Semiconductor</a>, and <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/stm-stock">STMicroelectronics</a>, all of which are semiconductor companies that produce chips with silicon carbide.</p><p>Shares of Wolfspeed fell as much as 14% on Thursday, while STMicroelectronics and On Semiconductor fell 7% and 8%, respectively. </p><p>But some investors are buying the dips in these semiconductor stocks as Tesla gave no timeline as to when its next-generation advancements will be implemented into its production process, and the company has a history of announcing future products but severely missing their production timeline <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-delays-cybertruck-production-2023-years-later-elon-musk-prediction-2022-1">(see: Cybertruck)</a>.</p><p>In defense of Wolfspeed, Roth MKM analyst Craig Irwin said in a note: "In our opinion, Tesla has a history of overstatement, so in all likelihood this claimed improvement in heat extraction accelerates industry adoption to WOLF's benefit." </p><p>Meanwhile, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/bac-stock">Bank of America</a> analyst Vivek Arya defended ON Semiconductor and argued that if Tesla's silicon carbide advancement does come to fruition, it could ultimately lead to a drop in silicon carbide prices and help accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles. Such a development could help ON Semiconductor offset a decline in volume via more electric vehicles. </p><p>Bank of America maintained its "Buy" rating on On Semiconductor with a $90 price target, while Roth MKM maintained its "Buy" rating and $95 price target for Wolfspeed. </p>

Tesla's plan to slash its use of rare-earth metals in future vehicle production sends semiconductor stocks tumbling

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna credited Tesla for accelerating progress in EV production. </li><li>Ferrari is an "emotional car" while Tesla is a "functional car," he said.</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-investors-growing-weary-of-elon-musks-twitter-antics-2023-1">Controversies</a> aside, no one can say that Tesla's CEO Elon Musk doesn't have a talent for getting things moving. And Tesla certainly got things moving for the electrification of the automotive industry, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna told <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-13/ferrari-ceo-moves-fast-like-musk-while-forging-own-path-on-evs-race?sref=LspfQlRv" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg</a>. </p><p>"The big contribution that Tesla has made to the automotive industry?" Vigna said in an interview published on February 13th. "It was a wake-up call. Things used to happen too slowly. Tesla shook up the industry and accelerated processes and decisions." </p><p>Vigna joined the luxury automaker as CEO in<a href="https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/corporate/articles/ferrari-appoints-benedetto-vigna-as-chief-executive-officer-corp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> September of 2021</a>, after working at semiconductor manufacturing corporation STMicroelectronics. </p><p>While Vigna credited Tesla for its agility, he also stressed the differences between a Tesla and a Ferrari. </p><p>"There are functional cars that have the goal of moving people from point A to point B, emitting zero carbon dioxide. You don't care about its brand; what really matters is that it moves you," he said. "Separately, there are emotional cars that give you a unique driving experience, like Ferraris." </p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ferraris-history-2016-2#the-team-raced-mostly-alfa-romeo-cars-by-1933-scuderia-ferrari-had-essentially-become-alfas-racing-division-5">Ferrari </a>plans to unveil its first full electric car<a href="https://cdn.ferrari.com/cms/network/media/pdf/Address-from-Chairman-and-CEO-2021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> in 2025</a>. While investing in electric cars, it will "keep offering a mix of technology for as long as it's feasible. That means internal combustion engines, hybrids and fully electric models," Vigna said. </p><p>The company unveiled its first ever SUV, the combustion engine powered <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ferrari-suv-purosangue-price-interior-lamborghini-urus-2022-9">Purosangue</a> — "thoroughbred" in Italian — in September of 2022. </p><p>As "functional" electric cars, to use Vigna's words, become more and more popular, luxury automakers like Ferrari are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/evs-electric-luxury-cars-lexus-genesis-mercedes-cadillac-polestar-lucid-2023-1#but-rolls-royce-wont-have-ultra-wealthy-buyers-all-to-itself-cadillac-is-readying-a-300000-ev-of-its-own-9">getting ready</a> to enter the market. </p><p>Rolls Royce is expected to roll out its first EV, the two-door <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rolls-royce-spectre-electric-car-price-release-date-range-2022-10">Spectre</a>, at around $400,000 in late 2023, while Cadillac will start production of its $300,000 <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cadillac-celestiq-electric-luxury-car-price-release-date-photos-range-2022-10">Celestiq</a> in December 2023.  </p>

Ferrari CEO says Tesla's success was a 'wake up call' for the auto industry

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Things are getting complicated for Apple when it comes to the chip sector. </li><li>Apple has long depended on China for manufacturing, but the relationship is getting complex. </li></ul><p>There's a bit of a storm whipping around the chip sector in Asia right now. That makes things complicated for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-china-vision-pro-mixed-reality-headset-supplier-supply-chain-2023-6">Apple</a>.</p><p>Apple has been banking on India to emerge as a new global chip hub to help it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-halts-made-in-taiwan-label-anger-china-pelosi-visit-2022-8">reduce dependency on China, </a>which Foxconn — a Taiwanese electronics giant and assembler of iPhones — helped turn into one of the world's most important manufacturing hubs for Apple.</p><p>Supply chain woes triggered during the pandemic by Beijing's persistent lockdowns, as well as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-china-tech-war-computer-chips-semiconductor-plants-costing-americans-2023-1">rising geopolitical tensions</a> thanks to China's hawkishness on Taiwan, have made the country an increasingly difficult one for Apple to tie its fortunes to, albeit one it is stuck with for some time.</p><p><a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=ed703b8c9b3a65c8bf15b51c0131e4ee145856d041dc19185c78403ec6d246c3&amp;postID=64ad36a5b854d531a11bc325&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fsupplier-responsibility%2Fpdf%2FApple-Supplier-List.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple's most recent supplier list</a> showed that around 150 of its suppliers, the vast majority, were located in China mainland during its 2022 fiscal year, while Chinese contract manufacturer Luxshare has been tasked with supporting the manufacturing of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-apple-described-vision-pro-mixed-reality-headset-2023-6">Apple's new Vision Pro headset. </a></p><p>But that isn't stopping Apple from thinking about production beyond China. Its <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=ed703b8c9b3a65c8bf15b51c0131e4ee145856d041dc19185c78403ec6d246c3&amp;postID=64ad36a5b854d531a11bc325&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fsupplier-responsibility%2Fpdf%2FApple-Supplier-List.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supplier list in India and Vietnam</a> collectively has slowly crept up in recent years — 39 in 2022 versus 18 in 2017 — while its list in China has seen a very gradual decline. </p><p>JP Morgan has previously estimated that as much as 25% of Apple's products could be made outside of China by 2025, up massively from the roughly 5% level it has hovered at since last year. </p><p>But unlike Vietnam, India has the economic might to pitch itself as a tech-manufacturing powerhouse with the heft to rival China – a role it no doubt relishes given its geopolitical battle with Beijing. </p><p>It's why <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ceo-tim-cook-ai-needs-to-be-carefully-deployed-2023-5">Apple CEO Tim Cook</a> spent some time in India in April, meeting Modi and building bridges with others such as Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit and billionaire tycoon Mukesh Ambani, who he was reported to have met in Mumbai. </p><p>Two recent developments suggest India's push to become a viable alternative to China — and benefit Apple — are mixed.</p><p>In a win for Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, the conglomerate <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-11/tata-group-closes-in-on-deal-to-become-first-indian-iphone-maker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tata Group is reportedly in the final stages of talks to purchase an Apple supplier factory for around $600 million. </a>If the deal goes ahead it would make it the first Indian company to move into local assembly of iPhones, Bloomberg reported. </p><p>The facility, which is in the southern Indian state of Karnataka and assembled the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/iphone-14-review">iPhone 14</a>, is run by Taiwanese manufacturer Wistron. </p><p>But elsewhere, Taiwanese iPhone manufacturer Foxconn <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/foxconn-pulls-out-india-chip-jv-with-vedanta-2023-07-10/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pulled the plug on its $19.5 billion-dollar joint venture with Indian conglomerate Vedanta</a> on Monday, per Reuters, giving no reason for its decision to axe the project one year after its signing.</p><p>"Foxconn has determined it will not move forward on the joint venture with Vedanta," Foxconn said in a statement to Reuters. </p><p>That's a critical blow to Modi, who set out chip manufacturing as a strategic part of his ambitions to level up India.</p><p>The joint venture was meant to take up residence in Modi's home state of Gujarat, while enticing the likes of Europe's STMicroelectronics, a semiconductor manufacturer, to play partner in the development of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chip-making-semiconductors-india-powerhouse-foxconn-vedanta-jv-setback-2023-7">a facility that could feasibly have put chips in everything from phones to cars.</a></p><p>Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal <a href="https://twitter.com/AnilAgarwal_Ved/status/1569574006302584837?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> that the joint venture meant "India's own Silicon Valley is a step closer now." That's a bit of a blowout now, and not just for Modi and Agarwal.</p><p>As much as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-needs-chinese-consumer-china-government-2022-12">Apple is tied to China</a> for now, it will desperately want India to prove itself capable of building a manufacturing capacity that makes it a dependable, long-term partner in due course.</p><p>Sure, the joint venture wasn't directly connected to Apple, but it's something that will likely be watched very closely in Cupertino as a litmus test of India's ability to take its technological ambitions to new heights. </p>

India's slow progress in becoming a chipmaking powerhouse to rival China is bad news for Apple

<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Stringer/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Apple suppliers and other technology stocks slumped, triggered by Apple's shock sales warning.</p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Shares in major suppliers for Apple are taking a hammering Thursday after the tech giant announced a shock slowdown.</strong></li><li><strong>Companies which produce microchips, sensors, and accessories for the California company are nursing major losses.</strong></li><li><strong>AMS, an Austrian firm which produces facial recognition sensors used in the iPhone X, has lost 17% and is the biggest faller on the Stoxx Europe 600 index of major European companies.</strong></li><li><strong>Apple's shares are down 7.7% in premarket trading. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/aapl-stock">You can follow live at Markets Insider.</a></strong></li></ul><p>Shares in major suppliers for Apple are taking a hammering Thursday after the tech giant warned that it expects revenues to be as much as $9 billion lower than previously forecast in the first quarter of the year.</p><p><span><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/aapl-stock">Apple's stock is down around 7.7% in premarket trading</a>, or more than $56 billion in market capitalization. The news also dragged shares of a whole host of companies which manufacture components for Apple devices such as iPhone and iPad, many of whom rely on the California company for a significant proportion of their revenues. </span></p><p><strong>Here's a snapshot of the carnage as of around 10.30 a.m. GMT (5.30 a.m. ET):</strong></p><ul><li><strong>AMS, </strong>an Austrian firm which produces facial recognition sensors used in the iPhone X, has lost 17% and is the biggest faller on the Stoxx 600 index of major European companies.</li><li>The Switzerland headquartered<strong> STMicroelectronics, </strong>which builds imaging and proximity sensor products used in Apple's iPhone X, is 9.2% lower Thursday.</li><li><strong>Dialog Semiconductor, </strong>a UK-based semiconductor maker with an exclusive contract to make power management circuits for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch has seen its Frankfurt-listed shares fall 8%.</li><li><strong>Germany's Infineon Technologies, </strong>which makes chips for the iPad, has dropped around 4.8%.</li><li><strong>Logitech, </strong>the Swiss tech accessory maker has lost 4%. It supplies accessories sold in Apple retail stores including chargers, mice, and keyboards.</li><li>In the US, <strong>Advanced Micro Devices</strong>, a semiconductor company in California, slumped 3% in premarket trading. <span>So-called <strong>FAANG</strong> peers (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google) also slumped at least 1% each. <strong>Microsoft</strong> is down 2.1%. </span></li><li><span>Hong Kong-listed Apple suppliers <strong>AAC Technologies</strong> fell 5.4% and <strong>Sunny Optical</strong> plunged 6.8%</span></li></ul><p><span>Apple <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook-trump-tariffs-china-trade-war-apple-iphone-sales-2019-1?r=US&amp;IR=T">cited a slowdown in China </a>exacerbated by President Trump's trade war, the strong US dollar, and reduced battery replacement prices as reasons for its revenue slowdown. The company estimates that revenue for the first fiscal quarter would come in around 7.6% lower than a previously expected $84 billion. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-q4-2018-earnings-iphone-sales-revenue-eps-analysis-2018-11">The original guidance called</a> for revenues between $89 billion and $93 billion.</span></p><p>Away from Apple suppliers, financial markets in general have been hit by news of Apple's weaker than expected performance, with major share indexes around the world losing ground in the European morning.</p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Microsoft stock price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/MSFT-Quote"> here.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-switch-android-google-pixel-3-xl-apple-2018-11">I'm a diehard iPhone user who switched to Android for a week - here's what I loved and hated about the Google Pixel 3 XL</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Technology suppliers are getting pounded after Apple's shock warnings about a China slowdown

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> on Wednesday revealed a key piece of hardware for Kuiper, its planned fleet of thousands of internet-beaming satellites.</li><li>Called a phased-array antenna, the device is the crucial component of a consumer terminal: a device that connects subscribers to the web via overflying Kuiper satellites.</li><li>While <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-fundraising-double-valuation-january-2021-starship-rockets-starlink-satellites-2020-12">SpaceX</a> is years ahead of Amazon in deploying and testing its own satellite-internet fleet, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-internet-rdof-fcc-subsidy-locations-blocks-maps-2020-12">called Starlink</a>, the new antenna is nevertheless an important advancement.</li><li>The prototype Kuiper antenna is about a foot in diameter, or 34% the size of Starlink's similar antenna. This might make it cheaper to manufacture and easier to install.</li></ul><p>Tech giant Amazon this week unveiled what it called a "breakthrough" in satellite-internet technology for consumers that, one day, might give SpaceX a run for its money.</p><p>Amazon, founded by Jeff Bezos, is in the midst of a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-kuiper-fcc-authorization-satellite-internet-10-billion-dollar-investement-2020-7">$10 billion, FCC-licensed effort</a> called Kuiper. The goal is to launch 3,236 communications satellites into orbits that tightly hug Earth and provided high-speed, low-lag <keyword id="6357247" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Internet">internet</keyword> service to "tens of millions of underserved or unserved" customers, Dave Limp, Amazon's senior vice president of device and services, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LHKyqTbHZo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told TechCrunch</a> during its Space 2020 virtual conference on Wednesday.</p><p>The company's key development, staff wrote in <a href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/innovation-at-amazon/amazon-marks-breakthrough-in-project-kuiper-development" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an Amazon blog post</a> published the same day, was a shrinking of a phased-array antenna that can track and relay data to satellites flying overhead. That small form factor - about 30 centimeters (12 inches) in diameter - allowed Amazon to produce a compact, lightweight, and yet highly effective consumer terminal, or satellite dish, the company said.</p><p>"It's basically the size of a 33 LP [record]," Limp told TechCrunch, yet can achieve 400 Megabits per second transfer speed (Mbps), which is plenty of bandwidth to power a data-hungry household. "We've never seen anybody even close to that using the kind of bandwidth and spectrum that we are."</p><p>Limp noted the consumer terminal, which includes vital <keyword id="6380512" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="electronics">electronics</keyword> other than the antenna, will not cost about $10,000 - a typical price paid to put high-techs satellite dishes on ships and aircraft. Instead, Amazon is looking for a "five to 10" times decrease in cost, Limp said, adding "we now have a path to that" with the new antenna design.</p><p>"I don't know what the end-customer pricing will be. We'll probably make that decision that day before we launch -that's typically Amazon's pricing strategy," he said.</p><h2>Amazon's compact answer to SpaceX's growing satellite network</h2><div type="image" title="spacex starlink user terminal phased array consumer satellite internet dish antenna ufo on a stick roof los angeles california website" height="1457" width="1942" msid="79783782" hostid="261"></div><p>No Kuiper spacecraft has yet flown to orbit, putting Amazon years behind in competing with SpaceX. Elon Musk's aerospace company has already launched <a href="https://planet4589.org/space/stats/megacon/starbad.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nearly 900 operational Starlink satellites</a> and is rocketing about 60 new spacecraft into orbit every three weeks. It also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-internet-ector-county-independent-school-district-agreement-2020-11">kicked off a public beta test this fall</a>.</p><p>Still, Amazon's creation of a compact consumer antenna that can track and communicate with Kuiper satellites flying overhead at roughly 15,000 mph is a major step forward. Such devices are highly complex and typically very expensive. Millions may need to be manufactured <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-terminal-cost-subscriber-numbers-years-return-investment-profit-2020-11">in order to close the business case</a> of a Kuiper, Starlink, and other <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/earth-moon-distance-edge-of-outer-space-2018-5">low-Earth orbit</a> satellite constellation - high-stakes projects which, historically, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-spacex-amazon-new-satellite-internet-services-will-change-earth-2020-3">have all gone bankrupt</a>.</p><p>Recent reporting by Business Insider suggests SpaceX is paying device manufacturer STMicroelectronics <a href="https://www.st.com/">about $2,400 per Starlink user terminal</a>. Given Starlink's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-public-beta-how-to-join-price-cost-subscription-2020-10">$499 one-time fee</a> for a starter kit, which includes the terminal and other gear, it's likely SpaceX will have to make up the difference in monthly service charges <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-terminal-cost-subscriber-numbers-years-return-investment-profit-2020-11">over many years to break even</a>. </p><p>Amazon says its terminal's relatively diminutive size is a big advantage for cost and convenience. Nima Mahanfar, the senior manager of Kuiper's hardware and antenna development, said in a Q&amp;A provided to Business Insider that the biggest challenge was cramming many tiny antennas onto one circuit board without it making too complex or causing performance and power issues.</p><p>"Our objective was to ensure our antenna was mass producible by mainstream circuit board manufacturers, allowing us to take advantage of economies of scale and produce millions at low cost. We had to keep our design as simple as possible to satisfy this objective," she said.</p><p>An animation posted by the company on Wednesday, above, suggests Mahanfar and others figured out a way to do that.</p><p>"The team was able to do, in a clever way, overlay Rx and Tx - receive and send - in the same lattice. And by doing that, we were able to shrink down the size of antenna, reuse components and bring cost down," Limp said. But he added "the cleverness didn't stop there," as the team also modified its satellite antennas in such a way to further reduce terminal cost.</p><p>The animation compares the Kuiper phased-array antenna to a "legacy" model, though Amazon does not specify which older device its referring to.</p><p>In any case, the measurements jibe with Starlink's terminal's antenna. In a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOmdQnIlnRo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video posted on YouTube last month</a>, engineer Ken Keiter tore apart SpaceX's terminal model to study its internal components. Keiter measured the internal antenna's longest diameter as 54 centimeters (21.3 inches) and its shortest as 50 centimeters (19.7 inches).</p><div type="image" title="spacex starlink satellite dish user terminal dishy phased array antenna pcb measurement dissection teardown engineer ken keiter youtube 1" height="1125" width="1500" msid="79783784" hostid="261"></div><p>The average between the two is 52 centimeters (20.4 inches), which is the number Amazon compares to in its graphics and animation.</p><p>Amazon's antenna prototype comes out to an area of roughly 730 square centimeters, versus a SpaceX's 2,100 square centimeters, making the Kuiper antenna about 34% the size of the Starlink antenna.</p><p>Still, Mahanfar says major design challenges have yet to be solved with its satellite components, and that Amazon is looking to staff up with creative engineers who can help.</p><p>"Solving power challenges in space is hard, and dissipating the heat from that power is even harder. There's no air to cool it. So having a low-power system that can provide many gigabytes of service to customers is key," she said. "How can we reduce the power consumption of these space-borne phased arrays? That's one of the other big challenges facing anyone deploying phased array antennas in low earth orbit."</p><h2>'If somebody has a rocket out there, give us a call'</h2><div type="image" title="new glenn rocket launch flight moon earth illustration blue origin" height="1142" width="2000" msid="79783790" hostid="261"></div><p>In order for Kuiper to remain licensed by the FCC, Amazon has to launch at least half of its 3,236 satellites within the next six years.</p><p>We asked Amazon if the company plans to use New Glenn, a forthcoming partly reusable rocket system being developed by Blue Origin (a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-jeff-bezos-space-mars-colonies-spacex-blue-origin-2019-6">space company founded by Bezos in 2000</a>), to truck those spacecraft to orbit.</p><p>"We're exploring all options at the moment," an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider in an email.</p><p>Limp said Kuiper satellites are "launch agnostic," telling TechCrunch that "if somebody has a rocket out there, give us a call."</p><p>His cordiality also extended to the question of Kuiper competing with Starlink and essentially wished SpaceX the best of luck.</p><p>"No one constellation is going to serve the number of unserved people out there today. And by the way, we also need really successful 5G networks, and we need really successful [coaxial] networks," Limp told TechCrunch.</p><p>He added: "Amazon and our customers benefit from a better internet, and we will be one part of that, but I hope there are a dozen other constellations that do it safely and reliably."</p>

Amazon unveiled a 'breakthrough' Kuiper satellite-internet dish antenna that's 1/3 the size of SpaceX's Starlink device

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>YouTube/MKBHD</span></p><p class="caption">Apple's iPhone X.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Apple will only be able to ship between 2-3 million iPhone X units at launch, says KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.</strong></li><li><strong>If true, this means there will not be many iPhone X units in any individual market because it is launching in 56 countries.</strong></li><li><strong>For Apple fans, this means that it's going to be especially difficult to get one on the first few days it's available.</strong></li><li><strong>For investors, this means that some sales that would typically fall in the December quarter may spill into 2018 because of the lack of supply. </strong></li></ul><p>Apple's iPhone X will be in short supply when it launches in November, with only 2-3 million units shipping before launch, the KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in a research note on Thursday. </p><p>The iPhone X, the most advanced and expensive iPhone at $999, goes up for preorder on October 27 and hits stores on November 3 in 56 countries.</p><p><a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2014/09/15Apple-Announces-Record-Pre-orders-for-iPhone-6-iPhone-6-Plus-Top-Four-Million-in-First-24-Hours/">The last time Apple announced</a> preorder numbers for its most advanced phone, in 2014, it said it saw 4 million preorders in the first 24 hours - so the iPhone X is going to be very hard to find at launch.</p><p>But Kuo, who is tapped into Apple's Asian supply chain, says the worst production issues will be over soon. Still, KGI Securities cut its forecast for fourth quarter shipments even further, to 25-30 million units, down from 30-35 million units. </p><p>Kuo's note, seen by Business Insider, also goes into some detail about what's causing the delays. He attributes it mainly to a shortage of three different components with the production of certain circuit boards being the biggest hurdle. </p><p>Kuo believes one supplier of the iPhone X antenna circuit board, Murata, hasn't been able to make the part to Apple's specification, and has been replaced by a second supplier, Taiwan's Career Tech. </p><p>Kuo also points to a wide-angle camera module that also is seeing a supply shortage.</p><p>Finally, the note touches on the True Depth camera issue that had been <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-iphone-x-production-woe-sparked-by-juliet-and-her-romeo-1506510189">previously reported by The Wall Street Journal</a>. "We believe the previous design issues of the dot projector sometimes being unable to recognize human faces has been resolved after active alignments or environmental tests were addressed," Kuo wrote. </p><h2>Catching up </h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Steve Kovach/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>For Apple fans who want the iPhone X as soon as it comes out, this is not good news - you're either going to need to get lucky at pre-order time or line up at a <keyword id="6354851" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Retail">retail</keyword> store to secure an iPhone X first day. </p><p>But for investors, this may simply push the "super cycle" boom of iPhone sales one quarter later. </p><p>For example, Canada's largest wireless carrier <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-8-demand-canada-rogers-anemic-transcript-2017-10">said</a> that it didn't know how much iPhone X inventory it would have at launch.</p><p>"The question will be is how much of the iPhone X activity happens in Q4 versus Q1 of next year, and we will kind of be prepared for either overall," he continued.</p><p>Kuo believes shipments of iPhone X could show 50% quarter-over-quarter growth in the first quarter of 2018. </p><p>Brian White, an analyst at Drexel Hamilton,<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-stock-price-impact-iphone-x-launch-2017-10"> remains bullish,</a> saying this week to "buy into the iPhone 8 gloom and doom ahead of the iPhone X."</p><p>"This morning, Apple's stock is weak on the back of media reports around order cuts for the iPhone 8/8 Plus," he wrote in a note distributed to clients. "We would be aggressive buyers of the stock with the iPhone X cycle kicking off next Friday with pre-orders."</p><p>Kuo agrees, and says that "any share corrections on revised-down [fourth-quarter] results should be regarded as a good entry point," especially for Apple's suppliers including Hon Hai, TSMC, Largan, Win Semi, XinTec, Tong Hsing Electronic, Lumentum, IQU, Viavi, LG Innotek, AMS, STMicroelectronics and Himax. </p><p><a href="http://investor.apple.com/">Apple reports quarterly earnings</a> on November 2, so perhaps it will give some insight into iPhone X pre-order volume and supply then. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-smartphones-apple-iphone-android-google-pixel-samsung-s8-note82017-9">Here are the best smartphones you can buy right now</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Apple will have only 3 million iPhone X units when it launches - good luck finding one

<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>"We believe that another industry correction has begun and that this correction will be seen more broadly across the industry in the near future."</strong></p>
<p>In an <a href="http://www.microchip.com/investor/Pressrelease/Microchip%20Announces%20Preliminary%20Net%20Sales%20for%20Q2FY15.100914.pdf">announcement</a> on Thursday night, Microchip president and CEO Steve Sanghi sounded the alarm for the semiconductor industry with the above quote, and on Friday shares of Microchip and the whole sector are getting crushed.</p>
<p>In afternoon trade on Friday, Microchip shares were down 11%, while the SMH ETF that tracks the semiconductor sector was down about 5%. </p>
<p>Microchip, with a market cap of $8 billion, is a good-sized company, but its warning is impacting companies as large Intel, which has a market cap of over $160 billion and was down as much as 4% on Friday.</p>
<p>Other semiconductor and tech companies under pressure on Friday include Texas Instruments (-7%), Micron (-7%), Analog Devices (-5%), Freescale Semiconductors (-10%), and STMicroelectronics (-4%).</p>
<p>The tech-heavy Nasdaq was also feeling the heat on Friday, falling about 0.5% as the semiconductor warning, as well as the steep drop in Tesla shares, weighed on the index.</p>
<p>Microchip said that in the second quarter it expects revenue to come in at about $546.2 million, below the $560-$575.9 million the company <a href="http://www.microchip.com/investor/Pressrelease/MCHP%20Announces%20Q1FY15%20Financial%20Results.073114.pdf">previously expected</a>.</p>
<p>Additionally, Thursday's guidance includes $16.9 million in sales from its recent ISSC acquisition, down from expectations for $18 million in July. </p>
<p><strong>"Microchip often sees the turn of the industry ahead of others in the semiconductor industry,"</strong> Sanghi said.</p>
<p>"First, in contrast to many others in the industry, we report sales from distribution on a sell-through basis worldwide. We built a significant amount of inventory in the distribution channel in the September quarter. If like many others in the industry, we recognized sales on a sell-in basis to our distributors, our sales would been significantly higher for the September quarter."</p>
<p>So basically Sanghi is saying that revenue is going to decline for its competitors, too, but that this might show up on a delay given how they do their accounting. </p>
<p>Sanghi also said that the revenue miss for the second quarter was led by China where the September quarter is "traditionally the strongest." </p>
<p>Sanghi said Microchip is currently reducing production levels and that during industry corrections, sequential growth - or growth in consecutive quarters - typically returns after two quarters and the company expects the same this time. </p>
<p>Here's the ugly intraday chart of Microchip, which basically fell off a cliff at the open and hasn't recovered. </p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>

It Took Just One Sentence From A Semiconductor CEO To Send Tech Stocks Into Free Fall

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Stocks finished lower on Friday as tech stocks led the market lower after an ominous warning from one CEO in the semiconductor industry weighed on the sector. Tesla shares also put the Nasdaq under pressure, while the Dow and S&amp;P 500 were mixed for most of the day before tumbling late in the day to close near session lows. Stocks had a tough and volatile week, with all major indexes falling more than 2%.</p>
<p>First, the scoreboard:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Dow:</strong> 16,564.6, -111, (-0.6%)</li>
<li><strong>S&amp;P 500:</strong> 1,907.7, -21, (-1%)</li>
<li><strong>Nasdaq:</strong> 4,279.6, -102, (-2.2%)</li>
</ul>
<p>And now, the top stories on Friday:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">1. Microchip CEO Steve Sanghi <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microchip-revenue-warning-october-10-2014-10">sounded the alarm</a> on the semiconductor space, saying that another "industry correction" is coming to semiconductors. "We believe that another industry correction has begun and that this correction will be seen more broadly across the industry in the near future," Sanghi said. Shares of Microchip lost more than 11% on Friday, and a number of its peers including Micron, STMicroelectronics, and Freescale Semiconductors all lost more than 5% on Friday.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">2. In a note to clients following Sanghi's comments, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/semiconductor-inventory-correction-explained-2014-10">analysts at Citi explained</a> just what an "industry" or "inventory" correction means for semiconductor companies. "In semiconductor speak, an inventory correction occurs whenever demand drops off for a moderate period of time and can occur during economic expansion or contraction," wrote Citi analysts David Phipps and Ashish Nair. "Inventory corrections typically last 2-3 quarters with a step-down in demand and reduced visibility. The economic impacts are lower sales and margins. Semiconductor company marginal revenue dollar has about a 50% translation into EBITDA." So, something to keep in mind as we head into earnings season.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">3. Electric carmaker Tesla was another big loser on Friday, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-shares-fall-oct-10-2014-10">falling</a> more than 8% after <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-is-about-to-reveal-the-tesla-d-2014-10">announcing</a> a new all-wheel drive model on Thursday night. Tesla shares fell a bit victim to the old adage of "sell the news," as Thursday's announcement was teased in a much-hyped tweet from CEO Elon Musk about two weeks ago. </p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">4. Shares of GT Advanced fell more than 30% to about $0.80 after <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gt-advanced-to-wind-down-operations-2014-10">reports indicated</a> that the company said it has sought court approval to wind down its sapphire operations. GT Advanced, which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gt-advanced-files-for-bankruptcy-2014-10">filed for bankruptcy</a> earlier this week, had signed a sapphire supply agreement with Apple last year.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">5. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jamie-dimon-speaks-at-iif-meeting-2014-10">spoke publicly</a> for the first time since announcing that he was diagnosed with throat cancer back in July. Dimon spoke on a panel at the Institute of International Finance in Washington, D.C. today, appearing with CEO peers Brian Moynihan, James Gorman, and Anshu Jain, from Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and Deutsche Bank, respectively. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jamie-dimon-speaks-at-iif-meeting-2014-10">Business Insider's Shane Ferro has the full recap here.</a></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">6. The Russian ruble <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-ruble-is-getting-crushed-again-2014-10">fell again</a> against the dollar, bringing the currency's losses to more than 17% since the end of June. </p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">7. Alpha Pro Tech, which makes protective face masks and other protective gear, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alpha-pro-tech-surges-2014-10">rose more than 40%</a> on Friday as it became just the latest peripheral way that investors have trading around news regarding the Ebola breakout. Lakeland Industries, which makes hazmat suits, has rallied hard over the last month, which drug companies like Tekmira and Chimerix remain active.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">8. S&amp;P<a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/102077802"> cut its outlook</a> for France to negative from stable, citing concerns about the country's economy and the government's budgetary situation. France was last downgraded by S&amp;P in November 2013.</p>

MARKETS CRUMBLE AGAIN, TECH STOCKS GET CRUSHED: Here's What You Need To Know

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>There's a lot of pressure on Apple's next iPhone to deliver, both in product quality and sales. </p><p>Chatter from Apple's factories in Asia point to a completely redesigned iPhone coming out this fall, possibly with a better screen, longer battery life, and a $1,000 price tag.</p><p>But perhaps the most interesting feature currently rumored for the so-called "iPhone 8" is a new "3D" camera. </p><p>The 3D camera would be the first step towards a technology called "augmented reality," which integrates the internet with the real world. It's a technology Apple CEO Tim Cook is fond of talking about in public. </p><p>In fact, earlier this year, he said it could "be as big as the smartphone," a technology that accounts for two-thirds of Apple's sales. Apple has bought several augmented reality startups, including FlyBy Media and Metaio, and has integrated some of them into a special projects camera group, Business Insider previously reported. </p><p>The ultimate goal is for augmented reality to inject computer graphics and important information into everyday situations - imagine raising your phone on the street and seeing directions to your next appointment, or a Pokemon hiding behind a bush.</p><p>A 3D camera would allow the device to see how far away things are from it, which is critical for placing computer graphics in the real world in a way that they integrate seamlessly. </p><p>Eventually, a pair of smart glasses might replace your phone altogether to seamlessly integrate graphics and the real world.</p><p>Apple never publicly comments on future products. But over the past few weeks, several Wall Street analysts have shared what they think they know about Apple's new "3D camera," and what it could mean for Apple investors and future Apple products - especially the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-8-3d-camera-could-reinvent-the-user-experience-kgi-securities-2017-2">high-end iPhone expected to launch this fall</a> and likely to include the rumored 3D camera. </p><h2>Steven Milunovich, UBS </h2><p>UBS' Apple analyst wrote that "investors could be surprised at how AR could reinvigorate the iPhone/iPad and possibly result in new products" in a February 28 note in which he writes that Apple has 1000 engineers working on "a project in Israel that could be related to AR."</p><p>He writes that Apple has an advantage over companies like Magic Leap, Google, and Microsoft for AR for four reasons:</p><div title="Page 1"><ol><li>"hardware expertise and superior hardware/software integration;</li><li>consistent updated releases with most customers on the latest version of iOS compared with the fragmented Android OS base;</li><li> an installed base of iPhone and iPad customers that can use AR rather than starting from scratch; and</li><li> a cloud infrastructure that facilitates data gathering."</li></ol><p>Milunovich also writes that "Apple's experience designing its own chips could present an opportunity."</p><p>Here's how he sees Apple's potential AR timeline:</p></div><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p> </p><div title="Page 1"><p>In the short term, <span>Milunovich</span> believes Apple may integrate facial recognition and early developer tools for "basic AR experiences" into the next version of the iPhone or iPad, and that the features could improve retention rates and upgrade rates. </p><h2>Andrew Gardiner and team, Barclays</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Gardiner's research note, dated February 22, focuses more on the specific hardware that Apple could introduce with upcoming versions of the iPhone or iPad, citing "research into the supply chain."</p><p>"Comments from a number of optical and light sensing component companies over the last quarter or two have reignited discussion of the additional functionality to come in smartphones, in particular the so-called iPhone 8/X/Pro flagship device," Gardiner wrote.</p><p>Gardiner spends a lot of time identifying which companies make the parts that go into the iPhone and which ones could stand to gain from a next-generation "3D camera." </p><p>He believes chipmakers like AMS, STMicroelectronics, Lumentum, and II-VI may be big winners as Apple includes a 3D sensor in 10s of millions of iPhones. A source familiar with Lumentum's business previously told Business Insider that the company would be supplying parts for the upcoming iPhone. </p><p>Ultimately, the big question for Gardiner is whether Apple will use a time-of-flight sensor or structured light sensor. He thinks Apple will use a combination of the two. Above is the chart he uses to explain the difference between the two.</p><p>Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages, Gardiner writes. Apple currently includes a "time-of-flight" sensor in current iPhones. </p><h2>Morgan Stanley </h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Morgan Stanley's research looks more broadly at 3D sensing technology, and not necessarily Apple's interest in it. They write that 3D sensing will initially be limited to high-end smartphones, of which Apple makes up 70%-75% of the market. </p><p>The report looks at how 3D sensing works and which parts are generally needed: a light source, controlling optics, an image sensor, and a firmware chip. </p><p>They include a diagram courtesy of Primesense, an Israeli company that Apple bought in 2013. </p><p>Morgan Stanley cites AMS, a current Apple supplier, for potential applications for this technology, including "augmented reality and virtual reality, gesture, face recognition biometrics, improved 2D and video images, body measurement as well as autonomous driving."</p><p>But Morgan Stanley questions the consumer appeal of AR and the viability of the requisite 3D camera technology, including whether most smartphones will have the necessary horsepower to do get the job done. Many people in the AR industry have told me that the power consumption and heat generated by processors are critical roadblocks. And it's not a given that the initial games and other AR experiences will click with consumers. <span>Pokemon Go, an early AR app that had huge engagement, saw a sharp drop in usage after the initial novelty wore off.</span></p><p> </p><h2>Ming-Chi Kuo, KGI Securities</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In two notes issued in February, Kuo, widely seen as the top expert on Apple's supply chain, laid out everything he's hearing about Apple's 3D sensor, which he says is the result of "1-2 years spent on related-component R&amp;D."</p><p>He believes that the 3D camera on the upcoming phone will actually take the place of the front sensor, and will be composed of three modules.</p><p>The application for this 3D camera is a "innovative user experience."</p><p>"3D modeling offers a wide array of potential applications, for example replacing the head of a character in a 3D game with a user's selfie (which contains 3D data), or using a 3D selfie (with depth information, unlike an existing 2D image) for AR/ MR applications," Kuo wrote. </p><p>In a previous note dated November 1, 2016, Kuo explained how he believes this fits in with Apple's product plans (emphasis ours):</p><div title="Page 1"><div><div><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>AR is related to all Apple's current businesses; the key is that AR is an innovative human-machine interface that could be used in various devices &amp; applications. </strong><span><strong>All of Apple's past successes were related to human-machine interfaces, such as mouse for Mac, click wheel for iPod, and multi-touch for iPhone and iPad.</strong> Assuming Apple successfully develops AR, we predict the firm will enjoy the following competitive advantages: (1) redefining existing key products and leading competitors by three to five years. For instance, this could happen for iPhone, iPad and Mac; (2) eliminating obstacles of Apple Watch and Apple TV by offering an innovative user experience; and (3) entering new business fields, such as autonomous driving system. We expect Apple to generate preliminary results for AR in the next 1-2 years at the earliest and working with iPhone may be the first step. </span></p></div></div></div><p>Above is a diagram from a February 20 note explaining what sources he thinks will supply parts for the iPhone camera - largely lining up with the Barclays research. </p><h2>Tim Cook, Apple CEO </h2></div><p>But the biggest hints about Apple's augmented reality ambitions may come from its CEO himself. Here are the takeaways from his comments:</p><ul><li>He thinks that it could be a huge market opportunity: "I regard it as a big idea like the smartphone. The smartphone is for everyone. We don't have to think the iPhone is about a certain demographic, or country or vertical market; it's for everyone." <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/apple-tim-cook-boss-brexit-uk-theresa-may-number-10-interview-ustwo-a7574086.html">Independent, February 2017 </a></li><li>But it may take a while to come to fruition: "AR is going to take a while, because there are some really hard technology challenges there." <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook-playbook-for-apples-next-big-thing-2016-11">Public speech, October 2016</a></li><li>First, Apple will integrate it into its existing platforms: "It will be enabled in the operating systems first, because it's a precursor for that to happen for there to be mass adoption of it." <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook-playbook-for-apples-next-big-thing-2016-11">Public speech, October 2016</a></li><li>Almost like a processor, not necessarily a standalone product: "It's a core technology, not a product per se."</li><li>But when it does happen, he says it will be "profound": "Augmented reality will take some time to get right, but I do think that it's profound. We might … have a more productive conversation, if both of us have an AR experience standing here, right?" <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/johnpaczkowski/apple-ceo-tim-cook-on-virtual-reality-theres-no-substitute-f?utm_term=.ncRBVJk26W#.jwJgedn37R">Buzzfeed, October 2016</a></li></ul>  <p class="tagline"><div id="categorypromo" style="border:1px solid silver; min-height:90px; padding:10px;vertical-align:top;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/25-big-tech-predictions-for-2016?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=ctgr&amp;utm_term=ctgr_leadgen_2016-predictions&amp;utm_content=iphone_ctgr_leadgen_2016-predictions&amp;utm_campaign=iphone_ctgr_leadgen_2016-predictions"></a><strong> EXCLUSIVE FREE REPORT:</strong><br />25 Big Tech Predictions by BI Intelligence. <strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/25-big-tech-predictions-for-2016?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=ctgr&amp;utm_term=ctgr_leadgen_2016-predictions&amp;utm_content=iphone_ctgr_leadgen_2016-predictions&amp;utm_campaign=iphone_ctgr_leadgen_2016-predictions">Get the Report Now »</a></strong></div></p>

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