This week U.S. Department of Energy released two new reports that manufacturers might want to check out over the weekend. The first is pricing and efficacy trend analysis for utility program planning, and the second is a subjective evaluation of LED PAR38 lamps. As Apple signs a long term agreement with GTAT for sapphire substrate production, Chinese manufacturers are also eager to grab a share. Also this week, Beijing court rulings give Nichia an upper hand in its patent wars with Everlight. For further details please see below:

Editor recommendations

1. GT Advanced Technologies Signs Multi-Year Sapphire Materials Agreement with Apple  
2. Chinese Manufacturers Lose Their Cool Over Apple’s Massive Sapphire Substrate Investment  
3. LED Industry Continues Upward Climb in Nov.
4. DOE Publishes New CALiPER Report on Subjective Evaluation of LED PAR38 Lamps  
5. DOE Publishes Pricing and Efficacy Trend Analysis for Utility Program Planning   

What’s trending?

1. Will LEDs be the End of Nuclear Power Plants?   
2. Low Price Trend Leads to Surge in Package Free Technology   
3. Research Finds Hospital Lighting Can Affect Patients Mood, Pain
4. LiFi Smartphone Prototype Explores New Internet Commercial Paths   
5. Organic Lights and Solar Cells Straight from the Printer   
6. Efficiently Dim Your LED Without a Sense Resistor   

Industry news

1. Panasonic Ends Production of Plasma Display Panels  
2. San’an Secures Leadership Position in Chinese LED Market   
3. Everlight Flash LED Breaks Into Japanese Smartphone Supply Chain   
4. Everlight Responds to Chinese Court Verdict on Nichia's Patents  
5. Beijing First Intermediate People's Court Rules Nichia YAG Patents Valid
6. Japanese IP High Court Revokes Invalidation of Universal Display Phosphorescent OLED Patent   
7. Universal Display Corp. Announces 3Q13 Financial Results   
8. Leotek Aims for Larger Market Share in Taiwan with Tunable Color LED Bulbs
9. New iPad Air Has More Costly Display Despite Fewer LEDs      
10. Samsung to Launch Foldable Phones by 2015  
11. Epistar Faces Deficit in 3Q   
12. Ledtech Adds New South American Client   
13. QEOS™ To Enter Advanced LED Lighting System Development and Market   
14. Taiwan LED Manufacturers Present Green Lighting Solutions at Indo LED & Lighting Expo in Jakarta   
15. New Innovation in Curved OLED Screens Could Revolutionize Wearable Devices   

New products

1. Philips Lumileds and Intematix Develop Remote Phosphor LED Lighting Module   
2. Osram Sylvania Expands Ultra LED Lighting Portfolio   
3. SYLVANIA Automotive Lighting Introduces New High Performance LED Line   
4. Philips Lumileds Sets UV LED Standard with Industry’s Smallest High-Power UV Emitter  
5. Everlight Introduces Smallest RGB LED Package Product   
6. TI Floating Switch Architecture Transforms Offline LED Drive Design   
7. GE Lighting Releases New LED Light-Bulb as Part of the GE reveal Brand   
8. Panasonic Hospitality LED HDTVs Recognized as Most Efficient of ENERGY STAR® 2013 Products    
9. Xiamen-based Leedarson Lighting Presents New Product Line G-one on the 15th Hong Kong International Lighting Fair     
10. Fotodiox Announces High-Intensity LED Series for Still and Video Lighting
11. First Bluetooth-Controlled Smart LED Lighting Strip Launched By LumaGlo   
12. USHIO Introduces LED Fiber-Optic Illuminator   

Interesting applications

1. Researchers Use OLED Technology to Cultivate Algae at IDW   
2. Osram Illuminates Art-Historically Outstanding Works with a New LED Solution   
3. OLED Glasses Brings Sight to the Blind   
4. LED Light Display Breathes Life Back Into Small Finnish Town