The Chinese central government’s policy of clamping down on local government subsidies in early December is expected to affect the LED industry subsidies too. LED industry insiders project the new policy will restore order to the overtly competitive Chinese LED market by edging out uncompetitive LED chip manufacturers. LEDinside has also released a series of reports this week that recap some of the major events and trends in the LED industry in 2014. For more please see below:

As 2014 comes to an end, a lot of Chinese LED manufacturers have found it increasingly difficult to survive. One Chinese manufacturer has even taken desperate measures to clear out inventory to repay debts by selling LED bulbs at less than US $1 per kilogram. Market rumors have also surfaced about Epistar’s acquisition of a major Samsung backlight order.

This week, LEDinside releases top 10 market trends to look out for in 2015. LG has decided to stick to OLED technology through thick and thin, and has established a new division dedicated to manufacturing OLED panels. Harvatek counterattacks Cree by filing a patent lawsuit against the leading U.S. manufacturer in court. In China, there are rising cases of people selling counterfeited luminaires, and CEOs on the run as companies become deeply indebted. For more please see below:

Another Chinese LED manufacturer has gone missing and we're not surprised. In fact, LED industry has underwent massive restructuring during past months. Moreover, overall market demands in 4Q is fairly low, with Epistar, Lextar, SemiLEDs and other major manufacturers reported sliding revenues. Asian manufacturers have taken their own paths to confront the tide of change. Meanwhile in U.S.,Cree reported impacted by price war strategies.

This week Zigbee announced a new wireless standard for smart devices, while Hubbell Building Automation becomes the latest member to join TALQ Conortium. In the field of new applications, University of Washington has also come up with the first LED embedded contact lens. LEDinside team also wraps up our latest findings in Thailand. For more please see below:

Samsung has finally officially announced its intent of ending its international LED luminaire business. Its luminaire operations will only be running in domestic markets from now on. San’an Opto has also become an Epistar shareholder this week, but with a mere 3% stake in the company it can’t even acquire a seat at the board. Cree has launched a new plastic LED bulbs without heat sinks priced at between US $7-9. For more please see below:

Apple has finally arrived to a settlement with GTAT, and the former sapphire supplier will be repaying loans by selling sapphire furnaces at the Arizona plant. In the aftermath of the settlement that required greater transparency from the Cupertino company, the upcoming Apple Watch is likely to turn to other sapphire suppliers, analyzed a Seeking Alpha report. Philips Lumileds which was spin-off from parent company Philips will be trading under a new company name in 2015, said Sean Zhou, Regional Marketing Director, Asia, Philips Lumileds at LEDforum 2014. 

Key developments this week: GTAT wind-down approved by U.S. court, company slashes 890 jobs. Indian Energy Ministry actively promotes LED bulbs, and plans to sell them for less than US $1 each in rural areas. Lextar board approves Cree NT $83 million (US $2.73 million) investment in company, company stocks to be sold at NT$ 30 per share. Nichia announces first global spokesperson to be based in Taipei, an interesting development for a company mostly involved in B2B operations.

The LED industry has been on a rollercoaster ride this week. Starting off with the bad news, U.S. MOCVD manufacturer GTAT dropped a bomb on the financial market, with its abrupt bankruptcy announcement on Monday. Investors were scrambling to retain any value in their investments as stock prices tumbled more than 92% to a sad US $0.8 per share. Recent reports that the company CEO Thomas Gutierrez sold out a majority of stocks prior to the launch of the iPhone 6, has put the company in a bad light of susceptible insider trading.

Wrapping up this week’s top news, Samsung might be closing down its LED luminaire business soon, according to a Yonhap report. A bankrupt LED manufacturer’s suicide once again highlights bad financial practices in China’s LED industry that are hurting SMEs. Philips focus onto health applications becomes more evident with the launch of a wearable blue LED light therapy device to treat skin disease. LEDinside’s Senior Analyst Figo Wang gives an in-depth six point analysis on Philips recent business restructure. For more please see below:

Grabbing headlines this week, Philips has spin-off its traditional lighting business. Implications of the lighting giant’s recent moves can be found in LEDinside latest press release on the issue. We will be releasing an in-depth report on the issue next week. Toshiba is also vying the India LED market having announced it will be setting up a new R&D facility. Moving into LED technology developments, several universities have announced breakthroughs in LED and OLED technology that can make lighting devices more energy efficient. 

Highlights this week, Cree sues two Taiwanese LED manufacturers Harvatek and Knightbright over LED patent infringements. New analysis on sapphire cover glass disappearance from the iPhone 6 result in two very different arguments, with one camp attempting to shield GTAT by saying it was Chinese sapphire processing manufacturers fault. However, a follow up analysis noted Apple never planned to use sapphire glass in iPhone 6 to begin with. DOE has also released new energy savings forecasts for SSL, while Rubicon announces change of CEO.

Faithful Apple fans stood in awe as Tim Cook demonstrated the new iPhone 6 and Apple Watch at Tuesday’s Special Event. The iPhone 6 met most analysts’ expectations that the sapphire screen would be absent. What was surprising was the larger iPhone Plus did make it to the show, while the rumored 12.9-inch iPad wasn’t to be seen. Other developments included the sapphire-glass encased Apple smart watch, which has become the Cupertino company’s first personalized gadget. For more please see below.

With the IFA coming up in Germany, many LED manufacturers have announced plans of introducing new products at the show. Epistar and FOREPI concluded shareholder meetings successfully, but no details about future business or management deals have surfaced yet. A couple of interesting applications have developed in the LED industry this week, U.S. navy ships are a niche market that holds huge potential for manufacturers that acquire tenders. Intel’s new luxury smart watch MICA will come equipped with sapphire screen, while Japanese researchers are now using LED lighting system to prevent illegal recordings with smart devices. 

Cree and Lextar’s investment agreement has caught the industry’s attention this week. Cree will become Lextar’s second largest shareholder after investing US $83 million to acquire 13% stake in the company. The U.S. manufacturer is most likely seeking a long-term economic LED chip supplier to retain a competitive edge in the market, according to LEDinside’s Research Director Roger Chu. 

Untrue market rumors claiming China’s Ministry of Commerce was planning to raise LED tariffs disrupted the stock market in both China and Taiwan yesterday. Sources from the ministry not only noted the rumor was false, but that the ministry was not responsible for implementing or deciding whether tariffs should be imposed. Where the market rumor came from? We don’t know. But Taiwanese manufacturers and investors have already taken a blow.

Things do not look too well for former NVC Lighting CEO Wu Changjiang this week. After being ousted from the company board, Wu employees got into a violent fight with ETI staff. The power transition after the merge is getting messier with ETI CEO Wang Donglei and Wu throwing accusations at each other. With Apple iPhone 6 launch date just one month away, latest leaks noted the phone will still be using dual-flash LEDs. Great news for those who enjoy taking selfies on their smartphones. LEDinside has also launched its latest ranking report for Chinese manufacturers. For more please see below:

New market rumors in Taiwan confirm again limited usage of sapphire cover glass in the upcoming iPhone 6. A report from Chinese-language Liberty-Times report this week boldly placed sapphire cover glass usage to 10 percent. Across the globe more countries are signing up to LED streetlight upgrades including Detroit and several boroughs and councils in UK. The DOE has also released its latest findings for theatrical lighting this week. As for new products to watch out for this week, a new startup LightFreq is trying to integrate HD audio speakers into color tunable Hue like bulbs. The company so far claims the sound quality is better than Beats Pill, but we all know Beats is overrated when it comes to sound quality.

Apple fans out there might be disappointed with latest news this week from LEDinside analysts that the durable sapphire glass cover will only be released in small volumes for the iPhone 6. Top lighting manufacturer Osram also released its financial results for 3Q14 this week, and in a move of pushing further restructures, the organization has announced plans of slashing 7,800 jobs. MOCVD equipment makers including Veeco and AIXTRON have also announced more profitable businesses, such as LED will become their major focus in the future. 

This week Philips latest 2Q14 report shows significant growth in its LED business with 43 percent growth in sales revenue. The company announced plans the following day of scaling up the overhaul of its traditional lighting business. Moving into government agencies related, the U.S. DOE plans to amend LED bulb test procedures, and has found in its latest CALiPER report outdoor LED lighting color temperatures are warming up. The Chinese government is also currently in talks about LED lighting standards, and has recently included LED drivers in consumer electronic certification process.

This week analysts forecast a potential setback for Apple as manufacturing issues might delay the launch of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 to 2015.  GTAT’s stocks have also been hurt by low sapphire yield rates at its Arizona plant over the last two weeks, as analysts from large financial institutes including UBS, CLSA and Canaccord Genuity mark down the company's investment ratings. Analysts from CLSA and Conaccord Genuity have suggested the limited sapphire yield will signal limited usage in the new iPhone models

The LEDinside editorial team has released our July edition feature, discussing in-depth the impact of the two biggest mergers in the industry so far this year: Epistar and Philips Lighting. 

Apple fans out there will probably be overjoyed to learn that the new iPhone 6 will be set for mass production next month, and expected to hit shelves sometime in September 2014, according to a Chinese media report. LED backlight manufacturers will probably also see a beacon of hope, as Apple announces it will be using the technology in future MacBook keyboards. In the LED technology sphere Japanese researchers come up with new sputtering method to form GaN LEDs on glass substrates, while Taiwanese government is pitching into AlN substrate technology. 

Our favorite picks of the week might be a bit of a surprise, smart LED light yoga mat TERA makes headlines this week. The new application is a good demonstration of integrating smart lighting technology with health and fitness products. More rumors about Apple have emerged too, as the company is actively seeking out potential smart lighting partners for its smart home projects. The much anticipated iPad Air 2 is also rumored to be using sapphire material, although, liquid metal will be temporarily ruled out.

LEDinside research team has published three reports this week one on the sapphire for LED application market in China, the LED commercial lighting sector, and also on manufacturers outlook for the year. A report also sheds light on the shady replacements made to LED components that have enabled the cheap LED prices in China. In the Taiwan market, UPEC Electronics announces its withdrawal from the LED package business. Emcore and Nichia also finally arrive to an agreement over LED patent infringements. For more please see below:

This week Cree’s sent shockwaves through the lighting industry with its new LED T8 replacement, will it be the terminator of the linear fluorescent lighting legacy in U.S.? DOE has published an updated SSL R&D plan. Apple takes the industry by surprise with its acquisition of micro-LED display startup company Maker LuxVue, and the rumored return of the single flash LED in iPhone 6. Another development in the industry this week has been the emergence of Final LED bulb that uses a new technology based in TV manufacutring to make light with lighting qualities comparable to LED, but without the price tag . For more information please see below:

This week Philips gets even more aggressive with LED bulb pricing strategies, as its new Slimstyle LED bulb prices are slashed by more than half under Energy Star rebates to less than US$ 5 in the U.S. market. Major Japanese LED players also shift towards B2B models in search of better profits. Also in the Asia market San’an Opto’s patent and production expansion strategies will hurt Taiwanese manufacturers international business strategies. Finally, in the face of Taiwan’s nuclear energy crisis, a simple transition to LED could help cut considerable energy consumption, according to TrendForce report.

More details are unveiled about Apple’s new iPhone 6 and iWatch this week. Apple is rumored to be launching limited sapphire glass cover iPhone models, while low LG Display AMOLED yield rates are expected to postpone iWatch launch date to 4Q14. Conventional luminaire manufacturers are required to meet higher energy efficiency regulations with DOE’s proposed new standard for GSFL and IRLs. LEDinside analyst Figo Wang gives an in-depth game theory model analysis on San'an Opto's production expansion strategy. 

As the world’s largest biennial lighting show, Light + Building 2014, concluded last week, LEDinside has followed up with additional in-depth on Asian, Europe and U.S. manufacturers. Also new this week, LEDs smaller than half the width of a DNA strand are proving to be more energy efficient. Research organization iRunway also notes some of the key LED patent holders in the industry. Walmart’s will be using GE LED lights for its global shop lighting retrofit. An interesting application that emerged this week has been the use of smart LED lights in nail manicures. For more please see below:

The biennial Light+Building trade fair in Frankfurt has come to a close today, with over 2,300 exhibitors in attendance and close to 200,000 visitors. LEDinside Research Roger Chu shared his insight while at the show, observing the trends and innovative products showcased. Stand outs included Philips, Osram, Edison Opto, Toshiba, and Zumtobel.