DIGITIMES Research report shows that Taiwan's ICT industry development has shifted from focusing on hardware to hardware/software integration models. The industry is combining big data analysis and AI applications in public IoT to facilitate the development of smart city management. Tools such as IoT, AI, cloud computing, and communications technologies are efficiently integrated with urban infrastructure to ultimately produce economic benefits and improve quality of life. It is estimated that the business opportunities of smart cities will reach $2.6 trillion in 2025, mainly in the Asia Pacific region. This includes sectors such as smart poles, building, parking, monitor, government, transportation, fire protection, water conservancy and WITMED.

Apple is rumored to be in Asia visiting Toyota as it prepares to lay the supplier groundwork to mass produce a branded car by 2024, according to a new report by DigiTimes. Apple representatives were said to have met with South Korea's SK Group and LG Electronics last month to discuss Apple Car development, and now Japan's Toyota is being touted as its next potential destination. Apple has been working on a car-related project since at least 2014, and at one stage it looked as if the company was scaling back to focus on autonomous vehicle software. However, following several changes in management and hiring, Apple is now believed to be focused on building a car for consumers. But to do that, the company needs to tap into a whole new supply chain.

The first Android phone to feature 3D facial recognition technology will reportedly be released in the third quarter of 2018. It's currently being speculated that the Xiaomi Mi 7 will be the first Android phone to arrive with the feature, which Apple's iPhone X popularized. The reason why it's taking so long for Android phones to adopt 3D-sensing technology is due to the difficulty in integrating devices' hardware and software, according to Digitimes. Apple doesn't suffer from the same issue since the iPhone X's hardware and software are closely tied to each other making it possible for Face ID to work. Three-dimensional-sensing modules developed by Qualcomm, Himax Technologies and Truly Optoelectronics are believed to be the likely candidates that are coming to Android phones.

When Apple launched the iPhone X last year, many consumers were intrigued not only by its unique appearance but also because of its Face ID feature. The advanced biometric system that replaced Touch ID made headlines due to its sophisticated technology and security. So it does not come as a surprise that Face ID is coming to the 2018 lineup of iPhones as well. DigiTimes learned from industry sources Monday that Apple's Taiwanese partners are now preparing the 3D sensors needed for the facial recognition module of the iPhone X's successor --rumored to debut as iPhone 11 or iPhone XI. Apple and its 3D sensor suppliers are said to have just completed talks over shipments.

With Apple deciding to use new Depth Sensing technology for the iPhone X's Face ID, many believe that Android phone makers might start using it for their own devices. However, it looks like many Android flagships coming out during the first half of 2018 won't have the same 3D-sensing feature. Industry sources say that smartphone vendors, particularly in China, are actually more interested in selling the rest of their unsold inventories. This is also the reason why many of those Android phone manufacturers are postponing plans to develop new technologies like fast charging, wireless charging and Face ID-like features, according to Digitimes. Another reason that's hindering the adoption of 3D-sensing cameras on Android smartphones is the slow yield rates for producing components.

Pre-orders for the iPhone X in the U.S., Taiwan and Singapore were not as strong as expected, according to a report by DigiTimes. The iPhone X reportedly had a tight supply in other markets, including Japan. Apple released the iPhone X early November, weeks after it launched the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. The iPhone X comes with an edge-to-edge OLED display and the TrueDepth camera system for the new Face ID and Animoji features. The iPhone X prices start at $999 for the 32GB model and $1,149 for the 256GB version.

Huawei is gearing up to launch an application processor that combines CPU (central processing unit), GPU (graphics processing unit) and AI (artificial intelligence) functions, according to a report from DigiTimes. Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu discussed the plans during the 2017 China Internet Conference in Beijing which started earlier this week. Yu stated that the new processor would debut in the second half of the year, though he didn't go into specifics about what the AI component of the chip would allow for (CPU and GPU have been being built into the same SoC since 2010). Yu did mention, however, that Huawei's EMUI interface supported "deep machine learning and smart computing capability," said DigiTimes. Which CPU and GPU will feature in this new chip is an interesting question.

Virtually every major smartphone vendor, from Apple to Samsung to LG to Huawei, is expected to release devices featuring artificial intelligence this year. Industry sources tell DigiTimes that virtual assistants will once again play a large role in the mobile industry in 2017, and that significant upgrades are on the way. According to DigiTimes' sources, Apple is working on an "enhanced" version of its Siri virtual assistant for its next generation of iPhone devices. The report doesn't specify whether or not this new Siri will appear on the iPhone 8, but with all the talk of the sweeping changes and additional features Apple is planning to bring to the iPhone for its 10th anniversary, a more advanced Siri would make sense. The report also points to Apple's acquisition of machine learning and AI startup Turi last August, which it says will allow the company to "further strengthen the functionality, as well as the market share" of Siri, which is now competing with the likes of Cortana, Alexa and Google Assistant.

To keep up in the AI race against Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, Apple is working on an enhanced version of Siri for its iPhone 8 launch, Digitimes reported Tuesday. Supply chain sources suggest Apple is responding to increased competition among smart assistants after the Amazon Echo and Google Home assistants gained popularity. The sources say Apple's next iPhone lineup is expected to feature a better version of Siri. In an effort to boost Siri's capabilities Apple acquired Australian start-up Turi last August for $200 million. Turi lets developers create apps with machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities.