Daily Authority: 📱 Semiconductor saturation

🌞 Good morning, and welcome to another Tuesday’s Daily Authority. I’m not sure what happened to Monday, but it seemed to fly by. Just two more days to go until I pick up the keys to my new apartment!

From global chip shortage to saturation

Remember the global chip shortage? Seems we’re pretty much out of the woods, which is great news, right? (And probably means you can finally get a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X). Yet reports suggest the industry is bracing for a downturn due to the oversupply of chips.

• It’s the polar opposite of the challenge the industry has faced over the last few years, as companies scrambled for supplies, driving up SoC prices.
• This latest downturn shows just how difficult it is for the industry to tread the delicate balance between supply and demand.
• And that’s partly because building new capacity takes such a long time.
• According to Mercury Research, desktop processor shipments dropped to their lowest level in nearly three decades in the second quarter.
• Meanwhile, companies such as Nvidia Corp. are reporting more than 40% annual declines in their core businesses.

What’s causing the slump?

• Last year, global semiconductor revenue and units reached record highs. However, just as chipmakers ramped up production to deal with the shortage, consumers started to pare back on big-ticket purchases, with chip buyers now following suit.
• Gartner slashed its growth projection from 13% to 7% and now predicts sales of semiconductors will actually shrink by 2.5% in 2023.
• And according to VLSI data cited by the FT, there was enough inventory for around 1.2 months of production in February 2022. By July, this had risen by 42% to 1.7 months’ worth.
• This is going to hit some manufacturers harder than others, as the clear chip bias amongst our readers shows: While Qualcomm came out on top, Exynos and MediaTek didn’t fare so well.
• Despite all this, some customers, such as auto manufacturers, are still struggling to get the chips they need.
• Christopher Danely, a Citigroup Inc. analyst, predicts the industry’s drop to be the worst in at least a decade, possibly two.

It seems painfully ironic that the US Chips Bill has been passed at a time when demand is so shaky.

Roundup

❓ We asked what you thought of Xiaomi’s Mix Fold 2 and the results are in… (Android Authority).

📱 The post-Leica HUAWEI Mate 50 series is officially launching next month, nearly two years after the Mate 40 line (Android Authority).

🎧 And a leak reveals Bose’s upcoming QuietComfort Earbuds II: they look significantly more compact (Android Authority).

📅 Nothing reveals Android 13 launch window on Phone 1, and it’s not soon (Android Authority).

🧟‍♀️ We got a tantalizing 20-second glimpse of HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, showing Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie (YouTube).

🏍 Speaking of adaptations, Sony’s reportedly making a Days Gone movie, which may seem like a strange choice, but is likely down to the game’s newfound success on PC (Engadget).

🎮 PlayStation’s been hit by a $5.9 billion lawsuit for ‘ripping people off’ on digital games —the argument is the company shouldn’t be using its “near-monopoly” on the sale of digital games to enforce higher prices, like the 30% commission fee charged in the UK PlayStation Store (Kotaku).

📺 Good news: Netflix’s ad-supported tier might not play commercials during newer original movies, possibly kids’ content too (The Verge).

⚡ Meanwhile, a new Google TV update improves speed and storage, finally (Android Authority).

👀 Creepy: TikTok’s monitoring your keystrokes — The company’s in-app browser could be tracking your activity on outside websites and could even capture your credit card information or passwords (Forbes).

👁‍🗨 Dev creates app that alerts you whenever you send data to Google, but there’s a catch (Android Authority).

📽 And YouTube will add a watermark to your shorts if you share them on other platforms (Gizmodo).

🛫 “If you dump a large bucket of water from an airplane, will it reach the ground like raindrops or like a splash of water? How far above the ground and how big of a bucket would you need to change the result?” (r/nostupidquestions).

Tuesday thing

You know your dog misses you when you’re gone, but a new study reveals he might cry with happiness when he sees you.

• Scientists in Japan discovered more tears welled up in dogs’ eyes when they’re reunited with their owners, compared to when their owners stayed home, or when they were reunited with a familiar non-owner.
• Increased production of oxytocin is thought to be behind this: the “love” hormone plays a role in emotional bonding in both dogs and humans.
• Studies have already shown that dogs can have human-like social skills, but this new research suggests they shed tears associated with positive moments.
• Study author Takefumi Kikusui’s earlier research has suggested dogs and humans alike produce more oxytocin when spending time together. Aww!
• That could explain why you sometimes feel like your dog is the only one who really gets you…

If you’re at the office or away from home and missing your pup, why not download some of the best dog games for Android, or take better care of your best friend with our roundup of the best dog apps.

Enjoy your day!

Paula Beaton, Copy Editor.