A major power shift is underway in the global industrial landscape. Once dominated by financial and energy giants, especially in the early 2000s, the world's top companies by market capitalization are now being overtaken by tech leaders. In particular, Nvidia's market cap surged past US$4 trillion, underscoring a broader shift in global economic leadership, from traditional industries and mobile-era tech to the disruptive forces of AI.

John Ternus, once a relatively low-profile executive at Apple, is now considered by the rumor mill as the leading candidate to succeed CEO Tim Cook. His rise comes in the wake of COO Jeff Williams's retirement announcement—an event that has reshuffled expectations within Apple's leadership ranks.

As the global telecommunications market accelerates 5G network deployment, demand for 5G customer premises equipment (CPE) continues to rise. Taiwanese networking brand D-Link has achieved a major breakthrough in the Middle East during the first half of 2025 by securing a large regional 5G CPE order. The company expects total shipments to reach 150,000 units this year and has already begun deliveries, injecting new growth momentum into its annual operations.

South Korean giant Samsung Electronics recently unveiled its latest generation of foldable smartphones, including the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7, and the more affordable Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, further expanding its product lineup. Coinciding with this, smartphone brand Vivo also launched its foldable flagship Vivo X Fold5 for the first time in Taiwan. Vivo has risen to become the third-largest player in the Taiwanese market, surpassing Oppo and trailing only Apple and Samsung.

SoftBank is preparing to commercialize its next-generation telecommunications infrastructure using high-altitude platforms by 2026, marking a pivotal milestone in its UTX (Ubiquitous Transformation) initiative. The company announced that it will deploy a hybrid fleet of solar-powered aircraft and unmanned airships to operate base stations in the stratosphere, approximately 20 kilometers above the Earth's surface. This dual-platform system is expected to support emergency communications first, with plans to expand into broader commercial services by 2027.

As the third quarter of 2025 kicks off, smartphone brands around the world are rolling out new models, hoping to rejuvenate the sluggish market as inflation, currency swings, and trade tensions continue to weigh on consumer demand. While the smartphone market continues to face challenges like product maturity, high market penetration, and extended replacement cycles, making it difficult to achieve strong overall sales momentum, it's fortunate that generative AI has boosted the industry in recent years. Brands have progressively incorporated AI functionalities into their mid- and high-end models, which has helped sustain smartphone sales.

As AIoT technology deepens its application across industrial sectors, networking and cybersecurity brand Cisco has partnered with Genesis to launch the "AIoT Sustainable Innovation R&D Center" in the Asia New Bay Area, becoming one of Taiwan's most comprehensive end-to-end validation sites.

Foxconn has reportedly begun importing key components from China to India for the iPhone 17, marking the start of trial production. The development comes as both India and the US intensify scrutiny of Apple's manufacturing strategy and its reliance on China.

Despite a generally negative outlook for the second half of the year, Largan, a key market indicator, stressed during its earnings call that the demand momentum for new flagship smartphones remains largely unchanged compared to previous years.

Apple Inc. is planning an ambitious pipeline of new products for release during the first half of 2026, including a new low-end iPhone, multiple iPads and upgraded Macs.