Taiwan cannot count on new iPhones to boost exports: TIER

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/09/12
By: Tsai Yi-chu and Frances Huang

Taipei, Sept. 12 (CNA) While Apple Inc. unveiled its latest iPhone models last week, raising optimism toward Taiwanese suppliers’ shipments, the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台經院) said Monday that global demand remains slow, so that Taiwan cannot count on the new iPhones to raise its exports for the rest of this year.

In a seminar held by the TIER on the economic climate in the region, Gordon Sun (孫明德), director of the TIER’s Economic Forecasting Center, said that with major economies such as Europe, the United States, China and Japan having shown no signs of any meaningful rebound, Taiwan is expected to continue its slow pace in economic recovery.

Many market analysts, and even the government, have anticipated that Apple’s new smartphones — the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, which were launched Sept. 7 and will go on global sale Sept. 16, will give a boost to Apple concept stocks in Taiwan in terms of outbound sales.     [FULL  STORY]