Battery Technology is Prominent Among Emerging Technologies for Energy Storage on the Smart Grid   During the twentieth century, the establishment of electrical networks enabled dramatic improvements for the well-being of society and extensive progress for industry, but decades of advances have caused an explosion of electronic and digital technologies. Our power delivery system isRead More

Connectors associated with automotive applications have recently been a bright spot in the overall connector market, but are likely at the early stage of an incredible growth curve. Bishop & Associates recently reported the global connector market grew 4.1% in 2016 over 2015, while the automotive connector segment expanded by 8.1%, totaling nearly $13 billionRead More

Circuit board modules used for watch band concept   The ability to cram more powerful electronics into smaller spaces has made portable equipment a pace-setting field for the electronics industry. Smartphones have become the flag bearer for this movement, but smart watches are rapidly ramping up the competition. Early generation watches were fairly large, soRead More

Once again, Apple is changing the way we communicate. The new Smart Connector, launched in the iPad Pro last November, utilizes two-way conductive communication that creates an instant connection.   Apple’s recently released iPad Pro is changing (once again) how we communicate. The built-in 12.9-inch Retina display is not the big news. The real excitementRead More

Given consumer demand for mobile products that offer more services in real time, designers need to take advantage of the most effective technologies available – wireless and photonic.   They say oil and water don’t mix, and for the most part that is true. To some degree, the challenges associated with mixing wireless connectivity andRead More

The TE low-profile block connectors offer a flexible, cost-effective solution for wearables, smartphones, and mobile devices. TE Connectivity introduced three low-profile block connectors, including the 0.3H block SIM card connector, 0.3H block side-entry SIM connector, and 0.3H block micro SD connector — all new additions to its SIM card connector portfolio for smartphones, wearables, andRead More

The Amphenol card|mate wiping connector offers the smallest possible form factor while standing up to 500,000 mating cycles. Amphenol’s card|mate-wiping connector offers extremely small dimensions of 57.0mm x 30.0mm x 5.0mm and a long lifetime of 500,000 mating cycles, which provides crucial product benefits in payment terminal applications. The contacts of the card|mate-wiping are all on theRead More

Overall, it’s a mixed picture around the world, but the move toward building the smart grid continues to gain momentum. According to research company Bloomberg New Energy Finance, investments in smart grid equipment and rollout reached $14.9 billion in 2013, up almost 5% from the $14.2 billion recorded in 2012. Half of the worldwide spending on smart grid implementationRead More

In a surprise move aimed at trumping Motorola’s announcement next week of its Moto 360, LG announced it’s launching the first round smart watch, the LG G Watch R. Following the June release of one of the first-to-market wearable devices powered by Android Wear, LG Electronics (LG) is quickly expanding its wearable product offerings withRead More

Bishop & Associates’ tracking of the cable assembly industry in the telecom market shows cell/smartphone revenues in decline while unit sales climb. Bishop tracks 11 companies in the telecom market sector. This market has been in contraction, as measured by these 11 companies’ revenues, in three of the last five quarters since 1Q13. In comparison to these companies,Read More

PC unit sales declined 10% in 2013 for the second straight year of contraction, as the computer market contracts and swaps PCs for tablets and smartphones. Bishop tracks 11 companies in the computer market sector and 10 companies in the peripheral market sector. This market has been in contraction, as measured by these 21 companies,Read More

Once considered futuristic concepts, the consumer electronics in transition at CES 2014 will soon be ready for widespread adoption. The past decade has been stellar for consumer electronics (CE). In many ways CE overshadowed business applications and became a key factor in driving unit volumes to new heights. Key developments that drove this demand include:Read More