Apple Increases Trade-In Values for Multiple Devices
August 7 news – Following price hikes on Macs and iPads, Apple has now raised its trade-in回收 values across iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches. The increases go up by nearly 30%, with an average bump of 6.6%.
Among the notable changes: the iPhone 16 Pro Max moves from $695 to $720, while the iPhone 16 Pro jumps from $560 to $630—an $70 increase. The iPhone 15 Pro Max also saw a rise from $490 to $530.
Older models are getting some love too. The iPhone 13 Pro’s maximum trade-in credit climbed from $260 to $285, the iPhone 12 Pro Max went from $220 to $240, and even the iPhone XR inched up from $80 to $90.
Unitree Responds to Robot Sales Ban: No Impact on Current Main Product Lines
On the afternoon of August 7, during Unitree’s STAR Market IPO online investor briefing, an investor asked about the potential impact of the US robot sales ban. In response, Fu Fenghua, the company’s board secretary, clarified that the main models currently on sale—including the humanoid robots G1, H2, R1, and the quadruped robots Go2, B2, and A2—have already obtained FCC certification and fall under what the aforementioned announcement refers to as advanced robotic equipment. As such, the policy change will not affect the continued sale of the company’s existing main products in the US market.
Additionally, Unitree founder Wang Xingxing shared during the online roadshow that the company has always valued the C-end market. They’ve already opened online stores on platforms like JD.com, Tmall, and Amazon, and launched offline experience stores in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Going forward, they’ll keep expanding their consumer-facing presence. For future sales performance, he pointed investors to the company’s upcoming periodic reports and official announcements.
Foxconn Accelerates Hiring to Ramp Up iPhone Production
With mass production of the new iPhone underway, contract manufacturer Foxconn is stepping up recruitment efforts to handle the production ramp. Some Foxconn facilities expect the peak production season to stretch through the end of this year. Reports from late July indicated that the iPhone 18 series kicked off mass production in July and is currently in the capacity-building phase.
According to China Securities Jinzhongniu, Foxconn is now in its peak hiring period to ensure the new iPhone’s production timeline is met. Apple typically unveils its next-gen iPhones every September, making Q3 the busiest stretch for Apple’s supply chain partners as they rush to stock up and scale production. In late July, institutional investors including Xinhua Asset, Changjiang Asset Management, and AIA Insurance conducted research visits to Apple supplier Lingyi iTech. The company noted that its per-device value for the new model has increased compared to the previous generation. Projects are progressing smoothly, with mass production ramps and customer deliveries on schedule, and Q3 marks the peak delivery season.
SK Hynix Announces Quarterly Dividend of 273.3 Billion KRW, Plans Additional Shareholder Returns in Q3
SK Hynix disclosed on August 7 via the Korea Exchange that it will pay a per-share dividend of 375 KRW (approximately 1.8 CNY) to common shareholders. The market dividend yield is 0.02%, totaling 273.325 billion KRW (approximately 1.3 billion CNY). The record date is August 31, with payments scheduled within one month from that date.
The company also stated it is actively exploring additional shareholder return measures aimed at enhancing shareholder value, with specific details expected to be finalized and announced in the third quarter.
Acer’s July Revenue Hits 13-Year High for the Period
On August 7, Acer reported consolidated revenue of NT$26.904 billion for July 2026, up 21.9% year-over-year. For the first seven months of the year, revenue reached NT$184.631 billion, up 23.1% year-over-year—both marking the strongest performance for these periods in 13 years.
Notably, the desktop PC business saw July revenue surge 30.6% year-over-year, driven primarily by explosive demand for AI hardware. Additionally, rising memory chip prices have pushed up end-device pricing, and the higher unit prices have directly boosted overall revenue figures.
JPMorgan Continues to Increase Stake in Zhongji Innolight H-Shares, Now at 15.02%
According to Hong Kong Exchange disclosures on August 7, JPMorgan’s shareholding in Zhongji Innolight’s H-shares rose from 13.48% to 15.02% on August 4.
TSMC Develops New 2D Transistor Technology, Breaking Through Advanced Semiconductor Material Bottlenecks
August 7 news – National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and TSMC’s corporate R&D team have made new progress in the field of two-dimensional semiconductors. They’ve proposed an atomic-level engineering technique that maintains high electrical performance while shrinking transistor dimensions, potentially paving the way for next-generation low-power semiconductor technology. The research findings were published in Nature Electronics.
The research team noted that 2D semiconductor materials are only one atom thick and possess excellent electrical properties, making them a potential candidate to surpass the limitations of silicon-based chips. However, during transistor manufacturing, defects easily form between the ultra-thin insulating layer and the semiconductor, causing electron scattering and creating a bottleneck in transistor performance improvement.
The researchers constructed an ultra-thin alumina layer on the surface of a single-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) semiconductor, then combined it with a high-dielectric-constant hafnium oxide gate insulator. This improved material quality, enabling the transistors to achieve both stronger electrical control and higher carrier mobility.
