Tech Biz Rewind: iPhone Gets THINNER Display, Dell DECLINES In China

Here are Tuesday’s top stories

Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) next iPhone will have a thinner display, due to its utilization of in-cell touch panels, according to the Wall Street Journal. Previous chatter had it that Apple would adopt in-cell technology, which also reduces costs and enhances image quality. In a separate matter, Gene Munster at Piper says that a survey of 400 consumers found that 65 percent indicated that their next phone will be an iPhone, although 52 percent of those responding were already iPhone owners, which far exceeded the iPhone’s estimated 32 percent share of U.S. smartphone owners.

Don’t Miss: Apple’s New iPhone is SLIMMING Down.

Shares of Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Zynga (NASDAQ:ZNGA) fall in tandem (then bounce back, sort of) subsequent to a Capstone Investments report which says that Facebook’s domestic users fell 1.1 percent over the last 6 months. Capstone also remarked that FB’s growth was minimal or negative in 14 of the 23 countries in which its penetration rate is above 50 percent. Further, the report supports recent data that imply U.S. saturation, and reinforces the idea that the company’s dependence is on less profitable emerging markets to drive growth in user numbers.

Worries over demand for tech in China escalated, as Michael Dell commented that Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) is seeing a slowdown there, which is its number 2 market after the United States. Part of the problem is that Dell is also facing tough rivalry in China from Lenovo (NYSE:PCS) and Huawei (IT gear). Further, on Monday, the Chinese telecommunications equipment major ZTE warned of declining orders from local carriers.

Rich Vogel, the executive producer of Electronic Arts Inc.’s (NASDAQ:EA) Star Wars: The Old Republic, is said to have exited the firm. Star Wars reported a whopping 400,000 subscriber decline for the March quarter, reinforcing fears that EA won’t recoup its massive stake in the multiplayer online game. EA’s Bioware division, responsible for Star Wars, is implementing the expected layoffs, at the time that Vogel departs.

Don’t Miss: Here Comes the Spanner in Facebook’s Recovery.

Want news like this in real-time so you can get an edge? Click here for Wall St. Cheat Sheet Pro.