DigiTimes

iPad Pro rumored to arrive first in mid-November, but in limited quantities

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2016

Apple's rumored jumbo-sized iPad may be available in limited quantities when it first ships in mid-November as the Cupertino company has been “rather cautious” with build orders for the device, according to DigiTimes, a hit-and-miss outlet.

Supply chain sources who spoke with the Taiwanese trade publication said that initial shipment volume for the 12.9-inch 'iPad Pro' is “much lower” than what most people expect. While DigiTimes is a pretty accurate source of supply chain talk, they've had their fair share of misses regarding the timing of Apple product launches.

Back in 2013, DigiTimes incorrectly said an iPad Pro would release in the second half of 2014, for example.

Pegatron goes on a hiring spree ahead of next-generation iPhone production

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 6, 2015

With a little more than two months before its assumed September release, contract manufacturer Pegatron is reportedly in the process of hiring as many as 40,000 workers as it makes preparations to kick off assembly work on Apple's iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s refresh, according to a DigiTimes report this weekend.

Protek, a Pegatron subsidiary in eastern China, reportedly began recruiting workers at the end of June and will continue to do so until October, one month after the expected launch of the new iPhones.

Protek is planning to hire 40,000 workers in total, said the Taiwanese trade publication.

Apple to eliminate Home button by integrating Touch ID fingerprint scanning into iPhone screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 17, 2016

In addition to getting rid of the unsightly bands on their back, future iPhones could create more room for the screen without enlarging the whole device by putting a virtual Home button along with Touch ID sensors right into its screen.

Not only would such a solution eliminate a “chin” at the iPhone's bottom but the Cupertino firm has already developed necessary technologies in-house, claimed a report Monday by Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes.

Japanese manufacturers banding together to secure more iPhone orders

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 1, 2015

Though designed in California, the vast majority of Apple's products are being assembled in China using parts predominantly provided by the vast network of suppliers from Taiwan.

But that may be changing now as Japanese manufacturers are reportedly making a concerted effort to secure more iPhone orders from Apple, according to DigiTimes on Monday.

Citing industry sources, the trade publication claims that Japan-based printed circuit board manufacturer Ibiden has bolstered up its manufacturing capacity as it hopes to solicit more orders from Apple.

Apple turning to Chinese suppliers for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus batteries

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 26, 2015

Tuesday, a fresh new report claimed Apple's been seeking additional battery providers for upcoming new iPhones, presumed to be marketed as ‘iPhone 6s’ and ‘iPhone 6s Plus’.

Apple is now sourcing more batteries for iOS devices from Chinese suppliers which have caught up with their Taiwanese competitors in terms of sufficient battery core supply and production capacity.

Next iPhone could be even thinner and lighter thanks to smaller LED backlighting chips

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 26, 2015

In its never-ending quest of engineering ever thinner and lighter devices, Apple is said to use smaller LED backlighting chips that could, at least theoretically, make the next iPhone(s)—you guessed right— smaller and lighter.

Citing a TrendForce report, DigiTimes said Tuesday that next-generation ‘iPhone 6s’ and ‘iPhone 6s Plus’ will adopt smaller LED chips for the display's backlight unit. The new chips reportedly measure three mm wide, 0.85mm tall and 0.4mm deep versus the 3.0mm x 0.85mm x 0.6mm chips used in the present-generation iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices.

Rumor: TSMC building iPhone 6s chips, $400-$500 iPhone 6c to become new entry-level model

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 26, 2015

TSMC, or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, is expected to remain the major supplier of Apple's in-house designed processors for the upcoming iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

In addition, the world's largest independent semiconductor foundry is said to supply 20-nanomenter chips for an upcoming iPhone 6c model, expected to arrive as Apple's new entry-level iPhone with a price tag between $400 and $500.

An Apple-designed system-on-a-chip for the next-generation iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models should be called the 'A9' and will be built on TSMC's 16-nanometer FinFET process technology, industry sources told DigiTimes.

iPad Pro rumored to adopt oxide LCD display tech

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 5, 2015

The rumored iPad Pro could adopt an oxide LCD screen technology, with Sharp, LG Display and Samsung Display all sending out samples, Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes reported Thursday.

The company allegedly assessed different technologies ranging from a-Si, TFT LCD and oxide LCD before deciding to go with the latter. The report adds that the iPad Pro will go into mass production in the third quarter of 2015.

Buoyant Mac sales seen growing 10-15% in 2015

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

The Mac continues to be a success story. During the last three months of 2014, Apple moved 5.52 million Macs around the world, a fourteen percent annual increase from the 4.84 million units shipped in the year-ago quarter. Apple now sells more Macs than iPods and, more importantly the Mac has been outpacing the rest of the PC industry for years now, consistently posting a double-digit growth.

Exhibit A: Mac shipments for all of 2014 were up 14.43 percent from a year earlier.

During the same periods, global PC shipments were on a downward spiral and declined 2.1 percent versus the previous year. The Mac momentum is expected to go unabated throughout 2015, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers who spoke to DigiTimes.

Suppliers projecting 50M iPhone shipments in Q1

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 16, 2017

After shipping a record-smashing 74.5 million handsets during the holiday quarter, representing more than half of Apple’s total revenue for the quarter, the Cupertino firm could be poised to move about 50 million iPhone units in the first quarter of this year.

Tuesday, trade publication DigiTimes cited estimates by Taiwanese handset suppliers who expect shipments of iPhone devices to grow from the 43.7 million units in the year-ago quarter to as many as 50 million shipments in Q1 2015, a 14.4 percent annual increase.

DigiTimes: 12″ MacBook Air with Retina screen ramping up for Q1 launch, replacing 11-incher

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Contract fabricator Quanta Computer is ramping up production of the highly anticipated MacBook Air model with a twelve-inch screen as Apple preps to launch the forthcoming ultra-portable during the first quarter of this year, if a new report by DigiTimes, a Taiwanese trade publication, is an indication.

Well-informed blogger Mark Gurman recently claimed that Apple is expected to raise the bar on notebook portability by engineering a lighter, thinner computer without a fan that ditches standard USB ports, the SD Card slot, Thunderbolt I/O and the MagSafe power connector in favor of a single, fully reversible USB 3.1 Type-C port.

Rumor: 12.2″ MacBook Air entering mass production in the first quarter of 2015

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Apple's rumored ultra-thin MacBook Air model with a 12.2-inch screen is reportedly entering mass production in the first quarter of 2015, Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes reported Monday citing sources from the upstream supply chain.

The Wall Street Journal said in October that production of the ultra-slim notebook with “a higher resolution” screen would commence in December of this year. DigiTimes also added that the Apple Watch is on track for a Spring 2015 release.