Apple supplier Japan Display is on the hook for more than $800 million it owes to Apple for building a smartphone display manufacturing plant four years ago, and now it could sell the entire factory to the Cupertino firm and Sharp, another Apple supplier that builds LCD panels for some iOS devices.
Japan Display has been having a rough few years, from seeking government bailouts to requesting cash injections to keep up with the competition. And things aren't getting better.
One of the more prominent supply partners for Apple over the years has been Japan Display Inc. It's a company that isn't a stranger to money issues, but one of its former executives took it to the extreme.
Apple supplier Japan Display is considering seeking a possible capital injection from strategic investors and buyout funds to help finance a shift from its ailing LCD smartphone business to OLED technology, widely believed to be adopted by Apple's premium iPhone 8 model.
iPhone display supplier Japan Display has devised new manufacturing processes for mass production of flexible liquid crystal display (LCD) panels. According to a report Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal, Apple is considering using flexible LCD panels in iPhones launching in 2018 and beyond.
This is an interesting development in light of rumors that iPhone 8 will be equipped with a flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen. While not as flexible as curved OLED panels, Japan Display's new processes do allow for the creation of bendable LCDs that support designs like Samsung's curved-screen Galaxy Edge series.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple supplier Japan Display could receive a bailout of around ¥75 billion ($703 million) from the government-backed fund Innovation Network Corp. of Japan (INCJ), which is its largest shareholder with a 36 percent share.
People familiar with the matter said that the display maker might receive new financing from INCJ through an issuance of subordinated bonds and may possibly get “additional support” from the fund.
Japan Display confirmed rumors on Friday it's building a new factory to boost its LCD output capacity by 20 percent, and Apple will be one of the main investors for the plant, as it will be the primary supplier, reports Reuters.
Production on screens for the 4.7-inch version of Apple's next iPhone could start as early as May, according to a new report from Reuters. Citing supply chain sources, the outlet says that Japan Display and other manufacturers are readying their facilities and could begin churning out panels next month.
Unfortunately, for those looking forward to the oft-rumored 5.5-inch model, it sounds like production issues have forced Apple to delay the handset. Reuters says that manufacturers are running into difficulties with in-cell technology, and the larger displays may not go into production for several months...
Apple is currently putting the finishing touches on its next-generation iPhone. And if the flurry of rumors and so-called insider reports are to be believed, the handset is going to feature an Ultra Retina display that will come in two sizes: 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch, among other improvements.
With that in mind, you can understand why this new 5.5-inch panel from Japan Display—a long time Apple supplier—is so interesting to us. Unveiled this week, the panel measures 5.5-inches and is of the Quad HD (aka WQHD) variety, with a resolution of 1,440 x 2,560 and a ppi of 538...
Japanese news outlet Nikkei threw its weight behind a popular rumor today, reporting that Apple's next-gen iPhone will come in both 4.7- and 5.5-inch models. The theory that the company is working on two new larger-sized handsets has been reiterated several times over the past 6 months.
Citing sources within Apple's supply chain, Nikkei says that manufacturers have already begun making components for the new smartphones, like fingerprint sensors and chips for liquid-crystal drivers, and Sharp, Japan Display and LG will begin mass-producing their panels as early as April...
Apple, according to a new supply chain report out of Asia, has placed orders with LG Display and Japan Display for high-resolution Retina screens for a second-generation iPad mini. Japan Display is a merger of the mobile display operations of Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba, in conjunction with the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan. Now, LG Display and AU Optronics both currently supply 1,024-by-768 panels for the iPad mini, and iDB last week heard the latter has already started mass producing Retina panels for the second-generation iPad mini.
With LG Display and Japan Display now reportedly having been added to the mix - and with leaks like this purported back shell - all signs point to Apple lining up its suppliers ahead of manufacturing, usually a tell-tale sign that the official announcement is around the corner. And if the iPad mini 2 is in fact looming, we're probably looking at a summer launch at WWDC...
There has been much speculation concerning who will be supplying screens for Apple's just announced iPhone 5. The mystery is solved, if you believe a new Wall Street Journal report that named LG Display, Japan Display and Sharp as suppliers of four-inch in-cell display panels for the device. Surprisingly, the newspaper made no mention of Samsung, which supplies Retina display for the third-generation iPad and previous iOS devices...