Semiconductor foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is readying mass production of chips built on its five-nanometer process technology.
iPhone processor supplier TSMC is reportedly readying volume production of 5nm chips
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Apple reportedly delays iPhone SE 2 launch over the coronavirus outbreak
The coronavirus has impacted Apple's supply chain in ways more than one, the latest example being the company's oft-rumored iPhone SE successor that, instead of arriving this spring, now apparently faces a delayed launch, a new supply chain report claimed Thursday.
Coronavirus outbreak compels iPhone camera supplier LG Innotek to shut down factory
LG Innotek's manufacturing plant in Gumi, South Korea that supplies iPhone camera modules has been temporarily shuttered over the global coronavirus outbreak.
China’s top display manufacturer invests in ten Apple-only iPhone OLED module lines
China's BOE has been working for some time now to become the third supplier of OLED panels to apple, with a new report alleging that the company has been investing heavily in iPhone-only lines in anticipation of Apple orders.
LG gets one step closer to supplying iPhone OLEDs thanks to a $2.6 billion investment
LG Display said on Tuesday that it would invest 3 trillion won, which works to about $2.6 billion in America dollars, in its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels production line in Korea.
Apple has reportedly been trialing AirPods production in Vietnam
In yet another sign that it's moving to diversify product manufacturing beyond China, Apple's reportedly been trialing AirPods production in Vietnam, per a communication seen by Nikkei.
Apple could buy Samsung-made OLEDs for future iPads and Mac notebooks
Korea's ETNews reports that Apple is destined to order additional OLED panels for future products like "tablets and notebooks" from Samsung.
Foxconn boosting investment in micro-LED display tech in a bid to win future iPhone orders
According to a supply chain report published Tuesday in the Chinese-language Economic Daily News, relayed by DigiTimes, contract manufacturer Foxconn has continued to deepen its deployments in micro-LED technology "through a multi-pronged approach in order to win display orders from Apple for its next-generation iPhone devices."
44 Apple suppliers pledge to use clean energy
Apple today announced 44 of its suppliers have committed to using 100 percent renewable energy in their production of its gadgets as the Cupertino giant spent $2.5 billion in green bonds on environmental initiatives, the largest amount of any US corporation.
Samsung provides samples of its foldable displays to Apple
Apple owns a patent on foldable display technology and the latest sign that Tim Cook & Co. might be working on a foldable iPhone came courtesy of ETNews, which learned that Samsung Display provided samples of its foldable screens to Apple, Google and other major technology makers.
Apple in 2018 spent $60 billion with American component suppliers
Coinciding with today's report in The New York Times detailing why Apple won’t be bringing manufacturing jobs back home, the Cupertino technology giant has now issued a press release focused on US suppliers Finisar, Corning and Broadcom which are building parts for its products at domestic manufacturing plants.
The gist of the report: the iPhone maker in 2018 alone spent a whopping $90 billion with 9,000 America component suppliers and companies such as Finisar, Corning and Broadcom.
The figure translates into an increase of more than ten percent from the year before, supporting more than 450,000 jobs, according to the press release.
Finisar, which supplies laser components for the TrueDepth camera, was awarded $390 million from Apple’s $1 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund last year to expand production. The supplier used that money to turn an unoccupied building in Sherman, Texas into a "bustling operation" full of people who will supply that future business.
Finisar's technician handles a VCSEL wafer during production.The facility will eventually employ up to 500 engineers who will be mass-producing vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) for modern iPhones.
VCSEL wafers are nearly as thin as a human hair and contain hundreds of layers measuring only a few atoms in thickness. They require a highly advanced and precise manufacturing operation, as well as skilled technicians with specialized training.
Corning's 65-year-old facility in Harrodsburg, Kentucky produces iPhone cover glass. It received a $200 million investment from Apple for state-of-the-art glass processing.
Army veteran Michael Turner, 40, Michael Turner gets ready to enter the production floor at the Sherman plant.Apple works with many other US suppliers, like Cincinnati Test Systems and Broadcom.
Cincinnati Test Systems in Ohio designed a first-of-its-kind equipment to ensure iPhone is water resistant. And Broadcom in Fort Collins, Colorado, Qorvo in Hillsboro, Oregon and Skyworks in Woburn, Massachusetts, are all making wireless communication hardware that enables global connectivity.
Since 2011, the total number of jobs created and supported by Apple in the US has more than tripled, from almost 600,000 to 2 million across all 50 states.
Apple cutting iPhone production by 10% this quarter, report claims
For the second time in two months, Apple is cutting iPhone production, according to a new report from Nikkei. Citing sources with knowledge of the request, the outlet says Apple has asked its suppliers to produce 10% fewer handsets than originally planned for the January-March quarter.