Recent reports have claimed that Apple has withdrawn some of its technological staff working at a micro-LED research and development lab in northern Taiwan after LuxVue encountered bottlenecks in commercialization of this promising power-sipping display technology.
Supply
TSMC starts development of A12 chips for 2018 iPhones
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest contract chip maker, is in the early stage of development and testing of manufacturing processes in preparation for Apple's next-generation A12 chips for 2018 iPhones.
Toshiba sells flash chip business to a global consortium that includes Apple
Toshiba is the world’s second-biggest producer of flash chips and now the company has sold that lucrative business to Bain Capital LLC , an international consortium that includes Apple and in which Japanese firms hold more than a 50 percent interest.
iPhone X production woes continue with poor TrueDepth camera yields
iPhone X is slated to arrive on November 3, but Apple and its suppliers are still experiencing reported problems with mass production of sophisticated 3D facial scanning sensors for the handset's TrueDepth camera, according to a report Tuesday by Japanese outlet Nikkei.
2018 iPhones to boost camera resolution as Apple orders “above 12-megapixel” sensors
Apple does not boost the megapixel count on iPhone cameras every year, but 2018 iPhones are expected to feature higher-resolution cameras, according to a supply chain report Tuesday.
Samsung planning $7 billion flash memory production boost ahead of iPhone 8
Samsung Electronics on Monday disclosed plans to invest $7 billion over the next three years to expand its flash memory chip production in China’s northwestern city of Xi’an.
Apple estimated to build only 500,000 HomePods for December launch
David Ho, president of Taiwanese contract manufacturer Inventec Appliances, suggested during an earnings conference today that a high-profile smart home device his company has received orders for would be faced with constrained launch supply in December.
iPhone screen supplier Japan Display needs cash injection to switch to OLEDs
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.
Apple seeks tax breaks for suppliers to build iPhones from scratch in India
A limited run of “Assembled in India” iPhone SE models is now rolling from the assembly lines in India, run by Apple's contract manufacturer Wistron, but the Cupertino technology giant is now seeking extend tax breaks for its suppliers to build iPhones in the country from scratch.
TSMC kicks off mass production of 10nm Apple A11 chips for iPhone 8
While market watchers are still unsure if Apple could manage to ramp up iPhone 8 production in time for a September launch, a report Friday from Taiwan's TechNews, quoted by DigiTimes, alleges that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has now kicked off volume production of the device's in-house designed A11 chip.
LG Display investing $13.5 billion to boost output of OLEDs
Major Apple supplier LG Display is reportedly investing a whopping $13.5 billion over the next three years in order to boost output of OLED panels for TVs and smartphones, which Apple is widely expected to adopt for this year's premium iPhone 8 model.
Rivals adopt wait-and-see approach, believe iPhone 8 will “come with revolutionary features”
Apple's competitors have adopted a wait-and-see approach, pushing back smartphone chip orders as they're waiting to see the OLED-based iPhone 8 before making future plans.