According to a recent Chinese-language Commercial Times report cited by trade publication DigiTimes, Apple signed a component contract with supplier Lite-On Semi which should provide several parts that the iPhone maker needs in order to realize fast wireless charging on iPhone 8.
The Taiwan-based supplier has been tasked with building GPP bridge rectifiers that help reduce thermal issue and increase efficiency of wireless power transmission.
A trio of new iPads that KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted for this year may not launch until the second half of 2017, according to supply chain reports cited by trade publication DigiTimes. The new 9.7, 10.5 and 12.9-inch iPads won't launch before summer because they're still in the planning stage.
The refreshed 9.7-inch model is expected to enter mass production in the first quarter while volume production of the other two models should kick off in the second quarter of this year. For what it's worth, DigiTimes said in December 2016 that lower-than-expected yield rates for TSMC’s 10-nanometer process technology could disrupt planned March 2017 debut of new iPads.
Apple's next iPhone is expected to adopt a 5.8-inch wraparound AMOLED display that utilizes a fixed flex screen like Samsung's ill-fated Galaxy Note 7.
That's according to a note Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri issued to investors on Wednesday, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider. Arcuri refers to the so-called tenth anniversary iPhone as “iPhone X”.
The analyst claims the 4.7-inch iPhone 7s and 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus models may switch from LCDs to AMOLEDs, too, if Samsung Display is able to supply enough panels to Apple.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that iPhone 8 will be switching to an all-glass design akin to iPhone 4 with a stainless steel metal frame rather than aluminum. Today, trade publication DigiTimes shed more light on the matter.
Quoting supply chain sources, the report states that Apple will adopt a stainless steel forging process for the new chassis frame instead of the traditional CNC machining process although the metal frame will need to be further refined by CNC machining.
According to a brief report in the Chinese-language Economic Daily Times newspaper that was quoted Friday by DigiTimes, strong sales of the W1-enhanced AirPods and robust demand for Apple's earphones during the year-end holidays have prompted supplier Inventec to increase production capacity. While Inventec declined to comment on its orders, it's reportedly begun expanding capacity at its Shanghai plants, which are currently working overtime to deliver orders.
Most of the iPhone models Apple develops, markets and sells are being assembled by Foxconn, the world's leading contract manufacturer. In a new investigative piece, The New York Times newspaper delves into the inner workings of Foxconn's iPhone manufacturing plant in Zhengzhou, a city of six million people in an impoverished region of China.
Fun fact: the world’s biggest iPhone factory, referred to as “iPhone City” by the locals, is capable of churning out half a million iPhones per day at peak.
According to Japanese outlet Nikkei, cited by DigiTimes, Sharp is hoping to secure some camera lens orders from Apple for future iPhones. To boost its chances of cutting a lucrative deal with Apple, Sharp is now speculated to increase its investment in Japan-based lens module maker Kantatsu, in which it currently holds a 44 percent stake.
Sharp would need to compete with Taiwan-based Largan Precision, which currently supplies iPhone camera lens modules in volume. Sharp is owned by Foxconn, the world's top contract manufacturer that assembles iPhones.
After the United States President-elect Donald Trump promised tax incentives to Apple to build “Made in USA” iPhones, Japanese outlet Nikkei reported that Tim Cook & Co. already asked back in June its contract manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron to look into assembling iPhones domestically. Foxconn reportedly complied, but don't expect other Chinese vendors in Apple's vast supply chain to follow suit.
As reported Wednesday by Chinese-language outlet qq and cited by trade publication DigiTimes, most Chinese supply chain makers will not follow Foxconn even if Apple decides to shift production to U.S.
Trade publication DigiTimes said Friday that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has received orders to kick off volume production of Apple-designed A10X Fusion chips for the next iPad. However, unsatisfactory yields for TSMC's 10-nanometer process technology could disrupt planned March 2017 launch of the next iPad series.
The proportion of semiconductor devices on the silicon wafer found to perform properly is referred to as the yield. Yield rates in semiconductor fabrication can be as low as thirty percent due to process variation and many other reasons.
LG's display-making arm is said to be gearing up to kick off volume production of foldable displays for future iPhones, said Korean news outlet ETNews. In addition to Apple, LG Display should supply foldable displays to Google and Microsoft in 2018. LG-developed foldable display prototypes were of sufficient quality for the company to secure global manufacturers as its partners.
In an effort to help bring more clean energy to its Chinese suppliers, Apple and wind turbine maker Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology (also known as Goldwind) have entered into a cooperative joint venture agreement, according to a Hong Kong stock exchange filing spotted by the South China Morning Post newspaper.
Beijing Tianrun New Energy Investment, a Goldwind subsidiary, will transfer its thirty percent stakes in four project firms that will stay subsidiaries under Goldwind for stock exchange purposes.
Sales of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) headsets and accessories have been “weaker than expected,” causing concerns for companies that have invested heavily in these technologies, according to a report Monday by Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes. Weak demand for AR and VR gadgets is being blamed on a lack of content and expensive prices, among other factors.
Apple, as you know, is thought to be researching AR accessories of its own and has filed a number of patents pertaining to virtual reality technologies.