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Parts suppliers reportedly prep for iPhone 5, iPad 3 assembly
Digitimes is reporting that the suppliers for the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 are gearing up to provide components for the next iterations of both of those devices. That in and of itself isn't really surprising -- of course Apple is working on new iterations of all of its devices. But what is interesting about this little leak is the timing. We first heard that Apple was lining up suppliers for the iPad 2 back in November of last year, which the benefit of hindsight now tells us was just about four months before its eventual release in early March of 2011. In other words, hearing about the iPad 3 suppliers starting to turn the gears now could mean, assuming that Apple is still on the same manufacturing schedule, that we're going to see another new iPad as soon as four months from now -- sometime before this coming holiday season. Would Apple release two iPads in one year? Blogger John Gruber has already suggested that they'll do exactly that, and certainly the timing of this leaked announcement supports that idea. As usual, nothing is confirmed until we hear it from Cupertino officially. But you can at least add another log to the fire of rumors that we may see the iPad 3 before 2011 has left us behind.
Apple's supply demands could affect Amazon tablet production
According to Digitimes, Amazon is shopping around for manufacturers to supply touchscreen panels for its rumored upcoming tablet. The retail giant has supposedly approached TPK Holdings, Wintek, HannStarr Display and J Touch. Two of the four manufacturers, TPK Holdings and Wintek, currently supply touchscreens for Apple and are hesitant to make a commitment to Amazon. Amazon is looking to ship 4 million tablet units by the end of the year and neither manufacturer has the resources to supply Apple and Amazon at the same time. The online retailer may be forced to turn to smaller manufacturers for its touchscreen panel supply. This move could limit the supply of tablets Amazon has on hand for its launch, which is not a good starting position for a new entrant in the highly competitive tablet market. [Via BGR]
Apple's lithium-polymer battery purchases hindering other manufacturers
Apple supposedly has a lock on the touch panel market, and now it seems the Cupertino company is doing the same thing in the Lithium-polymer battery market. According to Digitimes, Apple has bought up most of the available supply of Lithium-polymer batteries used in notebook computers and mobile devices. This is causing other manufacturers, like HP and Acer, to scramble to find new suppliers. Apple's stronghold on the market should have a limited effect on the bottom line of other hardware manufacturers as only a few models use this battery technology.The lithium-polymer battery is more expensive than traditional Lithium-ion batteries, and Apple is the only manufacturer that has adopted it throughout its product line.
Amazon tablet with TI processor shipping as early as August?
For months now, DigiTimes has been fueling rumors of Amazon's first foray into the LCD tablet market. Today it ratchets up the specificity with sometimes contradictory claims that Quanta Computer will be responsible for assembling the tablet with a supposed TI (not NVIDIA) processor and Wintek (not EIH) touch panel among its components. According to DigiTimes, Amazon hopes to move some four million units in 2011 alone with plans to launch the new tablet as soon as August. Possible? Sure, likely even. But we'll wait for Bezos to sing before updating our holiday shopping lists.
Microsoft eyeing own-brand Windows 8 tablet for end of 2012?
There's little doubt that the launch of Windows 8 will bring with it a wave of new tablet devices from all sorts of manufacturers and vendors. But did any of us expect to see one bearing Microsoft's own logo? According to DigiTimes' sometimes accurate, sometimes shaky upstream supplier sources, Steve Ballmer's team is looking into putting together an own-brand Windows 8 slate, which will be powered by Texas Instruments silicon and put together by Taiwan-based ODMs. The deadline for this device is said to be by the end of 2012 and TI's involvement suggests it'd be one of those newfangled ARM-based Windows machines, but beyond that, we've little more to go on. Whatever the outcome, don't expect Microsoft to go overboard, DigiTimes says the company is "proceeding on a low profile."
OmniVision, Avago reported iPhone 5 parts suppliers
A rumor from Digitimes suggests Apple is tapping OmniVision for CMOS image sensors and Avago Technologies for power amplifiers (PA) to be used in the iPhone 5. OmniVision will be the main supplier for 8-megapixel camera sensors, with Sony picking up any slack. Avago will supply two-thirds of the PAs while long-time supplier TriQuint Semiconductor will supply the rest. This is good news for the suppliers involved as they will likely see a boost in revenue due to the expected staggering demand for the iPhone 5. This is even better news for Apple fans as it suggests production of the iPhone 5 is moving along smoothly. Yes, it may be slower than some prefer, but it's possible Apple may still hit that rumored September target launch date.
Microsoft incentivizing chipmakers and tablet manufacturers to form 'sole alliances'? (updated)
A trio of sources speaking to Bloomberg have seemingly shed light on Acer's concerns with Microsoft's new tablet strategy. Seems that the boys beneath Ballmer hope to speed delivery of the company's new tablet OS by limiting variations. To accomplish this, Microsoft is offering incentives to chip and computer makers that agree to form sole alliances (i.e., one chipmaker works exclusively with one computer manufacturer) including enhanced feature sets and lower prices on Microsoft software. Under the plan, chip suppliers will be able to select a second company to produce a clamshell-style laptop using Microsoft's next wares. The plan is not mandatory and does not apply to desktop use of Microsoft next operating system, according to Bloomberg's sources. However, if true, then it represents a dramatic departure from Microsoft's traditional war-of-attrition approach to the laptop and tablet market that has resulted in a near limitless choice of brands and configurations so synonymous with Wintel. It all sounds incredible until you consider Microsoft's approach to Windows Phone that already marries its mobile OS to a highly restrictive specification sheet. With Windows Next (or Windows 8, if you prefer) set to support both Intel architectures and ARM (and all its licensees), we can understand Microsoft's desire for tighter control over its partners in hopes of accelerating development and testing. After all, Microsoft is conspicuously absent from the tablet discussion these days. We guess Steve wasn't kidding when he called this OS Microsoft's "riskiest product bet" yet. Update: And now DigiTimes has jumped in with support for Acer CEO, J.T. Wang, claiming that Taiwan's PC makers have been excluded from Microsoft's Integrated Development Program (IDP) for Windows 8 tablet PCs. According to the Taiwanese rumor rag, long time Microsoft partners Acer, ASUS, and even HTC have been shut out of the proceedings. Instead, DigiTimes claims that chipmakers Intel, AMD, TI, Qualcomm and NVIDIA have been invited by Microsoft to choose manufacturers from a first-round list of participants limited to Dell, HP, and Samsung. Hopefully Microsoft will add some clarity to all this later today when we get our first look at its next generation OS. [Thanks, Pradeep]
HTC's 10-inch 'Puccini' Honeycomb tablet still rumored for summer release
What would a morning be without a little injection of rumorjuice courtesy of DigiTimes? Today's tattle has HTC's 10.1-inch LTE "Puccini" tablet hitting mass production in June with AU Optronics and Wintek pegged as the touch panel suppliers. Other specs, like the 1.5GHz MSM8660 processor and Android 3.0.1 build, seem to have been culled from that 911sniper leak which DigiTimes graciously cites as "sources in the supply chain." Of course, the June date has been tossed around before by DigiTimes but it's good to hear it again so close to the 10-incher's rumored summer release.
Acer's 10-inch Oak Trail tablet running Android 3.0 rumored for July delivery
Paul Otellini already told us that we'd see new Android tablets running Intel silicon at Computex. Now DigiTimes is quoting loose-lipped upstream component makers who claim that Acer is set to launch its 10-inch Android 3.0 tablet built upon Intel's Oak Trail platform in July. Mind you that's the retail date, making the May 31st kickoff of Computex the perfect event to demonstrate the unARMed Android tablet for the first time in public. Of course, Acer was early with its Android-based netbook back in 2009 so it's no surprise to see the company with another Google first in 2011. And really, without a suitable Microsoft tablet OS available until 2012, you can bet that Intel's going to be pushing the Honeycomb port to x86 hard over the coming months with rigs from Lenovo and ASUS also tipped by DigiTimes. Oh, and for whatever it's worth, the Taiwanese rumor rag also says that Acer is "evaluating" an Oak Trail with MeeGo tablet. Which version, we wonder?
iPhone 5 rumors prompted by Apple purchase of glass-cutting machines
Cheesy phishing scams notwithstanding, there is an incredible amount of interest growing in Apple's next-generation iPhone. The rumors about the iPhone 5 started the day that the iPhone 4 began showing up in stores, and almost a year later, they're reaching a fever pitch. Lately the rumors have been a bit more believable and are coming from industry sources. Digitimes is reporting that the front cover glass of the iPhone 5 may be curved, a completely different design from the flat face used in all preceding designs. The blog based its report on buzz being generated in the Taiwanese supply chain, noting that manufacturers were "reluctant to commit investment to the purchase of glass cutting equipment due to the high capital involved." Apple allegedly reached into its very deep pockets to purchase 200 - 300 glass cutting machines for glass makers to use. These machines are being stored at assembly plants to be brought online as soon as yields for the curved glass covers fulfill expectations. The novel curved glass cover appears to be keeping Apple and suppliers busy right now trying to improve yield rates. Once those rates reach acceptable levels, volume production may begin. Now that we've heard about the curved cover glass, we'll keep our eyes open for a unique phone lying unattended in a bar...
iPhone 5 may feature curved glass screen, continue iPod nano legacy
DigiTimes has been canvassing its manufacturing industry sources again, and today it's managed to extract some intel regarding Apple's typically secretive supply chain. Steve Jobs' team are said to have purchased between 200 and 300 glass-cutting machines, specifically in order to use them to slice up curved glass display covers for the iPhone 5. This move has apparently been in an effort to accelerate production, with glass makers reportedly showing a reluctance to buy the machinery themselves due to its prohibitive cost. Lest you think this sense of urgency might accelerate the iPhone 5 from its earlier-rumored September launch, DigiTimes also reports that yields of curved glass are not yet good enough to start using said fancy machines. So the iPhone may be headed for the same curvacious look as we've already seen on Dell's Venue and HTC's Sensation (or maybe even the concavity of the Nexus S), but as is Apple's wont, it looks like that will be done with a tailor-made, custom solution. At least those Cupertino designers have a couple of generations of curved iPod nano screens under their belt, giving them a good idea of how to handle the atypical glass frontage. Now if we could just have a good idea of when this phone will actually be on sale...
Apple's MacBook Air duo to receive Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt upgrade in June or July?
We've already seen Intel's Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt reinvigorating the MacBook Pro line, so it's only logical for the MacBook Airs to eventually follow suit -- presumably they'll pick up Sandy Bridge's 17W mobile processors to match the current 10W and 17W Core 2 Duos. So when can we expect this to happen? Well, according to DigiTimes' sources within the supply chain, Apple may receive shipment of the refreshed Airs in late May ahead of a June or July launch -- this echoes earlier reports from Apple Insider and CNET that cited the same time frame. Additionally, DigiTimes says Quanta will continue to assemble Apple's ultra-portable laptops, with Simplo Technology and Dynapack supplying the battery packs. As always, we shall remain open-minded about such rumors, but you'll know the real deal as soon as we do within the next couple of months or so.
Labor, materials shortages could affect iPad, iPhone shipments
A rumor from Digitimes suggests Foxconn may not be able to fulfill Apple's upcoming orders for the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4. Sources from upstream component makers claim the Chinese company is facing a shortage of both labor and materials at its plant in Chengdu, China. This facility is one of several Foxconn locations that manufacture the iPad 2. The bulk of Apple's iPad supply still comes from the main Shenzen plant, but this slowdown at an auxiliary plant could prevent Apple from eliminating its iPad 2 backlog. Foxconn is reportedly assuring its customers that it will do all it can to meet its customers' orders and is working on rearranging its workforce to get back to 100 percent productivity. This rumored information contradicts comments made by Tim Cook during Apple's quarterly earnings in April. Cook was optimistic that iPad 2 production levels were on the rise and was "very confident" that Apple could "produce a very large number of iPads for the quarter." Cook also confirmed that iPhone 4 production levels were right on track to meet demand in all their markets. Either something has dramatically changed in the three weeks since this conference call, or this rumor from Digitimes is off-base.
ASUS planning quad-core Tegra 3 tablet, yet another Intel slate
The Eee Pad Transformer may be wowing tablet lovers with its unbeatable price-to-features ratio today, but ASUS looks to have its sights set on even mightier devices for the future. DigTimes reports that the Taiwanese company is hard at work on a Tegra 3 tablet -- built around the spectacular Kal-El quad-core SOC that we saw demonstrated at MWC 2011 -- as well as another one running an Intel CPU. As far as the Intel slate is concerned, we're probably looking at the tablet-centric 1.5GHz Atom Z670, which promises 1080p playback and great battery life. You'll forgive us if we reserve our excitement for the Tegra 3-powered tablet, however, which should be able to churn through quite a few more pixels than regular old 1080p. There's no indication on when ASUS intends to deliver it, but NVIDIA's roadmap for devices with the quad-core chip expects to start appearing in August. Video of that awe-inspiring MWC demo follows after the break.
Amazon tablet shipping later this year according to new tattle
We've got a pretty good inkling that it's coming -- the big question is when will Amazon finally ship an LCD tablet. According to DigiTimes, and its occasionally trusty sources at upstream component makers, when is defined by the second half of 2011. What's more, the media tablet will feature a Fringe Field Switching LCD display and touch panel from Amazon fave E Ink Holdings, a company better known for the technology behind the Kindle's EPD e-paper displays. According to DigiTimes, Quanta has received the manufacturing honors with production expected to peak at about 700,000 - 800,000 units per month. So yeah, the Amazon Kindle tablet won't be sporting a Mirasol display according to this gossip. Then again, it's only gossip so anything goes.
Acer said to be using LG Shuriken display in upcoming laptop -- less bezel, less thickness, more awesome
The zany guys and gals at DigiTimes have a saucy new rumor to start our week off with a bang. A newfangled LG display, dubbed Shuriken, is apparently being recruited in Acer's fight against irrelevance. The Taiwanese company will reputedly use it in an upcoming 14.1-inch laptop, but here's the kicker: the physical size of the laptop will be no bigger than that of a 13.3-inch model. That's because the Shuriken's panel will require less bezel (8mm instead of 12mm) and less thickness, slimming itself down to just 4mm. LG already has the 12.5-inch Xnote P210, which would seem to be employing similar technology, so it's not a stretch to believe the company's war on bezels has stepped up to the 14-inch size class. Acer is expected to launch this new laptop as early as next month, though the cost of the Shuriken displays is cited as the reason they haven't been taken up more widely yet, meaning the price of the eventual product will be almost as intriguing as its looks.
Digitimes: No iPad 3 this year
Remember back in February when the iPad 2 hadn't even launched yet, but there were already rumors of an iPad 3 set to hit the market this fall? Well, according to Digitimes, those rumors aren't likely to amount to anything this year. When iPad 3 rumors originally surfaced, the idea was thrown around that the iPad 2 may be a kind of transitional product, and the "real" iPad upgrade would appear in the fall as a kind of iPad 2.5 model. Now Digitimes' sources are stating that iPad component makers have "not yet received any notice for next generation iPad products and do not believe iPad 2 is a transitional product." Another big rumor for the iPad 3 was that it will sport a Retina Display. While it's likely it will, it's not likely an iPad with a Retina Display will appear this year. Sources told Digitimes that while Apple has been asking touchscreen panel makers to provide screens that can provide higher resolutions than the current iPad 2 screen, the project is still in the "initial planning stage" and thus unlikely to appear in 2011. In short, if you're holding off getting an iPad 2 because you expect Apple to launch an iPad 3 in the fall, don't hold your breath.
Apple's touch panel demand helped delay RIMs PlayBook
RIM announced its PlayBook tablet last year, and eager BlackBerry fans have been waiting months for this QNX-based tablet to debut. According to a rumor from Digitimes, this wait was made even longer thanks to Apple and its stranglehold on the touch panel market. Asian supply chain sources suggest Apple used its treasure chest of cash to secure touch panels for its iOS devices, leaving other manufacturers out in the cold. RIM reportedly delayed the PlayBook while it secured touch panels and put the finishing touches on its tablet OS. Digitimes is notoriously hit or miss with its insider information, but in this case, its report may be accurate. Apple is known for its ability to secure critical device components from Asian suppliers before its competition. A few years ago Apple cornered the market on NAND Flash for its iPhone and iPods while other manufacturers were left scrambling for the scraps.
Cover lens supply key for 2011 iPad 2 shipment goal
A report out of Digitimes suggests the supply of cover lenses for touch panel modules may influence Apple's future production rate of its popular iPad 2. Sales of the iPad 2 have exceeded expectation, and Apple reportedly shipped 2.4 to 2.5 million tablets in March alone. Conservative estimates predict Apple may ship over 4 million units per month in the upcoming financial quarter. Asian supply sources hint that the ability of Apple to meet this growing demand for its popular tablet device hinges on the ability of manufacturers to produce this necessary lens component. Currently, Taiwan-based TPK Touch Solutions, G-Tech Optoelectronics and more are expanding their manufacturing capacity and ramping up production of these cover lenses. In the end, this component may not delay production of the iPad 2, but it does reveal the struggle parts manufacturers encounter when a new device taxes their production line.
Will a $200 ASUS Eee PC finally ship with Google's help?
As hard as it tried, ASUS never could get its Eee PC prices down to $200 MSRP as promised way back in 2007 -- a time when Intel-based netbooks still shipped with Linux distros and "tablet PCs" ran a Microsoft OS. Fast forward to today and netbooks are being kicked to the curb for ARM-based tablets running smartphone operating systems. To compete, ASUS, a company that's become synonymous with netbooks, is planning to ship an unsubsidized $200 to $250 netbook running Android 3.0 or Chrome OS in June. According to DigiTimes sources, anyway, who tend to be pretty accurate with regard to Taiwanese companies. If true then expect to see it announced at Computex which kicks off in Taiwan on May 31st.
