For a year now, we've been hearing that Foxconn was going to buy a large stake in Sharp Corp. Speculation of the deal has run rampant, going so far as to implicate that the partnership was part of Apple's plans to build a TV.
But over the last several months, Sharp's business has started to falter, causing Foxconn to rethink things. Since then, the companies haven't been able to come to an agreement. And according to a new report, they won't...
Last week, a couple of reports surfaced claiming that Apple has been trimming component orders for its iPhone 5. While the exact reasons for the cutbacks are still unknown, many market-watchers are citing weaker-than-expected demand as the main factor.
But no matter what the reasoning is, it seems the cuts are happening. Another report popped up this weekend claiming that the Cupertino company has contacted Sharp Corp. and asked them to cut their iPhone 5 LCD panel orders in half for next quarter...
Reuters has issued a report this morning claiming that Sharp is cutting down production on iPad screens. The outlet cites two industry sources, who say the corp. has nearly halted manufacturing of 9.7-inch screens for the tablet at its Kameyama plant in Japan.
It's not clear how much of the slowdown is due to seasonal changes in demand, or cannibalization, thanks to a rising consumer interest in Apple's iPad mini. But regardless, this is still the second report of the Cupertino company cutting part orders this week...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnUUXoFsjoY
Sharp, one of Japan's three struggling consumer electronics giants (the other two are Sony and Panasonic), showed off its IGZO panels at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Last we heard, Apple was hoping to use IGZO tech in upcoming products. It's interesting Sharp's demonstration included Corning, the maker of the iPhone's cover glass that in its third-generation boasts 40 percent higher scratch resistances and 50 percent better overall strength. Sharp's IGZO technology requires only a fraction of energy compared to traditional LCD screens and provides richer, livelier colors, deeper blacks and overall sharper images while maintaining the thinness of in-cell display tech featured on the iPhone 5...
Apple is reportedly in talks with Sharp to use the company's IGZO (Indium gallium zinc oxide)Â technology in its next-generation iPhones and iPads. The backplane tech, which has been a hot topic over the past several months, allows for thinner, high resolution displays that require substantially less power...
You can put Panasonic, Sony and Sharp on your list of once mighty Japanese consumer electronics giant that are now forced to sell off billion dollars' worth of property in an embarrassing move deemed absolutely unavoidable if these dinosaurs want to survive winter. Panasonic, the maker of the Viera brand of TVs, was previously reported as wanting to exit the television business to focus on churning out displays for portable electronics, especially Apple’s iPad.
These days, the company is working to raise $1.34 billion from offloading property and shares in other Japanese companies by end of March 2013, Reuters reported Monday. We're talking land holdings, plants and even a 24-storey staff dorm in central Tokyo which has more than 47,300 square meters and houses about two thousand workers. Sony and Sharp, once the biggest names in electronics, are planning to follow suit...
More good news for people keeping their fingers crossed for Sharp's IGZO panels appearing on iOS devices: Tuesday morning, The Wall Street Journal reported that chip maker Qualcomm has agreed to invest as much as ¥9.9 billion, or approximately $120.4 million, in "what is expected to be the first in a series of capital injections to shore up" Sharp's battered finances and advance its IGZO tech.
That's good news as Foxconn's and Apple's multi-billion dollar deals with Sharp appear to be going nowhere. Sharp's stock was downgraded to junk and the ailing Japanese consumer electronics maker is now trying to obtain investments from anyone, be it Apple, Intel, Foxconn or Qualcomm.
The launch of Sharp's awesome, albeit pricey, 32-inch 4K IGZO pro monitor and the introduction of its own tablet, the Aquos Pad SHT 21, which has a seven-inch IGZO display, both indicate yields are improving and so the likelihood of Apple re-considering IGZO panels in future iOS devices is now growing with each passing day...
Sharp, the struggling Japanese consumer electronics maker, is finally taking its low-power IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) panels off the ground, announcing Wednesday a 32-inch monitor built around this proprietary display tech. And with 4K resolution of 3,840-by-2,160 pixels, it's a marvel of cutting-edge display engineering.
That's four times the pixels of the current full HD standard which maxes out at 1,920-by-1,080 pixels. In addition to low power consumption, the new monitor achieves the industry's thinnest profile by adopting a specially designed edge LED backlight that's only 35mm deep...
A detective story of sorts is unfolding in Silicon Valley. Did Apple spend $2 billion to prevent Japan's Sharp going under and putting the iPhone 5 in jeopardy? That's the belief of one analyst who did what all good investigators do: follow the money. Sharp was in financial trouble. It lost $1.3 billion in early 2012, was facing another $2.3 billion due in 2013 and lost a potential lifeline from Foxconn.
In late August came word that Sharp's production of touchscreens for the then unreleased iPhone 5 had slowed. A delay could crimp the Cupertino, California company's ability to meet the expected high demand for its new product. But just weeks after that dire warning, news broke in September that Sharp was producing "mass quantities" of the displays. What caused the sudden turn-around? Apple, some say...
Sharp, who makes TVs, displays and other electronics, is in serious trouble right now. The company is bleeding money, its stock price is plummeting and it says that it's not sure that it can continue to operate.
In fact, the dyer situation has Foxconn worried enough that it's thinking about pulling out of its deal to buy an 11% stake in the company. But according to a new report, Apple may be looking to help out...
On the eve of Apple's iPad mini event, the Japanese giant Sharp has announced it expects shipments of devices incorporating its cutting-edge low-power IGZO (Indium gallium zinc oxide) display technology to surge. IGZO incorporates a thin-film transistor that allows for thinner devices while reducing power consumption and increasing image quality. NPD DisplaySearch claimed last month Apple would refresh display tech on the iPad 3 and another story back in July asserted that a 7.85-inch mini iPad would use  an IGZO display made by Sharp...
The struggling Japanese electronics giant Sharp confirmed Friday that it is making "adequate volumes" of displays used for Apple's iPhone 5, Reuters reports. Sharp's statement arrives just as Apple has rolled out the device to 22 more countries this morning. The ongoing supply constraints continue to affect availability of the iPhone 5, which still shows 2-3 week shipping times on Apple's international online stores. Furthermore, some international carriers stopped taking iPhone 5 pre-orders due to low supplies...