Sharp

Report: Apple’s in-cell displays causing iPhone 5 delays

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

The answer to the question 'where's my iPhone 5?' may have an answer. The smartphone's advanced display technology is so complex that one supplier was slowed by defective screens, one Wall Street analyst said Tuesday.

To produce the iPhone 5's display using in-cell technology, Apple relied on two suppliers: LG Display and Sharp, Barclays told Bloomberg. The in-cell display allowed Apple to combine the touchscreen layer with the display layer, giving consumers a slimmer handset profile and improve color quality. However, due to problems controlling defects, Sharp only began shipping screens for the iPhone 5 after the device went on sale.

Sharp, others steal iPhone 5 display biz from Samsung

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 20, 2017

There has been much speculation concerning who will be supplying screens for Apple's just announced iPhone 5. The mystery is solved, if you believe a new Wall Street Journal report that named LG Display, Japan Display and Sharp as suppliers of four-inch in-cell display panels for the device. Surprisingly, the newspaper made no mention of Samsung, which supplies Retina display for the third-generation iPad and previous iOS devices...

Sharp reportedly to agree to sell shares to Foxconn at a lower price

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 20, 2017

Following reports of contention between Apple's favorite contract manufacturer Foxconn and the struggling Japanese electronics giant Sharp over the stake-sale price, The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that Sharp may agree to a lower price after all.

A new round of talks is reportedly focused not only on the sale price, but also on broadening the two companies' business alliance, which includes the future of Sharp's television assembly plants in Mexico and China rumored to be part of the Foxconn deal...

Sharp slows production of Apple’s new iPhone screen

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Apple may need to give a cash infusion to one of its iPhone display suppliers, whose production has slowed due to high costs, Reuters reports Friday. Screens for the new iPhone expected on Sept. 12 have embedded touch sensors, eliminating the need for an additional touch-screen layer.

Sharp is "struggling with high costs that have cut into its margins on the screens," the news service reports this morning, citing an unidentified production source...

Sharp and Foxconn have yet to reach billion dollar investment deal

Cody Lee ∙ August 30, 2012

Earlier this month, word got out that Hon Hai (aka Foxconn) was looking to up its stake in Sharp Corporation to 10 percent, or more, giving it a fairly large piece of the Japanese company.

The news fueled rumors of an Apple TV set, as Foxconn is Apple's favorite manufacturer and Sharp, well, makes TVs. But according to a new report, the two sides have yet to reach a deal...

Foxconn now wants one-fifth of Sharp as iTV meme picks up steam

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Funny thing how, after a period of inconsistent rumor mongering, all the pieces of an Apple branded television set rumor appear to be falling in place. First, the Wall Street Journal threw its credibility behind the iTV meme yesterday with a pair of stories describing a set-top box, likely a next-gen Apple TV, that could tap iCloud to store shows the instant they air and work with premium cable TV content.

Then earlier today we've learned via an analyst note that the iTV could be in production as we speak and that Apple is planning to offer both a standalone $1,250 HD TV set with AT&T‘s UVerse and Verizon’s FiOS contract and content deals, as well as a much cheaper and more advanced set-top box for Comcast customers.

And just as I explained the intricacies of a cool gesture recognition technology that iTV is thought to incorporate, a new report from Japan says Apple's favorite contract manufacturer Foxconn is now asking to double its planned stake in Sharp to as much as twenty percent, up from the originally agreed 9.9 percent...

Why Foxconn must ensure survival of cash-strapped Sharp

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 7, 2016

Though the world's largest product assembler Foxconn is taking advantage of Sharp's financial woes, the company will want to offer a lifeline to the struggling Japanese giant, not just because it's one of the suppliers of mobile displays for iPhones and iPads, but also because Apple is seeking to reduce its dependency on Samsung, the world's largest maker of flat displays. That's the crux of today's report by Bloomberg, which also mentions the inevitable Apple television set rumor...

Foxconn rethinking its Sharp investment amid the sunset of Japan’s TV biz

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 3, 2012

Japanese giants once used to rule the consumer electronics landscape but no more. Even the TV set making biz, once the pinnacle of the "made in Japan" industry, has been declining rapidly due to strong competitive pressure from South Korea, the home to Samsung, the world's largest TV maker.

Foxconn, an assembly company, in March announced intentions to purchase an eleven percent stake in Sharp, a manufacturer. Pundits and industry execs saw the move as laying the groundwork for a mass-scale production of a rumored Apple television set as Foxconn also agreed to buy a 46.48 percent stake in Sharp's cutting-edge (though underutilized) LCD plant in Sakai in western Japan, a big loss maker for the company.

Even though Foxconn has helped Sharp weather some of the storm ahead, the company needs more help. Banks, however, are unwilling to issue new loans and Foxconn just decided to renegotiate the terms of its purchase of Sharp's shares. The best bit: Foxconn has yet to produce the money for that deal...

Sharp confirms display shipments for iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 31, 2016

Sharp president Takashi Okuda today confirmed to Reuters that his company will begin shipping displays for Apple's sixth-generation iPhone this month. This is the first time to my knowledge that a major supplier officially confirmed an unreleased Apple product, even if he didn't give a more specific date for shipments beyond this month. The panels will be four inches corner to corner, 30 percent bigger than current iPhones, sources told the news gathering organization...

Foxconn wants a seat on Sharp’s board

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 20, 2012

The world's largest contract manufacturer Foxconn is allegedly aiming to acquire board seat at Sharp, a report out from Asia claims.

Foxconn in May acquired an eleven percent ownership stake in Sharp in exchange for $844 million. It also bought a 46.48 percent stake in Sharp's sister company Sharp Display which makes display panels for iPad 3 and is thought to be readying big-ass IGZO panels for a rumored full-blown television set from Apple...

Former Chimei Innolux president says Foxconn’s Sharp deal is for iTV

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 29, 2012

According to a former executive from Taiwanese supply chain, Foxconn's recent investments into the Japanese electronics giant Sharp and its cutting-edge display factory is in fact part of preparations for a large-scale manufacturing of a rumored Apple television set, dubbed by the media the iTV...

Sharp to begin delivering cutting-edge iTV panels to Foxconn in Q3 2012

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 21, 2012

Back in May, a report quoted Foxconn CEO Terry Gou as saying his company was “making preparations” to assemble a full-blown television set for Apple. It proved bogus when Foxconn issued a statement claiming Gou “neither confirmed nor speculated about Foxconn’s involvement in the production of any product”, but such an ambiguously worded denial only added fuel to fire.

According to a new rumor by Chinese news site 21cbh.com (via AppleInsider), based on talks with a Sharp executive and other sources at the company, Sharp will begin delivering LCD television panels to Foxconn in the third quarter of this year, for the specific purpose of assembling Apple television sets...