Roger Fingas
Since July, Apple has reportedly been working to secure a "massive" quantity of camera lens modules for this fall's new iPhones — something that could be aided by one of its suppliers launching a new factory by the end of September.
Apple's demand is driving high revenues for two Taiwan-based suppliers, Largan Precision and Genius Electronics Optical, DigiTimes said on Friday. Largan, a frequent Apple supplier, is spending $661 million on the new factory in Taichung, but still recruiting workers.
Reports have so far pointed to three iPhones coming this year. Of these, two — the "iPhone 8" and "iPhone 7s Plus" — are expected to use dual-lens cameras like last year's iPhone 7 Plus, enabling optical zoom and a "Portait" mode that artificially blurs backgrounds. The standard "7s" will likely stick to a single-lens camera.
Largan's factory could alleviate bottlenecks in the Apple supply chain. Indeed some reports have hinted that the "iPhone 8" won't go into mass production until mid-September, making any supply chain help vital.
The late start has typically been attributed to problems with the phone's 5.8-inch OLED display, however, which could mean Largan's efforts will have a minimal impact.
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8 Comments
They do this kind of thing every year. This is not news.
Based on the mocked up picture above, the new iPhone must have at least 6" screen, not 5.1" as rumored. Am I missing something here?
Is this camera any better than prior cameras? That would be an interesting fact to know. Even so, not really the basis of an article