Apple supplier Sharp strikes strategic deal with Samsung
Sharp, a key supplier of components that go into iPads and iPhones, lost $5.4 billion last year, prompting the Japanese display maker to increase its reliance on Apple's top rival, Samsung, in order to survive.
Sharp is entering a three-year rehabilitation program, hoping to reverse its fortunes after losing $5.4 billion in the last fiscal year, Reuters reported on Tuesday. As a part of that plan, the company will cooperate more closely with Samsung on the technologies used in the displays for mobile devices.
"For Sharp," said newly christened Sharp president Kozo Takahashi, "the way forward is to forge various alliances to generate new opportunities."
Last year saw Sharp taking big writeoffs due to excess display capacity after a failed attempt to boost its own TV business. In light of that, the company will focus more heavily on display panels produced for companies like Samsung and Apple.
The news of even closer ties to Samsung comes just two months after the South Korean giant took a $112 million share in Sharp in light of the company's continuing struggles. That deal will provide Samsung with "a long-term, stable and timely supply of LCD panels for large-size TVs and small- and medium-size LCD panels for mobile devices," according to a press release at the time.
The development also adds a layer of complexity to Apple's dealings with Sharp. Eager to distance itself from Samsung thanks to Samsung's willingness to mimic Apple's designs, Apple has been shifting its supply sourcing to Samsung's competitors, including Sharp and LG.
In order to shore up Samsung's supply chain competitor, Apple may have gone so far as to invest $2 billion in Sharp last year, according to one analysis.
The closer alignment with Samsung is driven in part by an apparent slowdown in demand for the displays Sharp makes for Apple's iPads and iPhones. Sharp cut back production of 9.7-inch iPad screens in January, though it is reportedly close to beginning production of displays for the next generation of iPhone.
Supposedly softening demand for Apple's devices has been a theme of late. Over the past few months, multiple suppliers have announced declining revenue, citing demand for Apple products as a reason.
Sharp is entering a three-year rehabilitation program, hoping to reverse its fortunes after losing $5.4 billion in the last fiscal year, Reuters reported on Tuesday. As a part of that plan, the company will cooperate more closely with Samsung on the technologies used in the displays for mobile devices.
"For Sharp," said newly christened Sharp president Kozo Takahashi, "the way forward is to forge various alliances to generate new opportunities."
Last year saw Sharp taking big writeoffs due to excess display capacity after a failed attempt to boost its own TV business. In light of that, the company will focus more heavily on display panels produced for companies like Samsung and Apple.
The news of even closer ties to Samsung comes just two months after the South Korean giant took a $112 million share in Sharp in light of the company's continuing struggles. That deal will provide Samsung with "a long-term, stable and timely supply of LCD panels for large-size TVs and small- and medium-size LCD panels for mobile devices," according to a press release at the time.
The development also adds a layer of complexity to Apple's dealings with Sharp. Eager to distance itself from Samsung thanks to Samsung's willingness to mimic Apple's designs, Apple has been shifting its supply sourcing to Samsung's competitors, including Sharp and LG.
In order to shore up Samsung's supply chain competitor, Apple may have gone so far as to invest $2 billion in Sharp last year, according to one analysis.
The closer alignment with Samsung is driven in part by an apparent slowdown in demand for the displays Sharp makes for Apple's iPads and iPhones. Sharp cut back production of 9.7-inch iPad screens in January, though it is reportedly close to beginning production of displays for the next generation of iPhone.
Supposedly softening demand for Apple's devices has been a theme of late. Over the past few months, multiple suppliers have announced declining revenue, citing demand for Apple products as a reason.
Comments
Because it's expensive and they have all the patents.
Samsung is making sure it will get IGZO.... Apple is getting own again. Lets hope that rumored 2 billions went into facilities that will output IGZOscreens for Apple only and we dont have Samsung take away Apple screens.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dasanman69
Because it's expensive and they have all the patents.
For some reasons some people think Apple is inventing everything. In fact, most the stuff in Apple devices was made or invented by someone else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by herbapou
For some reasons some people think Apple is inventing everything. In fact, most the stuff in Apple devices was made or invented by someone else.
Uhm... he was referring to the LCD manufacturers having all the patents, not Apple, thus increasing Apple's cost as they would have to license the patents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by herbapou
Samsung is making sure it will get IGZO.... Apple is getting own again.
Samsung is one of leaders in IGZO development and they demonstrated a 70-inch IGZO display back in 2010
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gustav
Uhm... he was referring to the LCD manufacturers having all the patents, not Apple, thus increasing Apple's cost as they would have to license the patents.
and I am saying it doesnt apply only to LCD's. Glass, memory, 4g chipset, sound chipset, ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrispoe
Samsung is one of leaders in IGZO development and they demonstrated a 70-inch IGZO display back in 2010
link please. Because I sure can give you tons that refer IGZO patents own by Sharp.
Here is one regarding Samsung... http://www.oled-info.com/samsung-may-invest-sharp-gain-access-igzo-and-other-technologies
Quote:
Originally Posted by herbapou
link please. Because I sure can give you tons that refer IGZO patents own by Sharp.
Here is one regarding Samsung... http://www.oled-info.com/samsung-may-invest-sharp-gain-access-igzo-and-other-technologies
Here's one
http://www.semiconportal.com/en/archive/news/main-news/120314-igzo-application-jst-samsung.html
That clearly states the technology was licensed to Samsung, not by Samsung. Just because Samsung is also working on advancing Sharp's technology does't mean it's Samsung's tech, which is what your initial comment implies. It would be like saying that Apple created LiquidMetal or ARM simply because they are active licensees.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrispoe
Here's one
http://www.semiconportal.com/en/archive/news/main-news/120314-igzo-application-jst-samsung.html
Thanks for the link. From my understanding Samsung has the old Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) late 90's patents that may be not as advanced of what Sharp has right now. imo they still needed to secure the more advance IGZO tech from Sharp with the deal they just made.
Maybe with the 2 billions investment in Sharp, Apple as secure IGZO production in volume and even if Samsung has the tech, its still wont be able to output the screens in volume until 2014.
imo all the new 2013 Apple product cycles are going to be wall to wall IGZO, from the macs to the phones/tablets all the way to the TV. its the only screen tech that allows very high resolution and low power consumptions, making the design of very light retina ipads possible. It beats the crap out of oled.
From that link you provided, it looks like Sharp owns the continuous grain (CG) technology, which is critical. See the last paragraph. Could be that Samsung needs that process.
. . . and Samsung knows it.
Or, possibly they will concentrate on developing IGZO OLED.
Edit: Another article leads me to wonder if CG can be used in addtition to IGZO, or is a separate matter altogether.
https://www.semiconportal.com/en/archive/news/main-news/sharp-to-introduce-new-igzo-te.html
This whole field of display technology could use some clarification by a good writer. If anybody finds anything explanatory, please link.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
That clearly states the technology was licensed to Samsung, not by Samsung. Just because Samsung is also working on advancing Sharp's technology does't mean it's Samsung's tech, which is what your initial comment implies. It would be like saying that Apple created LiquidMetal or ARM simply because they are active licensees.
No I didn't imply that at all, I'm just implying that Sharp is not the only company working on some form of IGZO tech.
IGZO plus Haswell would increase the battery life considerably, which may be the reason Apple seemingly skipped Retina in the 11' and 13" MBAs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by herbapou
Thanks for the link. From my understanding Samsung has the old Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) late 90's patents that may be not as advanced of what Sharp has right now. imo they still needed to secure the more advance IGZO tech from Sharp with the deal they just made.
Maybe with the 2 billions investment in Sharp, Apple as secure IGZO production in volume and even if Samsung has the tech, its still wont be able to output the screens in volume until 2014.
imo all the new 2013 Apple product cycles are going to be wall to wall IGZO, from the macs to the phones/tablets all the way to the TV. its the only screen tech that allows very high resolution and low power consumptions, making the design of very light retina ipads possible. It beats the crap out of oled.
That would be great - I really hope you're right!
Quote:
Originally Posted by herbapou
Thanks for the link. From my understanding Samsung has the old Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) late 90's patents that may be not as advanced of what Sharp has right now. imo they still needed to secure the more advance IGZO tech from Sharp with the deal they just made.
Maybe with the 2 billions investment in Sharp, Apple as secure IGZO production in volume and even if Samsung has the tech, its still wont be able to output the screens in volume until 2014.
imo all the new 2013 Apple product cycles are going to be wall to wall IGZO, from the macs to the phones/tablets all the way to the TV. its the only screen tech that allows very high resolution and low power consumptions, making the design of very light retina ipads possible. It beats the crap out of oled.
Samsung's IGZO equivalent technology may or may not be as advanced as Sharps, but neither Samsung or Sharp are going to be able to deliver them in mass volume by 2014. Hell even Sharp at CES said themselves their IGZO displays wouldn't be mass market for a few more years.
IMO, I don't think we're going to see an iphone with an IGZO display until the iphone 7 due to the sheer number of displays required.
Yes, because this would be the next big thing from Apple, bigger than Retina itself was.
As for the old meme that Apple never develops its technology by itself and merely uses others' inventions, we can see here how ridiculous it is to expect a computer company to innovate in an area like LCD displays. Sharp is building on generations of know-how in developing such technologies, not to mention the hardware in the laboratories themselves.
It has always been Apple's role to jump on the best new tech that comes up and merge it into a working system first.
Do you have a link for what Sharp said at CES?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsmythe00
if foxconn sharp and everyone else can pull it off why not apple
If it was that desirable to own an ODM subsidiary, they would have done so already. Tech companies do their own manufacturing when they desire extreme control. It's usually not for profitability.