Germany's Bosch wins orders to supply motion sensors for Apple's 'iPhone 8'

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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in iPhone
German supplier Bosch will provide some of the motion sensors for "the next iPhone," diverting some orders away from Apple's once exclusive supplier, InvenSense, according to a report.




Bosch could supply up to half of Apple's needed components, Bloomberg said on Friday, citing an anonymous source. Bosch already supplies barometric sensors for current iPhones, but in the iPhone 6s and 7 at least, motion sensors are the exclusive domain of InvenSense.

Apple will often bring multiple suppliers onboard for a single part in order to force price competition, as well as offer a fallback in case one company encounters bottlenecks or otherwise can't keep up with demand. There are some exceptions, most notably TSMC, which is believed to have a monopoly on A10 processors for the iPhone 7, and be headed in the same direction for this year's iPhones.

The "iPhone 8" is commonly expected to feature a 5.8-inch OLED screen, a virtual home button, wireless charging, and 3D facial recognition and/or iris scanning. It may also switch to a vertically-aligned rear camera.

It's unclear if Bosch will be involved with two rumored "iPhone 7s" models, which should sport 4.7- and 5.5-inch LCDs, but share some advances of the "iPhone 8" like wireless charging.

In its 2017 Supplier Responsibility Report Apple listed Bosch as a supplier, but specifically a facility in Reutlingen, Germany dedicated to automotive electronics -- possibly hinting at involvement in Apple's self-driving car program.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Apropos of nothing, I personally dislike the use of the word "win" or "awarded" when it's used in headlines (especially when the occasional patent-related story pops up here). 
    edited May 2017
  • Reply 2 of 13
    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    SpamSandwich said:
    Apropos of nothing, I personally dislike the use of the word "win" or "awarded" when it's used in headlines (especially when the occasional patent-related story pops up here). 
    Win is quite apt imho, in that they bid for the work against other manufacturers and won the contract.
  • Reply 3 of 13
    maciekskontaktmaciekskontakt Posts: 1,169member
    adm1 said:
    SpamSandwich said:
    Apropos of nothing, I personally dislike the use of the word "win" or "awarded" when it's used in headlines (especially when the occasional patent-related story pops up here). 
    Win is quite apt imho, in that they bid for the work against other manufacturers and won the contract.
    Actually you are right. I only have problem when people say "won test", won"poractice" like in Formula 1 racing. This is foolish as winning is not there except best result. Winning starts only where and when there is designated competition/contest by rules with rewards. Outside of that is just interesting result.
  • Reply 4 of 13
    seanismorrisseanismorris Posts: 1,624member
    Well....Bosch makes good windshield wipers and other auto (supplies).

    And, no one has made a connection yet to Apple Car?  I could be an interesting relationship/collaboration.
  • Reply 5 of 13
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    SpamSandwich said:
    Apropos of nothing, I personally dislike the use of the word "win" or "awarded" when it's used in headlines (especially when the occasional patent-related story pops up here). 
    But Bosch was awarded a rose in every ceremony, until it reached the final round when Apple popped the question: "I want you inside my iPhone, will you be mine?"
    badmonkSpamSandwich
  • Reply 6 of 13
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    suddenly newton said:
    SpamSandwich said:
    Apropos of nothing, I personally dislike the use of the word "win" or "awarded" when it's used in headlines (especially when the occasional patent-related story pops up here). 
    But Bosch was awarded a rose in every ceremony, until it reached the final round when Apple popped the question: "I want you inside my iPhone, will you be mine?"
    Ha!
  • Reply 7 of 13
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    Well....Bosch makes good windshield wipers and other auto (supplies).

    And, no one has made a connection yet to Apple Car?  I could be an interesting relationship/collaboration.
    Bosch is currently partnered up with Nvidia to push their Drive PX 2 driver-assist system. Doesn't rule out Bosch working with anyone else of course. Where's there's profit there's Bosch. They're working on autonomous systems integrating Nvidia AI-chips for Mercedes (Daimler) and it think still with Tesla too. They're also working with Google and Porsche. So yeah I'm sure they'd be happy to sell to Apple too. 
    edited May 2017
  • Reply 8 of 13
    tycho_macusertycho_macuser Posts: 88member
    seanismorris said:
    Well....Bosch makes good windshield wipers and other auto (supplies).

    And, no one has made a connection yet to Apple Car?  I could be an interesting relationship/collaboration.

    Lol, and Samsung supplies Apple parts & also makes refrigerators! Yet, there's no "Apple Refrigerator" rumor....... 
    That's because your silly comment is really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really grasping.
  • Reply 9 of 13
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    sog35 said:
    SpamSandwich said:
    Apropos of nothing, I personally dislike the use of the word "win" or "awarded" when it's used in headlines (especially when the occasional patent-related story pops up here). 
    Win is the exact right word.

    They won the bid against other companies.  That is the correct phrasing when talking about bidding for a contract
    You don't even know if that is the case.  It might have been a situation where Bosch had something Apple needed and the other company didn't.   Unless someone has inside information we really don't know why Bosch is rumored to be supplying this hardware.
    gatorguy
  • Reply 10 of 13
    plovellplovell Posts: 824member
    Bosch also makes almost all of the electronics for high-end cars, especially the German ones (obviously). They're clearly a player in the autonomous-driving space, although they don't seem to have a "system". There could be an interesting partnership with Apple.
  • Reply 11 of 13
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    plovell said:
    Bosch also makes almost all of the electronics for high-end cars, especially the German ones (obviously). They're clearly a player in the autonomous-driving space, although they don't seem to have a "system". There could be an interesting partnership with Apple.
    You might do some reading because I believe they DO have a "system". 
    https://electrek.co/2017/04/04/daimler-bosch-self-driving-cars/
    edited May 2017
  • Reply 12 of 13
    jcs2305jcs2305 Posts: 1,337member
    Well....Bosch makes good windshield wipers and other auto (supplies).

    And, no one has made a connection yet to Apple Car?  I could be an interesting relationship/collaboration.

    Lol, and Samsung supplies Apple parts & also makes refrigerators! Yet, there's no "Apple Refrigerator" rumor....... 
    That's because your silly comment is really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really grasping.
    I think you're trying a little too hard to be snarky here. Lighten up jeez.... 

    I personally Identify Bosch with Volkswagen and auto parts as well. Especially after Bosch got smacked for being involved in the BIG Volkswagen emissions scandal.  I had no idea that they made washers and other appliances. 

    https://www.boschvwsettlement.com/en


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