Apple supplier Sony takes hit in December quarter on lower image sensor sales

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone
Although PlayStation sales and cost-cutting measures helped Sony's operating profits rise 11 percent overall in the December quarter, it suffered setbacks in image sensor production, which could reflect lower orders from Apple for the iPhone.




"Demand for image sensors from certain customers has slowed since November due to a slowdown in the high-end smartphone market," said CFO Kenichiro Yoshida during a media briefing, according to Reuters. The quarter's device sales, including image sensors, fell 13 percent year-over-year, contributing to a loss of 11.7 billion yen ($96.62 million) in the segment versus last year's 53.8 billion yen ($444.3 million) profit.

The company's mobile division saw sales fall 15 percent. Although Sony's Xperia phones are generally well-reviewed, they haven't sold nearly as well as the iPhone or Samsung's Galaxy products.

Sony is believed to be the only image sensor supplier for the iPhone, meaning that any shift in iPhone production can have a significant impact on the company.

During a Tuesday results call, Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that iPhone sales will probably see their first-ever decline in the March quarter. This would square up with claims that Apple was instituting a 30 percent production cut for the period. A number of other Apple suppliers have experienced setbacks as well, including Foxconn.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    Good grief, really, lower orders? Apple is buying all their sensors?

    The bullshit narrative is off the chart; it's relentless, Apple is not only doomed, it dooms the rest of the world too...
    anton zuykovflaneurSpamSandwich
  • Reply 2 of 23
    jmey267jmey267 Posts: 57member
    I think on the camera sensor front it is more like slowing P&S and DSLR camera sales do to people using mobile devices. Apple still sold almost 75 million phones in 3 months all with sony camera sensors.
    jbdragon
  • Reply 3 of 23
    michael scripmichael scrip Posts: 1,916member
    I hope Sony can continue to supply image sensors to Apple in a timely manner.  The last thing we want is a shortage of iPhones because of a supply issue.

    Since cameras are such an important part of Apple products... do we think Apple would ever move everything involving cameras in-house?

    It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for Apple to control image sensor production from top to bottom... would it?
  • Reply 4 of 23
    josujosu Posts: 217member
    michael scrip said:
    I hope Sony can continue to supply image sensors to Apple in a timely manner.  The last thing we want is a shortage of iPhones because of a supply issue.

    Since cameras are such an important part of Apple products... do we think Apple would ever move everything involving cameras in-house?

    It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for Apple to control image sensor production from top to bottom... would it?
    Sony is the best in that area, the only way to do properly would be buying Sony, get the image business, the media one and sell everything else to Foxxcon.
    jony0
  • Reply 5 of 23
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    josu said:
    michael scrip said:
    I hope Sony can continue to supply image sensors to Apple in a timely manner.  The last thing we want is a shortage of iPhones because of a supply issue.

    Since cameras are such an important part of Apple products... do we think Apple would ever move everything involving cameras in-house?

    It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for Apple to control image sensor production from top to bottom... would it?
    Sony is the best in that area, the only way to do properly would be buying Sony, get the image business, the media one and sell everything else to Foxxcon.
    I think Canon is way better.
  • Reply 6 of 23
    512ke512ke Posts: 782member
    Yes, we got it, Apple issued lower guidance for the next quarter. Their supplies are selling fewer parts.  Moving on...


  • Reply 7 of 23
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,093member
    Sony supplies image sensors for a myriad of camera makers, including those of the dSLR arena.  Apple could be buying the same amount it always had, maybe even more but if everyone else is taking a hit, then it's not Apple's fault.

    Idiot analysts.  
  • Reply 8 of 23
    Herbivore2Herbivore2 Posts: 367member
    Samsung makes better sensors than Sony. In fact, the Galaxy line of cameras have been taking better photos than the iPhone for some time. I would never buy an Android based phone, but Samsung does make some very nice hardware. And the Galaxy line of phones are superior to Sony's Xperia. 

    Sony cameras and phones are actually pretty mediocre. Despite the fact that Apple uses them. Apple's iPhone sales have not declined yet as the last quarter was their best ever. Hence Sony's camera and Xperia sales are probably way down. And that's not terribly surprising. 
  • Reply 9 of 23
    bobschlobbobschlob Posts: 1,074member
    512ke said:
    Yes, we got it, Apple issued lower guidance for the next quarter. Their supplies are selling fewer parts.  Moving on...


    ...Yeah, without Apple, it seems.
  • Reply 10 of 23
    bobschlobbobschlob Posts: 1,074member
    We all (including AI) know the difference between the terms "production issues" and "demand issues".
    So which is it?
    Aw screw it, it's bad news for Apple either way.
    edited January 2016
  • Reply 11 of 23
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Herbivore2 said:
    Samsung makes better sensors than Sony. In fact, the Galaxy line of cameras have been taking better photos than the iPhone for some time. I would never buy an Android based phone, but Samsung does make some very nice hardware. And the Galaxy line of phones are superior to Sony's Xperia. 

    Sony cameras and phones are actually pretty mediocre. Despite the fact that Apple uses them. Apple's iPhone sales have not declined yet as the last quarter was their best ever. Hence Sony's camera and Xperia sales are probably way down. And that's not terribly surprising. 
    The Sony Z5 has the best camera of any smartphone.  The Samsung S6 has a better camera than the S6+ and it uses a Sony sensor.  Sony make the best sensors, that's why all the top cameras in phones use them.
    gatorguy
  • Reply 12 of 23
    iushntiushnt Posts: 23member
    cnocbui said:
    Herbivore2 said:
    Samsung makes better sensors than Sony. In fact, the Galaxy line of cameras have been taking better photos than the iPhone for some time. I would never buy an Android based phone, but Samsung does make some very nice hardware. And the Galaxy line of phones are superior to Sony's Xperia. 

    Sony cameras and phones are actually pretty mediocre. Despite the fact that Apple uses them. Apple's iPhone sales have not declined yet as the last quarter was their best ever. Hence Sony's camera and Xperia sales are probably way down. And that's not terribly surprising. 
    The Sony Z5 has the best camera of any smartphone.  The Samsung S6 has a better camera than the S6+ and it uses a Sony sensor.  Sony make the best sensors, that's why all the top cameras in phones use them.

  • Reply 13 of 23
    iushntiushnt Posts: 23member
    iushnt said:
    cnocbui said:
    The Sony Z5 has the best camera of any smartphone.  The Samsung S6 has a better camera than the S6+ and it uses a Sony sensor.  Sony make the best sensors, that's why all the top cameras in phones use them.
    I didn't get any good source which claim s6 has better than s6+. What I found was Galaxy Note 5 was rated for the best camera.
  • Reply 14 of 23
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    iushnt said:
    iushnt said:
    I didn't get any good source which claim s6 has better than s6+. What I found was Galaxy Note 5 was rated for the best camera.
    The opinion is my own, having looked at a variety of sample shots of the same subject.

    GSM arena have a useful phone camera comparison tool here.  Whether I choose the good or poor light options, the S6 edges the S6, IMO.


    Here is the low light:



    The good light option still shows the S6 having an edge.  It is astonishing how good the camera in the OnPlus 2 is given it's cost.

  • Reply 15 of 23
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    foggyhill said:
    Good grief, really, lower orders? Apple is buying all their sensors?

    The bullshit narrative is off the chart; it's relentless, Apple is not only doomed, it dooms the rest of the world too...
    We're living in Doooooomed™ times.
  • Reply 16 of 23
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    iushnt said:
    iushnt said:
    I didn't get any good source which claim s6 has better than s6+. What I found was Galaxy Note 5 was rated for the best camera.
    Even Andy Ihnatko, who has inexplicably recently become an Abdroid user, does not say Samsung has the best overall camera.
  • Reply 17 of 23
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    cnocbui said:
    Samsung makes better sensors than Sony. In fact, the Galaxy line of cameras have been taking better photos than the iPhone for some time. I would never buy an Android based phone, but Samsung does make some very nice hardware. And the Galaxy line of phones are superior to Sony's Xperia. 

    Sony cameras and phones are actually pretty mediocre. Despite the fact that Apple uses them. Apple's iPhone sales have not declined yet as the last quarter was their best ever. Hence Sony's camera and Xperia sales are probably way down. And that's not terribly surprising. 
    The Sony Z5 has the best camera of any smartphone.  The Samsung S6 has a better camera than the S6+ and it uses a Sony sensor.  Sony make the best sensors, that's why all the top cameras in phones use them.
    Even if that were true, the problem is that a camera is not just taking the picture on a Tripod, the processing part is where Apple beats them solid. Focus quicker, shot to shot quicker, stabilization is top notch, etc. Why? Because well Apple doesn't mind putting as much dsp crap on their massive SOC as possible.

    That's is especially true with cameras with such small sensors were it doesn't matter how much "better" they claim to be, they all struggle.

    I have a Canon G7x and despite this camera having a big ass sensor that rips any cell phone for a camera that size, the reason I miss the shot the most is either the subject moved to fast for the speed I had set (or automatically set) to get a proper exposure, I moved (because I had to take a very fast shot to take and whipped out the camera).

    Taking a photo when you're moving of someone else that's also moving, in low light is insanely difficult especially if you want to frame it correctly.
    One side of the equation (or both) moving is very frequent.
    This takes speed.

    edited January 2016
  • Reply 18 of 23
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Herbivore2 said:
    Samsung makes better sensors than Sony. In fact, the Galaxy line of cameras have been taking better photos than the iPhone for some time. I would never buy an Android based phone, but Samsung does make some very nice hardware. And the Galaxy line of phones are superior to Sony's Xperia. 

    Sony cameras and phones are actually pretty mediocre. Despite the fact that Apple uses them. Apple's iPhone sales have not declined yet as the last quarter was their best ever. Hence Sony's camera and Xperia sales are probably way down. And that's not terribly surprising. 
    Samsung was using Sony sensors until the SGS 6, and for that phone they're using both Sony, and their own. 
  • Reply 19 of 23
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    foggyhill said:
    cnocbui said:
    The Sony Z5 has the best camera of any smartphone.  The Samsung S6 has a better camera than the S6+ and it uses a Sony sensor.  Sony make the best sensors, that's why all the top cameras in phones use them.
    Even if that were true, the problem is that a camera is not just taking the picture on a Tripod, the processing part is where Apple beats them solid. Focus quicker, shot to shot quicker, stabilization is top notch, etc. Why? Because well Apple doesn't mind putting as much dsp crap on their massive SOC as possible.

    That's is especially true with cameras with such small sensors were it doesn't matter how much "better" they claim to be, they all struggle.

    I have a Canon G7x and despite this camera having a big ass sensor that rips any cell phone for a camera that size, the reason I miss the shot the most is either the subject moved to fast for the speed I had set (or automatically set) to get a proper exposure, I moved (because I had to take a very fast shot to take and whipped out the camera).

    Taking a photo when you're moving of someone else that's also moving, in low light is insanely difficult especially if you want to frame it correctly.
    One side of the equation (or both) moving is very frequent.
    This takes speed.

    So you are saying the DSP in an iphone allows you to take decent shots of moving subjects in low light and with the iphone also in motion?
  • Reply 20 of 23
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    cnocbui said:
    foggyhill said:
    Even if that were true, the problem is that a camera is not just taking the picture on a Tripod, the processing part is where Apple beats them solid. Focus quicker, shot to shot quicker, stabilization is top notch, etc. Why? Because well Apple doesn't mind putting as much dsp crap on their massive SOC as possible.

    That's is especially true with cameras with such small sensors were it doesn't matter how much "better" they claim to be, they all struggle.

    I have a Canon G7x and despite this camera having a big ass sensor that rips any cell phone for a camera that size, the reason I miss the shot the most is either the subject moved to fast for the speed I had set (or automatically set) to get a proper exposure, I moved (because I had to take a very fast shot to take and whipped out the camera).

    Taking a photo when you're moving of someone else that's also moving, in low light is insanely difficult especially if you want to frame it correctly.
    One side of the equation (or both) moving is very frequent.
    This takes speed.

    So you are saying the DSP in an iphone allows you to take decent shots of moving subjects in low light and with the iphone also in motion?
    Being able to set up the shot fast, move on to the next shot, is what enables to take good shot when there is movement.Got that buddy.
    There is a hell of lot of processing inside a modern camera; some dedicated, some in software.
    Basically, you are yet another of those who play idiot in your responses.
    Well, you can play that little "idiot game" all by yourself now. Amuse yourself.

     

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